The Post-Kickstarter Discussion Thread: Bask in the Afterglow

[The Giant]

This thread is for the discussion of any and all topics that directly relate to the recently completed Order of the Stick Reprint Drive (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/599092525/the-order-of-the-stick-reprint-drive) on Kickstarter. So if you want to talk about reward fulfillment or credit card problems, this is the place.

The original thread is here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229737), but since that's over 100 pages long so we locked it.

[CloakedDancer]

Hey look! A new thread to talk about Kickstarter stuff in. Cool! :smallcool:

[Defiant]

I am very pleased to see such success with the kickstarter. It was always obvious, and should be even more obvious to yourself as well, that...

You deserve it. :smallsmile:

PS: And hey, since we're apparently the best fans in the world, it seems like we deserve it too :smallbiggrin:

[fergo]

Whoo! New thread! :smallbiggrin:

Also, does anyone have updated knowledge about how long Rich thinks it might take to write up the various PDF stories, and whether they'll be released as one long package or individually?

I have a few vague memories of hearing this or that, but that was at the start of the drive, long before Rich had so much hard work to do!

[Defiant]

Whoo! New thread! :smallbiggrin:

Also, does anyone have updated knowledge about how long Rich thinks it might take to write up the various PDF stories, and whether they'll be released as one long package or individually?

I have a few vague memories of hearing this or that, but that was at the start of the drive, long before Rich had so much hard work to do!

I think not even Rich himself knows exactly what's happening when. Bear in mind, he's all of a sudden received a massive influx of work and commitments, not to mention the task of handling the logistics of it all.

We can be assured that it will all be fulfilled, but we may have to exercise some patience before this is all even sorted out in the first place. Give it a bit of time at this point.

[JoseB]

I, for one, am more than willing to have patience and take it easy :smallsmile:

I understand that this is going to be the mother of all undertakings for Rich, and that his platter will be beyond full.

I just hope that he won't work himself to exhaustion with all this! If getting my swag means taking it easy, waiting a bit longer and not having Rich overworking himself, I can do that :smallwink:

And... My CONGRATULATIONS (yes, in all capital letters) for the wild success of this drive, Rich! You deserve it :)

[Happy Me]

Anyone know when the one or two OOTS characters must be selected for the early (May 2012) Crayon drawings?

No rush but I have a slight fear that I will not be able to decide that quickly so would love some guess as to a rough time frame.

My guess is that I have at least a month or so but that is simply a guess.

[Grey Watcher]

Whoo! New thread! :smallbiggrin:

Also, does anyone have updated knowledge about how long Rich thinks it might take to write up the various PDF stories, and whether they'll be released as one long package or individually?

I have a few vague memories of hearing this or that, but that was at the start of the drive, long before Rich had so much hard work to do!

I have no actual answers, but I would actually prefer, at least with the PDF stories, that they be released as they are finished. Because that spreads out the awesomeness over the course of... however long it takes to plot out, write, and draw all those stories.

[Gullintanni]

My logic is that the year will be full of pleasant surprises.

I don't care how long it takes to finally be able to say, "Hey, I've finally received all the Kickstarter rewards". 2012 will be peppered with OotS themed rewards. I think I'll actually regret it a little bit once I've got everything, just cause I'll know nothing else is coming :smallamused:

[k_bukie]

So...what's the next step, then? My account has been charged/verified by Amazon, so now we just wait on a survey via e-mail? Or do I need to keep checking KS for it?

EDIT: Also, was it ever decided which characters were getting the story treatment?

[Silcrist]

*basks in the afterglow*

I think I need to find some sort of addiction program. I continue to have the urge to go check the Kickstarter page to see how we're doing NOW.

[The Giant]

Also, does anyone have updated knowledge about how long Rich thinks it might take to write up the various PDF stories, and whether they'll be released as one long package or individually?

I have a few vague memories of hearing this or that, but that was at the start of the drive, long before Rich had so much hard work to do!

I don't know at this point. All I know is that I'm not necessarily going to go in the order they were announced, I'm going to go in order of whatever I think I can get done most easily. I would rather get 3-4 of them done right away than wait until I necessarily finish the O-Chul story, which will be the longest one. I will also be releasing them as I finish them.


Anyone know when the one or two OOTS characters must be selected for the early (May 2012) Crayon drawings?

No rush but I have a slight fear that I will not be able to decide that quickly so would love some guess as to a rough time frame.

Trust me, you're not going to bother me if you take your time! I may ask as early as next week, but if you don't answer right away, I'll just work on other people's drawings until you do.

[The Giant]

So...what's the next step, then? My account has been charged/verified by Amazon, so now we just wait on a survey via e-mail? Or do I need to keep checking KS for it?

It will come to your email, but once I send it, it will also show up as a banner across the top of the KS page when you log in. So it will be hard to miss.

The surveys will be spread out over the course of the next two weeks, depending on which package you got. "Patience" surveys won't go out until later in the year.


EDIT: Also, was it ever decided which characters were getting the story treatment?

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.

EDIT to answer the post below this one: Both.

[bookguru]

THE DRIVE WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!
I'm so proud of our efforts.
Just wondering though, what exactly is the free swag in the broke ass student special? I couldn't tell whether it meant the PDFs, or the HPpad/stickers
:smallbiggrin:

[Tyndmyr]

and a pre-Order Belkar story.

This....this is fantastic!

[Xapi]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.

Great choices. Therkla is not the most interesting character for me, but I love the CPD and you can't go wrong with Belkar.

[Giddon]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.


Wow as it stands those are all solid choices. The Cliffport Cops are the least interesting plot wise but a nice addition because i always liked thier more modern world style MO.

As for Therkla, that was a solid choice, she was one of the more tragic, yet likeable characters. Belkar is a great choice, no further comment needed :smallbiggrin:

[Sniper]

Oooh, Cliffport PD story? I heavily approve. Shame there's no Horace storry, but I did not pay the $1250, I don't get to choose (and the 3 choices are all ones I support anyway so I don't mind)

[Username_too_lo]

I participated!:elan:

(Can we get that as a sig?)

In the end it was the cutout monsters that won me over - I was sorely tempted by some of the other stuff, but as a Redcoat lackey of George III, the postage was a little too sharp to bear.

Presumably Rich has access to all our email addresses through the Amazon account for pdf distribution? Or will we all get emailed access and passwords to a secret download site directly from Kickstarter?

[Nimue]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.


Good choices, although I admit I'd have loved to find out what became of Hilgya after her stormy exit from that cave...

[Bosaxon]

Good choices, although I admit I'd have loved to find out what became of Hilgya after her stormy exit from that cave...

I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday. I think she's probably one of the non-dead, non-recurring characters I'm most curious about.

[Hendel]

Again, congratulations to the Giant and to the entire playground that contributed in money or other means of support!!

The Giant should just rest and take his time. I would love the items over the next few months, but I would love the normal updates even better. I figure the swag will come soon enough!!

This is surely an interesting group of fans...

[Kobold-Bard]

...

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.

...

I know if I wanted a choice I should have bought them myself (and they're free so I can't really complain) but none of them make me particularly gleeful. Oh well, I'm sure they'll be entertaining nonetheless.

[ThePhantasm]

a pre-Order Belkar story.

I cannot express how excited I am about this. :smallbiggrin:

[Duskranger]

Sounds like fun. And I almost can't wait untill I get the survey and somewhere in June/July will get my books, and all the other stuff off course.

Pre-Order Belkar is awesome, the other two, I don't really know. On the other hand, their stories and I'm happy that we can read them for free so it does not really matter.

Take Care Giant and enjoy my money (and that of the rest off course :P)

[Skavensrule]

I will also be releasing them as I finish them.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! This was what I hoped you would do but didn't want to pressure you about it. I also approve of the choices made so far by the backers. Of all the characters from the on line strips, Therkla is the one I would most like to know more about. If you were to include SoD there is one other that we never even knew her name and she is probably using a different one now anyway. Belkar and the CPPD are also good choices. Will the backers be able to get any credit in the PDF (if they wish)? So far we only know about WampaX getting the third story. If they wish to remain anonymous thats cool too.

[CoffeeIncluded]

Pre-Order Belkar makes me so excited.

Also, I know I asked this before, but I just want to make super-sure: Other than the "Patience packages" all the other rewards will go out on the date they're told to go out? Because some said they'd arrive in April, others in May or June and I just want to make sure they won't go out on some mean date. (I just want to make sure that my "Print Only Special" reward will get to my college address by April.) I'm sorry to bug you like this again.

[cheesymetal]

im down to wait for awhile on anything. i know the giant will need like a week of rest for whats coming up. take it easy rich, and take your time. im in no hurry for anything.

pre-order belkar, sweet.

[SarahV]

Just a thought: It might be useful to have a post-Kickstarter FAQ of some sort, or else people are going to keep asking the same questions in different places. E.g., "when will I receive my XYZ" or "what exactly is included in reward XYZ"... or "how close of a relative do they have to be to get in my 'stick it to my family' portrait"... :smallwink:

[The Giant]

Also, I know I asked this before, but I just want to make super-sure: Other than the "Patience packages" all the other rewards will go out on the date they're told to go out? Because some said they'd arrive in April, others in May or June and I just want to make sure they won't go out on some mean date. (I just want to make sure that my "Print Only Special" reward will get to my college address by April.) I'm sorry to bug you like this again.

If you ordered a package without any signatures, crayon drawings, or similar personal work by me, and you didn't add the Sticky Shticks (which will take longer), then I know of no reason that it wouldn't go out by the end of April. The book printing will be a fairly easy process, since they are all reprints. The printer is already standing by, I just need to mail them the first check for them to pull the switch. I do need to get proofs done for the coloring book, but that's going to the top of my list of work as a result.

If there's any change in that expectation, I'll announce it via the Updates.

[Chess435]

Enjoy your sleep, Rich? :smallwink:

[Draconian]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.

Ooo... Does this mean the return of the sketch artist (and more of his "horrible" sketches?) Even if doesn't, I greatly approve the selection of the keyst.. err.. cliffport cops.

[Nimue]

I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday. I think she's probably one of the non-dead, non-recurring characters I'm most curious about.

Yes, a subsequent meeting between her and Durkon could get interesting. Or with her and her former companions :sabine:

[Joerg]

Wow. Fantastic drive, and great choices for the stories.

Regarding credit cards:

I have three kickstarter accounts for the same card. The first transaction was no problem, the second and third didn't work. So I contacted my bank and it turns out an automatic algorithm prevented the other payments on the basis that two transactions in a very short time to the same recipient may indicate some fraud. They fixed it, and I could then confirm the payments at kickstarter / amazon again. Phew.

So if anyone else has a problem with multiple accounts where only the first one worked, talk to your bank, it may be the same issue.

Another topic: in Germany we have to pay import tax on goods from the US. If there is no bill on the outside of the package, it will be delivered to a customs office, which is just some bother (especially if the packages don't arrive all at the same time). If there is no bill at all, we have to present our own to the customs officer. The only thing we have is the confirmation mails with the whole amount pledged, which could be significantly higher than what the goods are actually worth (some rewards are mainly delivered electronically, too).

So, if possible, it would be nice if the people at Oookoodook who make the packages include a bill not about the amount pledged, but about the things delivered in the package. It would be extremely nice if that bill was on the outside of the package so it can be directly delivered to the recipient.

[Squark]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.


Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.


the Cliffport Cops

Funny, I can remember seeing the reward for the first time and thinking, "Man, it would be awesome if someone chose the CPD Chief for that."

Who's the mindreader who picked that? :smallbiggrin:

EDIT: No, if you chose it and see this, you don't actually have to tell me.

[Tanuki Tales]

Hey, new thread. Awesome.

[CoffeeIncluded]

If you ordered a package without any signatures, crayon drawings, or similar personal work by me, and you didn't add the Sticky Shticks (which will take longer), then I know of no reason that it wouldn't go out by the end of April. The book printing will be a fairly easy process, since they are all reprints. The printer is already standing by, I just need to mail them the first check for them to pull the switch. I do need to get proofs done for the coloring book, but that's going to the top of my list of work as a result.

If there's any change in that expectation, I'll announce it via the Updates.

Ah, thank you! That's a relief.

[Tanuki Tales]

Any ETA on the post-drive survey? Like in the next week or...?

[The Giant]

The surveys will be spread out over the course of the next two weeks, depending on which package you got. "Patience" surveys won't go out until later in the year.

...................

[Douglas]

I'm one of the people who created multiple kickstarter accounts in order to select multiple reward packages. One of my rewards is the deluxe game, and the other is more books than can fit in the same box with the game, so I figured this would be easier than messaging Rich about a custom package for the folks managing all this stuff and wouldn't cost me any extra shipping because it would have to go in two boxes anyway. Plus, I made the decision to actually go for it after the announced cut-off point for such messages.

My question is this: My total pledge amount is $250, enough to qualify for a free art print, but neither individual pledge is high enough. If I mention this fact in the survey, with corroborating information, could I get a free art print because of my combined total? I figure I'd give identical physical addresses in my survey responses, and in one of them I'd mention the other email address and ask about the art print.

[Mighty]

I've had a confirmation email from Amazon telling me the payment succeeded, but no money has been taken from my bank account yet.

Should I be worried or is that normal?

Also, about the Pre-order Belkar story: (Origins spoilers)
Will be interesting to see how Rich angles this story as, to quote his preface in Origins: '... some characters demand a backstory to explain why they act the way they do, and others would be ruined by it. Do we really want to know why Belkar is so psychotic?'

[Nimue]

Another topic: in Germany we have to pay import tax on goods from the US. If there is no bill on the outside of the package, it will be delivered to a customs office, which is just some bother (especially if the packages don't arrive all at the same time). If there is no bill at all, we have to present our own to the customs officer. The only thing we have is the confirmation mails with the whole amount pledged, which could be significantly higher than what the goods are actually worth (some rewards are mainly delivered electronically, too).

So, if possible, it would be nice if the people at Oookoodook who make the packages include a bill not about the amount pledged, but about the things delivered in the package. It would be extremely nice if that bill was on the outside of the package so it can be directly delivered to the recipient.

Excellent point. I second that, it would save a great deal of trouble (I don't even know where the nearest customs office is...)

[Bedinsis]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.


Given that Therkla was the choice I'd pick if I had had the oppurtunity, I got a huge grin on my face and spontaneously gasped when reading this.

[Savil]

Also, about the Pre-order Belkar story: (Origins spoilers)
It's not necessarily a backstory, it could be any story about Belkar before he joined OOTS. About Belkar's dealings with Buggy Lou and slavers, for example.

[Peelee]

Also, about the Pre-order Belkar story: (Origins spoilers)
Will be interesting to see how Rich angles this story as, to quote his preface in Origins: '... some characters demand a backstory to explain why they act the way they do, and others would be ruined by it. Do we really want to know why Belkar is so psychotic?'

Never expected to have an entire response that would be spoilered, but...


I'd imagine that it wouldn't explore why Belkar is psychotic, but rather just a little plotline where he has Belkarian fun. So slashies and bloodshed, maybe some slavers, and delightful evil (with a little e) all around.

Of course, I'm not the author, and could be completely off-base on the direction of it, but that's what I'm expecting. A fun story by an awesome storyteller.

EDIT: Oooooh, ninja'd. That stings

[SarahV]

I've had a confirmation email from Amazon telling me the payment succeeded, but no money has been taken from my bank account yet.

Should I be worried or is that normal?

It's normal for transactions not to show up instantly. The two Kickstarter transactions I had yesterday didn't post to my credit card until today.

[Landis963]

So how are the numerous PDFs going to work? Are we going to get them e-mailed to the email address we provided to Kickstarter, are they going to be printed out and sent with the rest of the package (unlikely)? Is someone who only pledged 35$ only going to get the O-chul one?

[wxdruid]

Both of my transactions for both accounts have made it through fine on my bank account. I called them on Tuesday though to let them know the charges would be coming through because they were unusual and because I had to call them to get the payment for my laptop through since it wasn't a usual charge.

I'm looking forward to the goodies throughout the year. It'll make it fun to suddenly receive them. I also already know what Order of the Stick character I want a crayon drawing of.

[Username_too_lo]

Surely as 'Belkar will draw his last breath' this year his further adventures without the OotS will be as Belkar the loveable lich king or some other form of undead?

And in saying this I really hope I haven't shot Rich's fox.

[Crisis21]

As requested through PM, I'm reposting the Big List O' Achievements.
(Shale (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12739833&postcount=2620) is responsible for alot of these names. Some liberty may have been taken with the rest)
I also added a few more. :smallwink:

Achievement Unlocked: Take That, Eagle Awards! (Become the top-funded comics project)
Achievement Unlocked: O.o (Become the top-funded comics project by an order of magnitude or more)
Achievement Unlocked: Declare a Crayon-ocracy! (Be able to order five or more coloring books from a single pledge)
Achievement Unlocked: Poor Man's Pledge (Fund the five $11 packages)
Achievement Unlocked: Patience is a Virtue (Fund rewards added that will take a long time to fill)
Achievement Unlocked: Stick It To Someone (Fund stick figure portraits of real people)
Achievement Unlocked: Big Spenders (Fund the three $1,250 stories)
Achievement Unlocked: It's A Secret To Everyone (Fund the $4,000 Mystery Box)
Achievement Unlocked: Priceless Work Of Crayon (Fund the $5,000 cameo)
Achievement Unlocked: Quadruple-Digit Fans (Reach 1,000 donors)
Achievement Unlocked: We Live In The Valley To The South (Reach 5,000 donors)
Achievement Unlocked: We've All Heard The Joke (Reach 9,001 donors)
Achievement Unlocked: We are Legion! (Reach 14,000 donors)
Achievement Unlocked: Stickstarter (Minimum Print Run [War and XPs])
Achievement Unlocked: Win The War (Full Size Print Run [War and XPs])
Achievement Unlocked: Part 2: The Beginning (Full Size Print Run [On the Origins of PCs])
Achievement Unlocked: Feelin' Blue (Minimum Print Run [No Cure for the Paladin Blues])
Achievement Unlocked: To Azure City! (Full Size Print Run [No Cure for the Paladin Blues])
Achievement Unlocked: Pretty Good Advice (Minimum Print Run [Don't Split the Party])
Achievement Unlocked: Getting the Band Back Together (Full Size Print Run [Don't Split the Party])
Achievement Unlocked: One In The Bank (Pre-emptively fund: Full Size Print Run )
Achievement Unlocked: Stay Away From Haley (Pre-emptively fund: Full Size Print Run [Dungeon Crawlin' Fools])
Achievement Unlocked: Bookshelf of Holding (Get all seven books in print at once)
Achievement Unlocked: Broken Graph (Exceed the limits of the graph before Rich can update)
Achievement Unlocked: Double Order (Force Rich to expand the print runs through pre-orders alone)
Achievement Unlocked: Too Much Is Never Enough (Expand the print run twice)
Achievement Unlocked: Artist Needs Funds, Badly! (Pledge so much that Rich has to raise administrative funds to cover the cost of the drive itself)
Achievement Unlocked: Artistic Liscense (Get Rich to produce an 8x10 print of the massive cast posters)
Achievement Unlocked: Order Up A Scribble (The Order of the Stick Coloring Book produced)
Achievement Unlocked: No More Books? No Problem (Bribe Rich into producing new and different swag)
Achievement Unlocked: Make The Sticky Schticks Stick (Bribe Rich into releasing the adventure game expansion)
Achievement Unlocked: Show Your Pride (Bribe Rich into producing the OOTS Kickstarter patch)
Achievement Unlocked: Off The Rails (Claim victory over the [S]DM comic author by forcing him to run out of things to produce with the pledge funds)
Achievement Unlocked: Scoundrél Sequel (Mystery Prize #1 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: I Guess We'll Need Torches Or Something (Mystery Prize #2 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Back To The Beginning (Mystery Prize #3 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Wallpapers! (Mini-Prize #1 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: The Order of the Stickers! (Mini-Prize #2 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: OotS Hit Point Pad! (Mini-Prize #3 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Tall Graph, Tall Tale (Mystery Prize #4 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Mild Amnesia (Hit goals so fast that Rich loses count and skips Mystery Prize #5)
Achievement Unlocked: Messy Pile Of Fiery Wax (Mystery Prize #6 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Twig Figures (Mystery Prize #7 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Encore Presentation (Mystery Prize #8 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Dance Puppet, Dance! (+1 day to Week of OOTS sometime later this year)
Achievement Unlocked: More Dancing, Puppet! (+2 days to Week of OOTS sometime later this year)
Achievement Unlocked: The Monster Mash (A Monster for All Seasons achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Move the line! (Mystery Prize #9 achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Got What We Came For (Raise $57,750)
Achievement Unlocked: Here There Be Dragons... (Raise over $500,000)
Achievement Unlocked: It's over Nine (Hundred) Thousand! (Raise over $900,000)
Achievement Unlocked: Million Dollar Club (One MILLION dollars raised)
Achievement Unlocked: Make History (Place in the top ten Kickstarters of all time)
Achievement Unlocked: One For The Record Books (Reach the top five all-time Kickstarters by funding)
Achievement Unlocked: Just a Speed Bump (Place as the #4 all time Kickstarter drive)
Achievement Unlocked: Third Place Pays For All (Place as the #3 all time Kickstarter drive)
Achievement Unlocked: Binary Beast ($100000000000000000000 in base 2 raised)
Achievement Unlocked: Overkill (Original goal exceeded by $1 Million)
Achievement Unlocked: 10 Times the Funding of Mortal Men! (1000% funding achieved)
Achievement Unlocked: Epic Level Funding! (2000% funding exceeded)
Achievement Unlocked: Thor's Fan's Love (Ach, it's not THA kind o' love!) (Get heartfelt thanks from Rich for showing him that his work is greatly loved)
Achievement Unlocked: Not Happening (Have Rich reference one of our ludicrous reward ideas in his second rewards chart chart)
Achievement Unlocked: Holy crap, you guys thought I was serious about that? (Make a serious bid for Rich's last unrealistic goal)
Achievement Unlocked: Breaking Kickstarter (Have more backers than allowed on a limited reward)
Achievement Unlocked: You Totally Kicked Kickstarter's ASS!!! (Dude, I think we crashed Kickstarter...)
Achievement Unlocked: TILT (Have the Giant himself close down the discussion thread for being too long)
Achievement Unlocked: What was the final total again? (Have the pledge total raised after the drive has officially ended)
Achievement Unlocked: Mainstream is so last decade. (Backers officially exceed circulation of some popular mainstream comics as stated by a major news outlet)
For those who pledged from multiple accounts:
Achievement Unlocked: Praise Thor it went through! (finding out that the emails will all go to the Amazon account despite the origin of the pledge)
Achievement Unlocked: Frantic FanBoy/Girl (jumping through hoops trying to get funding when Debit cards and Prepaid cards did not work)

Wow, that's alot...

[Douglas]

So how are the numerous PDFs going to work? Are we going to get them e-mailed to the email address we provided to Kickstarter, are they going to be printed out and sent with the rest of the package (unlikely)? Is someone who only pledged 35$ only going to get the O-chul one?
They'll be sent by email, and it's all-or-nothing but not necessarily all at once. Any pledge of at least $10 gets EVERY pdf, but as per this post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12769186&postcount=12), Rich will be releasing each one individually when he finishes it.

[Maxios]

When I first noticed the drive, I saw it had around sixty thousand bucks in it; and I thought that was pretty awesome. Then a few days later, I checked the drive again, saw it had more then a four hundred-thousand dollars, and my mind was blown.
Congrats Giant, this is proof you have the greatest webcomic in existence.

Also, why do I have this suspicion the Cliffport Cops story will be a spoof of Dirty Harry? Because that would be really, really, awesome.

[Tanuki Tales]

...................

Thanks! :smallredface:

[Seabyrn]

I don't know at this point. All I know is that I'm not necessarily going to go in the order they were announced, I'm going to go in order of whatever I think I can get done most easily. I would rather get 3-4 of them done right away than wait until I necessarily finish the O-Chul story, which will be the longest one. I will also be releasing them as I finish them.



Trust me, you're not going to bother me if you take your time! I may ask as early as next week, but if you don't answer right away, I'll just work on other people's drawings until you do.

Thanks again for the drive Rich! I don't think I've had so much fun trying to spend money in a long time - and the drive closed the day before my birthday, which made the rewards more like a present :)

One thing I was wondering about / hoping for regarding the crayon drawings: Is there any chance that you'd keep digital representations of them when they're done (scans or whatnot)? It might be extra work on your end (but hopefully not too much more), but it would be awesome to see them all collected in one place, whether here or in a future book.

If there is any issue of permission, maybe people could be asked if they are willing to have their drawing included when the surveys are emailed out?

Just a thought, but in any case thanks again and congratulations on the drive!

[The Giant]

Just so everyone knows: While I will try to check in and talk with you guys, this thread is not the best place to get direct answers to your order-specific questions, especially if they need my personal attention. For that, try using the KS messaging system. That is not only more likely to get my attention, it lets me look at your order at the same time that I'm reading, making it much easier for me to know what's going on.

If you're asking general questions (like "Did anyone else get their survey yet?" or "Should I be worried yet about this or that?" then go ahead and ask away.

[Sethala]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops, and a pre-Order Belkar story.

Sounds good, although personally I would've liked a story about Horace Greenhilt and the green dragon of Reddragonsville.

Also, for those of us that used multiple accounts to get several pledges, is there any way to have the survey sent to a different email? I can't use the same email for two accounts, and I never actually check the second one I used, so I'm afraid I might not find the survey for a while (as it's a patience package).

[The Giant]

One thing I was wondering about / hoping for regarding the crayon drawings: Is there any chance that you'd keep digital representations of them when they're done (scans or whatnot)?

No, that will be up to the people who receive them. I've gotten indication that some of them will involve private jokes or references (because they're being given as gifts or whatever), so it would be an invasion of their privacy for me to post them online.

[Morgan Wick]

Still subject to change, but: Therkla, the Cliffport Cops

I'm guessing the Cliffport Cops will be fun for you - can we expect some sort of cop show parody?


, and a pre-Order Belkar story.

Looks like someone did in fact manage to corner you into writing the sort of story you'd really rather not have written (though not to the extent of, say, Right-Eye's daughter)...

I'm just glad no one picked something like GwaH.

[Nine]

I just stumbled upon the ks drive by luck.

From time to time I was looking to complete my oots book collection and now I am hit with books, stickers, badges, drawing books, games and much much more.

And because everything is split on different accounts I will have this year numerous x-mas times.

Thanks Rich

This crazy ks drive made me really happy, hope you had as much fun as I did :)

[The Giant]

Also, for those of us that used multiple accounts to get several pledges, is there any way to have the survey sent to a different email? I can't use the same email for two accounts, and I never actually check the second one I used, so I'm afraid I might not find the survey for a while (as it's a patience package).

No, the survey is automatically generated by KS; I can't control what email it goes to. On the plus side, KS also notifies you when you log in if you have any surveys waiting for you, so you could just wait until you get the Update that says, "Hey, Patience surveys are going out," then log in to check.

[The Giant]

I'm guessing the Cliffport Cops will be fun for you - can we expect some sort of cop show parody?

The backer literally requested "some sort of cop show parody starring the CPPD." So, yes.


Looks like someone did in fact manage to corner you into writing the sort of story you'd really rather not have written (though not to the extent of, say, Right-Eye's daughter)...

Not at all; as mentioned above, a pre-Order story is not the same as an ORIGIN story. I can do an entire story of Belkar being Belkar without ever explaining WHY he's like that, which is what I said I didn't want to do.


I'm just glad no one picked something like GwaH.

My wife and I fully predicted that this would be one of the choices if they stayed open long enough for forumites to pool their money. Luckily, they went quickly.

[I Participated]

*basks in afterglow as instructed* Congratulations and thanks for the ride, everyone.
--
I'm glad Rich is creating stuff... when he's creating stuff. It wouldn't make sense for his inspiration & creativity to be reined in because of a list/schedule.
--
The tentative selections for the story PDFs all seem like good, solid choices that'll add ?depth?more data? to the universe. Plenty of space for Rich to work in. I can't wait to see the bonus untamed-Belkar material!
--
Damn you, Therkla-chooser! You've put Rich on the spot. Will her background tug at the heart strings even more? :smalleek: Or will Rich present a clearly evil background, turning future events (i.e. the core story) into a "happy ending"?
What if I was happy with my head in the sand?
This is Ring 0 all over again!!!!!!!! :smalleek:


I'll have to read it from behind the couch.

[peshk]

Another topic: in Germany we have to pay import tax on goods from the US. If there is no bill on the outside of the package, it will be delivered to a customs office, which is just some bother (especially if the packages don't arrive all at the same time). If there is no bill at all, we have to present our own to the customs officer. The only thing we have is the confirmation mails with the whole amount pledged, which could be significantly higher than what the goods are actually worth (some rewards are mainly delivered electronically, too).

So, if possible, it would be nice if the people at Oookoodook who make the packages include a bill not about the amount pledged, but about the things delivered in the package. It would be extremely nice if that bill was on the outside of the package so it can be directly delivered to the recipient.

mmh I never had problems with packages from the US. But if this idea helpes not having potential problems, I second this, too.

[Gift Jeraff]

If it's from before the Chief died or he somehow comes back, I will be a happier camper.

[Morgan Wick]

Not at all; as mentioned above, a pre-Order story is not the same as an ORIGIN story. I can do an entire story of Belkar being Belkar without ever explaining WHY he's like that, which is what I said I didn't want to do.

I guess that's why I added "not to the same extent as some other people" - you could even do a story about the incident that landed him in jail to start Origins.

I suppose a story about a Belkar with free reign to do mayhem would sort of be like the "missing" Origins story.

[Euodiachloris]

Oooh: I'm glad I'm not the only one generally happy about the PDF choices.

Kudos to those who chose (and managed to lunge in time).

Although... I'm slightly nervous about the Belkar one. For much the same reasons I'm not too keen to actually find out about MitD's actual species or V's biological sex. I like having an unresolved guess. :smallsmile:

Now, my only question is... would it be OK to share my sketch (once I've actually decided what'll it'll be) with a TV Tropes OotS forum in a reduced digital format (watermark possible)? I'm thinking about letting them help me choose the characters (in thanks for many happy hours wasting time there).

There's no rush: I'm Patient. :smallwink:

EDIT: Whoa... Happy to be slightly ninja'd on a few things. :smallbiggrin:

[Seabyrn]

No, that will be up to the people who receive them. I've gotten indication that some of them will involve private jokes or references (because they're being given as gifts or whatever), so it would be an invasion of their privacy for me to post them online.

Good point - I hadn't thought of it from that angle. Ah well, hopefully people will share on the forums if they're inclined to :)

[honigmuffin]

I will also be releasing them as I finish them.

*starts happy-dancing through the house* … what? :smalltongue:


Another topic: in Germany we have to pay import tax on goods from the US. If there is no bill on the outside of the package, it will be delivered to a customs office, which is just some bother (especially if the packages don't arrive all at the same time). If there is no bill at all, we have to present our own to the customs officer. The only thing we have is the confirmation mails with the whole amount pledged, which could be significantly higher than what the goods are actually worth (some rewards are mainly delivered electronically, too).

So, if possible, it would be nice if the people at Oookoodook who make the packages include a bill not about the amount pledged, but about the things delivered in the package. It would be extremely nice if that bill was on the outside of the package so it can be directly delivered to the recipient.

Actually, that could make things easier (customs-wise) for everyone located in the European Union. Due to the EU being a customs union, the same customs rules (should) apply in every member state for imports from the US. Dealing with customs offices can be very frustrating, especially the delays and ridiculous import taxes and fees. :smallannoyed:
So yeah, a bill on the package listing the things inside the package would be really cool. :smallsmile:

(Seriously, over €60 import taxes and fees for an order that was less than €200? Are you kidding me, EU?)

[Kobold-Bard]

...

I don't think I've ever had to deal with that when getting stuff from America, but I could be wrong.

I'd better not have to pay ~£50 in fees on top of my pledge amount. That would be fairly irritating.

[honigmuffin]

I don't think I've ever had to deal with that when getting stuff from America, but I could be wrong.

I'd better not have to pay ~£50 in fees on top of my pledge amount. That would be fairly irritating.

Well, to be fair, the order contained some T-shirts, and I think clothing is the main reason for such high taxes and fees. Seeing as there won't be any items of clothing in any of the reward packages, it might not be an issue at all. (Unless, of course, one considers the patch as an item of clothing. :smalltongue:)

But then again, I'm not too keen on the customs office opening my packages to look inside and maybe losing/damaging something in the process of searching it :/

[WampaX]

Damn you, Therkla-chooser! You've put Rich on the spot. Will her background tug at the heart strings even more? :smalleek: Or will Rich present a clearly evil background, turning future events (i.e. the core story) into a "happy ending"?
What if I was happy with my head in the sand?
This is Ring 0 all over again!!!!!!!! :smalleek:


I'll have to read it from behind the couch.

This is why I chose her.
Because there is an open endedness to her tale, on either side.
She made some alignment altering decisions in her final moments and I'm curious how that would play out in her afterlife.
OR
Why was she the only female (and or demi-human) working for Kubota? Why was he mentoring her in Villainous Best Practices?
OR
Will a devil as a tombstone have some unexpected dramatic consequence?

Either way, I thought she was a strong character that had a far too brief moment to shine.

[One Skunk Todd]

The backer literally requested "some sort of cop show parody starring the CPPD." So, yes.

Cliff Street Blues. :)

[RMS Oceanic]

Cliff Street Blues. :)

Law & Order: NPC Division

DUN DUN!

[Zigg'rrauglurr]

I second (or third, or fourth, or whatever) the need for a receipt and note for customs.
There are quite a few pledgers from Argentina, and it would be really good for us if there is a receipt with the items actual value, not the one from the pledge.
Or since they are "prizes" or "gifts" for participating, it would be great if they could be labeled as such.

In short, we really need some sort of notice/receipt with the items actual value / or a receipt stating the items as gifts, so as to no have problems with customs.

Rich, if you are able to instruct Ookookdook to do so, it would help all your international followers.

Cheers

[Gwynfrid]

Either way, I thought she was a strong character that had a far too brief moment to shine.

Second that.

I like the other picks too. The CPD is not one I would have come up with myself, but that makes it all the better. Pre-order Belkar is maybe the least unexpected choice, but he's an endless source of laughs, so, that's great too.

[Porthos]

Phew!

My Amazon payment finally cleared. It only took -hours- to sort it out. :smallmad:

Silly Barclay's and your over-keen anti-fraud automated blockers. Worse Barclay's and your infuriating layers of voice-mail hell! :smallfurious:

Throwing $345 at Rich was so totally authorised from the start! :smallbiggrin:

Glad to see it all worked out, Euo!

Guess that means you won't have to send your legions after those who deny you your precious, after all. :smallwink:

[Zordrath]

Therkla is an excellent choice for a bonus story, I'm looking forward to it :smallbiggrin: Belkar is not the most exciting choice in my opinion though, simply because we already get to see so much of him in the main comic. Sure he's great, but I'd rather have more supporting characters fleshed out a bit. My personal choice would have been a story about Tarquin's conquests, but then again we'll probably get to see plenty of him in action in the main strip... :smallamused:

[Happy Me]

(me asking about deadline for deciding the content of Crayon drawing)



Trust me, you're not going to bother me if you take your time! I may ask as early as next week, but if you don't answer right away, I'll just work on other people's drawings until you do.

Glad to hear that there is no rush on decision! :smallbiggrin:


(Giant responding to a question about keeping/posting scans of Crayon drawings.)


No, that will be up to the people who receive them. I've gotten indication that some of them will involve private jokes or references (because they're being given as gifts or whatever), so it would be an invasion of their privacy for me to post them online.

This is good to know as I was discarding options that had too much personal meaning as I was a bit uncomfortable about it being released into the wild. Not that I will definitely go that route but it is nice to know that a private option exists.

I think that I will create some sort of visual representation, say an option chart, to help me keep the byzantine complexities straight. :smalltongue:

[One Skunk Todd]

Law & Order: NPC Division

DUN DUN!

Miami Dice.

[The MunchKING]

As requested through PM, I'm reposting the Big List O' Achievements.
(Shale (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=12739833&postcount=2620) is responsible for alot of these names. Some liberty may have been taken with the rest)
I also added a few more. :smallwink:


Wow, that's alot...

That was seriously impressive....

[Idriël]

One thing I was wondering about / hoping for regarding the crayon drawings: Is there any chance that you'd keep digital representations of them when they're done (scans or whatnot)? It might be extra work on your end (but hopefully not too much more), but it would be awesome to see them all collected in one place, whether here or in a future book.

The Giant already answered that he can't do this, but on the KS chatroom (excuse me, in the KS comment-section :smallwink:) we have come up with the plan of an "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours" thread. Wich is to say, a thread for anyone who so chooses, to post their artwork in. Will be awesome! I know I'll be posting mine (even tho they're not OotS, but family/party drawings).

The thread isn't there now, but that is just because, ofcourse, neither are our works of art :smallbiggrin: Just keep an eye out for it!

EDIT Wauw, super ninja-ed! No worries and I second @Euo (sorry, short name stuck with me): I'll only post here if the Giant approves ofcourse. But I would definitly also appreciate some help with the choosing :smallbiggrin:

[Zar Peter]

Well, to be fair, the order contained some T-shirts, and I think clothing is the main reason for such high taxes and fees. Seeing as there won't be any items of clothing in any of the reward packages, it might not be an issue at all. (Unless, of course, one considers the patch as an item of clothing. :smalltongue:)

But then again, I'm not too keen on the customs office opening my packages to look inside and maybe losing/damaging something in the process of searching it :/

Hmmm, I didn't have any problems with the Snips, Snails and Dragon Tails sending so I didn't even thought about such a thing. How did you solve the issuse with your sending? (Interested since I'm in Vienna too. Grüße by the way)

[The Giant]

I have no objection to anyone sharing the images I draw for them. A thread for it sounds like a fantastic idea.

[Forbiddenwar]

Just to clarify, since Rich owns the copyright to these crayon drawings.

We have Rich Burlew's permission to digitally copy any kickstarter crayon drawing and distribute them online for non commecial use as long as Rich is properly credited and we don't alter the image, if we, the backer, so choose.

In other words, a CC-BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/) license?


Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
CC BY-NC-ND

This license is the most restrictive of our six main licenses, only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.


I imagine selling digital copies of the work is out of the question. Or printing t-shirts and selling them.

Edit: Ninja Rich.

[Kobold-Bard]

Just to clarify, since Rich owns the copyright to these crayon drawings.

We have Rich Burlew's permission to digitally copy any kickstarter crayon drawing and distribute them online for non commecial use as long as Rich is properly credited and we don't alter the image, if we, the backer, so choose.

In other words, a CC-BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/) license?


I imagine selling digital copies of the work is out of the question.


I have no objection to anyone sharing the images I draw for them. A thread for it sounds like a fantastic idea.

Such masterful ninja-ing is a rare and beautiful thing.

[Idriël]

*basks in afterglow as instructed*


You made it! And I LOVE your autograph. Still have to figure out how to make one myself... but when I do, I might be inclined to 'borrow' from you :smallcool:

[Forbiddenwar]

You made it! And I LOVE your autograph. Still have to figure out how to make one myself... but when I do, I might be inclined to 'borrow' from you :smallcool:

At the top, under the directory "Giant in the Playground>Comics> The Order of the stick" You will find a link called User CP (Stands for control panel) From there go to signatures. Type in what you want (add any links or pics too) and save it.

1d20+3 Do I see ninjas?

[I Participated]

Either way, I thought she was a strong character that had a far too brief moment to shine.
*nod solemnly*

We've got the basis for a mix of story types: stabbity-laughs (Belkar); deepening of the universe (Therkla); and sumthin a little different (The nose-imagining artist. The cops.)

Uneducational laughs from Therkla and romantic drama from Belkar? Nahhhhh.

[Flame of Anor]

Great choices. Therkla is not the most interesting character for me, but I love the CPD and you can't go wrong with Belkar.

I agree. Therkla is a very well-drawn (in the metaphorical sense) character, but not one of the most fun IMO. I'm sure it'll be good, though, and I'm in no position to complain! :smallsmile: I wonder if the CPPD story will be before or after their appearance in the main comic? I might like to see more of Rookie being in charge, but then Chief is also great. Maybe they'll raise Chief!


I will also be releasing them as I finish them.


:smallbiggrin:

[Euodiachloris]

@Euo (sorry, short name stuck with me): I'll only post here if the Giant approves ofcourse. But I would definitly also appreciate some help with the choosing :smallbiggrin:

It's quite OK for anybody to cut me down to Euo, Euodia, Chloris or even Xurina (Second Life 'surname'). Especially you Mari... I mean, Idriël. :smallwink:

As mentioned in a chatroo... comments thread elsewhere: this dryad doesn't mind one bit having her name trimmed. :smallsmile:

And, as with Idriël, ideas for the sketch are always welcome.

--This service announcement was solely made to help reduce carpal tunnel syndrome for reasons other than F5 bashing.--

[Gwynfrid]

The Giant already answered that he can't do this, but on the KS chatroom (excuse me, in the KS comment-section :smallwink:) we have come up with the plan of an "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours" thread. Wich is to say, a thread for anyone who so chooses, to post their artwork in. Will be awesome! I know I'll be posting mine (even tho they're not OotS, but family/party drawings).

The thread isn't there now, but that is just because, ofcourse, neither are our works of art :smallbiggrin: Just keep an eye out for it!

EDIT Wauw, super ninja-ed! No worries and I second @Euo (sorry, short name stuck with me): I'll only post here if the Giant approves ofcourse. But I would definitly also appreciate some help with the choosing :smallbiggrin:

A very neat idea. And I might well be open to suggestions, too. Even though this is a Patience pledge for me, and since I'm am a patient person, this gives me plenty of time to find an idea on my own :smallsmile:

[Cirin]

Do we really want to know why Belkar is so psychotic?'

I thought it was clear that it was his low Wisdom score? The one time V cast Owl's Wisdom his personality instantly turned around.

Of course, that could all be Rule of Funny, but it is the only insight we do have for why he is what he is.

Belkar's backstory could be awesome. Interesting to see what he'll be like (albeit a lower-level version of him) without Roy to keep him in check. The Deva already showed that he was projected to be a one-man Army of Darkness if Roy hadn't intervened, so he would have had to do some pretty dark deeds to be on Heaven's scope like that.

I'm really looking forward to the Cliffport PD one. Would never have suggested them, but it could be a fun little comic relief. It was funny watching the CPPD play every TV/Movie police cliche to the hilt in a fantasy setting, I'm sure a few more pages of good gags can be had.

I was kinda hoping Tsukiko would be one of the three, but I didn't have the big bucks to lay down, so it wasn't my call. Just figured she might have an interesting backstory as to how she got so mentally/emotionally messed up.

Also really looking forward to the printout minis. OotS-style tabletop sounds fun, especially for a lighthearted game of D&D, like a constant reminder on the game table to chill out and it's just a casual game.

Well, I participated, put in my $10 and am patiently but anxiously awaiting my .pdf's of new OotS goodness (and Roy magnet). Would have laid down a lot more, if I had it. Hopefully I can afford to get the books another time.

[Forbiddenwar]

I was kinda hoping Tsukiko would be one of the three, but I didn't have the big bucks to lay down, so it wasn't my call. Just figured she might have an interesting backstory as to how she got so mentally/emotionally messed up.


Seconded. Oh well.

[honigmuffin]

Hmmm, I didn't have any problems with the Snips, Snails and Dragon Tails sending so I didn't even thought about such a thing. How did you solve the issuse with your sending? (Interested since I'm in Vienna too. Grüße by the way)

The Ookoodook package wasn't a problem (if I recall correctly, it had a sticker on the outside declaring it contained books D, -1 and 0).
The two Cafepress orders I placed so far weren't a problem either, although both of them had one t-shirt, and both of them had stickers with the contents on them.
I don't know why, but it was never the OotS stuff that made the customs office curious. Maybe it's because the content was declared on the outside of the package, maybe it's because both Cafepress orders were envelopes about the size of half an OotS book, maybe it's because the Cafepress orders had only one t-shirt each, maybe it's because the value wasn't over € XX on any of the orders, maybe it's a combination of all of the above. :smallconfused:

The big order with the obscene import taxes and fees wasn't anything OotS-related and had about five t-shirts among a bunch of other things, and the list of ordered items was inside the big carton the order came in.
I had no idea that the customs office had looked into it until the package got here near the end of the estimated time of arrival (which spanned more than two weeks, so yeah, not that much of a delay, although I wonder how much sooner it might have gotten here otherwise). The list of contents right on top of everything else had a check mark next to each item and the carton was resealed. An envelope with the taxes and fees was taped to the outside of the carton. It's been a while, so I don't recall if the delivery guy collected the extra money or if it was charged directly to the credit card with the money for the order itself, and I don't feel like searching for the paperwork right now :smalltongue:

(Sorry for the long response, und servus zurück :smallwink:)

[NerfTW]

I thought it was clear that it was his low Wisdom score? The one time V cast Owl's Wisdom his personality instantly turned around.

Of course, that could all be Rule of Funny, but it is the only insight we do have for why he is what he is.

That was very early on and a joke. I wouldn't take it as proof of anything regarding "why". Especially since "Because he has a low wisdom score, that's why!" is a very, very lazy answer. That's like answering "Why is the sky blue?" with "Because it's blue!". His ability scores reflect who he is, but the idea that these are set at birth and can never be changed causes quite a few problems with the setting and free will in general.

My point being, while the wisdom score is a reflection of his personality, it is not the reason for his personality. It's simply a correlation, not a causation.

[JungleJenny]

Congratulations, Rich, and Yay! Us! for being a community that supports independent art!

There's a comment on the Kickstarter site saying that you might be needing some volunteer help with the package logistics. The hubster & I live in the land of Not-Terribly-Far-Away and could volunteer a weekend or two of mindless dronery, if it would help. How do we sign up?

[Sniffnoy]

I'm just glad no one picked something like GwaH.

Sorry, who's GwaH?

[Smolder]

Trust me, you're not going to bother me if you take your time! I may ask as early as next week, but if you don't answer right away, I'll just work on other people's drawings until you do.

Good, because I need to re-read the entire book series before deciding on characters. I have a dozen favorite characters and there are so many to choose from!


No, it would be an invasion of their privacy for me to post them online.

Oooh... I didn't know we had the option for that kind of character interaction! Now I really need to go back to the drawing board! :smallwink:

[Pheldagriff]

imho it would be wonderful to see a Therkla post-death story, dealing with her finally finding peace (and perhaps love) in the afterlife
she'd deserve it

[Porthos]

Sorry, who's GwaH?

Guy With a Halberd. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816)

Don't ask. :smalltongue:

*sees people will want to know anyway*

OK, I'll explain it a little more. :smallwink: It's a long standing forum in-joke from the above thread and said poster's.... dedication to That Guy With A Halberd. As I understand it, the Cult of the GwaH has even escaped this board and been referenced elsewhere, including TV Tropes.

So if a bunch of forumitites had pooled money together, it might have actually happened. :smalleek:

[SweetBB]

This is why I chose her.
Because there is an open endedness to her tale, on either side.
She made some alignment altering decisions in her final moments and I'm curious how that would play out in her afterlife.
OR
Why was she the only female (and or demi-human) working for Kubota? Why was he mentoring her in Villainous Best Practices?
OR
Will a devil as a tombstone have some unexpected dramatic consequence?

Either way, I thought she was a strong character that had a far too brief moment to shine.

Glad you picked her. Just wondering if you requested pre-story or afterlife, or if you left it up to Rich entirely?

I didn't manage to snag a story, but I really wanted to know how her final choices affected her in the afterlife too. So for my crayon drawing I was planning to ask Rich if it would be possible to get a drawing of Therkla in the afterlife, wherever that may be and with whomever may be there.

However, if you are already getting the afterlife story, then I will probably choose something else entirely.

[WalkingTarget]

Sorry, who's GwaH?

The Guy with a Halberd from comic 432 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0432.html). Running gag (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816) among some of the forumites here to get him a recurring role.

[peshk]

Guy With a Halberd. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816)

Don't ask. :smalltongue:

Ah. I thought "Goblin with a Hydra" ^^, but I was just guessing anyway.

[Flame of Anor]

My point being, while the wisdom score is a reflection of his personality, it is not the reason for his personality. It's simply a correlation, not a causation.

Yes, quite. Roy isn't intelligent because he has a high Int, he's smart because he has intelligent parents (well, his father at least; we don't know about Sarah) and he got a good education. His high Int just represents that.

[One Skunk Todd]

There's a comment on the Kickstarter site saying that you might be needing some volunteer help with the package logistics. The hubster & I live in the land of Not-Terribly-Far-Away and could volunteer a weekend or two of mindless dronery, if it would help. How do we sign up?

Same here.

[Kilrathi]

Congratulations, Rich, and Yay! Us! for being a community that supports independent art!

There's a comment on the Kickstarter site saying that you might be needing some volunteer help with the package logistics. The hubster & I live in the land of Not-Terribly-Far-Away and could volunteer a weekend or two of mindless dronery, if it would help. How do we sign up?

JungleJenny - where did you see this comment? I'd be willing to lend a hand, too, and don't live far away. If anything does get going on this front, I'd love it to know more details.

[Idriël]

JungleJenny - where did you see this comment? I'd be willing to lend a hand, too, and don't live far away. If anything does get going on this front, I'd love it to know more details.

@Kilrathi It's plainly there, in between the other 17.000 comments :smallwink:

Don't worry about missing it, I think I missed half of it, even by taking my eyes of the screen for a minute to check on dinner (which burned anyway). It was simply madness on that comment board system....

But this was not (at least, not the one I spotted) a suggestion by the giant, just one made for him :smallbiggrin:

[WampaX]

Glad you picked her. Just wondering if you requested pre-story or afterlife, or if you left it up to Rich entirely?

I didn't manage to snag a story, but I really wanted to know how her final choices affected her in the afterlife too. So for my crayon drawing I was planning to ask Rich if it would be possible to get a drawing of Therkla in the afterlife, wherever that may be and with whomever may be there.

However, if you are already getting the afterlife story, then I will probably choose something else entirely.

I did not request WHAT part of her life he should cover, just a general plee for more kick-ass half-orc ninja girl! :smallbiggrin:

[Cirin]

That was very early on and a joke. I wouldn't take it as proof of anything regarding "why".

So was Haley's Dad being held hostage being a very early on explanation for why she was so greedy, and that's become a major plot thread.

Yeah, there are probably character-related reasons and not "just" a low Wis, but whatever those choices/reasons are, they seem directly tied to his low Wisdom.

You can be evil and have a high wisdom (Evil Clerics for example), or you can just be impulsive, selfish and easily tempted (all signs of low Wisdom), that lead to an evil alignment.

[peshk]

OotS-Con #1
"Come and pack some packages"

[WampaX]

JungleJenny - where did you see this comment? I'd be willing to lend a hand, too, and don't live far away. If anything does get going on this front, I'd love it to know more details.

All of the non-sig shipping will be going out of Ookoodook . . . in Texas.
Which has a staff for this sort of thing and will in all likelihood hire/enslave some temps to help stuff boxes and envelopes.

[Skavensrule]

This is why I chose her.
Because there is an open endedness to her tale, on either side.
She made some alignment altering decisions in her final moments and I'm curious how that would play out in her afterlife.
OR
Why was she the only female (and or demi-human) working for Kubota? Why was he mentoring her in Villainous Best Practices?
OR
Will a devil as a tombstone have some unexpected dramatic consequence?

Either way, I thought she was a strong character that had a far too brief moment to shine.

Glad you picked her. Just wondering if you requested pre-story or afterlife, or if you left it up to Rich entirely?

I didn't manage to snag a story, but I really wanted to know how her final choices affected her in the afterlife too. So for my crayon drawing I was planning to ask Rich if it would be possible to get a drawing of Therkla in the afterlife, wherever that may be and with whomever may be there.

However, if you are already getting the afterlife story, then I will probably choose something else entirely.
Now I am twice as glad that WampaX grabbed that prize before I could change my mind back on day 2. Since my first choice would probably have been rejected by Rich anyway and Therkla would have been my second. But now SweetBB has me wondering if an origin or afterlife story is better?:smallconfused:

Oh well, I'll just have to find out with everyone else. I am one of the ones who does plan to post thier drawing when I get it but I also plan to let Rich know that there is no rush on mine. I won't see in person for months so my sister will need to scan it and email it to me.

[zankana]

Peshk I just read your sig. Love it! So many of us corrupted...

[One Skunk Todd]

JungleJenny - where did you see this comment? I'd be willing to lend a hand, too, and don't live far away. If anything does get going on this front, I'd love it to know more details.

It's under the comments for the 28th update. A sponsor named John Landrith calculates that Rich will need help packaging and mailing all of the pledge rewards, although now that I've read it I'm not sure how accurate it is.

I suspect Rich can afford to hire people to help with the mailing if need be. Still, I reckon a good number of the people who pledged (ie everyone in North America plus everybody who could scrape together enough for a plane ticket) would be willing to travel to Philly to help out. On the plus side it would save a lot in shipping costs (since I, and everybody else, could pick up our own package) on the down side there would be a big cost in Rich having to buy everybody a cheese steak for lunch. :)

[Joerg]

I don't know why, but it was never the OotS stuff that made the customs office curious. Maybe it's because the content was declared on the outside of the package, maybe it's because both Cafepress orders were envelopes about the size of half an OotS book, maybe it's because the Cafepress orders had only one t-shirt each, maybe it's because the value wasn't over € XX on any of the orders, maybe it's a combination of all of the above. :smallconfused:

Probably the first. In Germany, the post pays the import taxes for you and charges you in turn if the content is declared on the outside. Probably it's the same in Austria. I had to go to the customs office for my last two ookoodook packages because there wasn't anything on the outside.

[peshk]

Peshk I just read your sig. Love it! So many of us corrupted...

Thx. I stole it. With permission. Because Euo thought of it because I said something. Or at least that is what I understood as I asked for permission to use it.

[zankana]

Thx. I stole it. With permission. Because Euo thought of it because I said something. Or at least that is what I understood as I asked for permission to use it.

Well I don't seem to have f5 issues... i keep hitting ⌘R. I do remember you commenting on even hitting f5 while reading the comic to see if a new one was up lol

[SweetBB]

I did not request WHAT part of her life he should cover, just a general plee for more kick-ass half-orc ninja girl!

Lol. Well then, I guess I'll stick with my original plan. Even if Rich covers the afterlife with your PDF, it would still be awesome to have it immortalized in a crayon drawing!



Oh well, I'll just have to find out with everyone else. I am one of the ones who does plan to post thier drawing when I get it but I also plan to let Rich know that there is no rush on mine. I won't see in person for months so my sister will need to scan it and email it to me.

I'm planning to post mine online too.

[Chess435]

Well I don't seem to have f5 issues... i keep hitting ⌘R. I do remember you commenting on even hitting f5 while reading the comic to see if a new one was up lol

Holy quintuple posting, Batman!

[Yendor]

It's under the comments for the 28th update. A sponsor named John Landrith calculates that Rich will need help packaging and mailing all of the pledge rewards, although now that I've read it I'm not sure how accurate it is.

I suspect Rich can afford to hire people to help with the mailing if need be. Still, I reckon a good number of the people who pledged (ie everyone in North America plus everybody who could scrape together enough for a plane ticket) would be willing to travel to Philly to help out. On the plus side it would save a lot in shipping costs (since I, and everybody else, could pick up our own package) on the down side there would be a big cost in Rich having to buy everybody a cheese steak for lunch. :)

It's completely wrong. Rich is not doing the packaging and mailing, Ookoodook is. The only packages Rich is mailing personally are the ones he's signing. I count about 500 of those due by May, plus a bunch of Patience packages he can do at his leisure.

Also, I'm sure Rich would appreciate not getting unsolicited offers of help from people he doesn't know, even if they are fans. If he needs help, he'll ask for it himself.

[One Skunk Todd]

I think it's time to throw some of those samoleans at a new web board cause it sure seems all twonkerpated or twitterwonkey or something right at the moment.

[The Giant]

It's completely wrong. Rich is not doing the packaging and mailing, Ookoodook is. The only packages Rich is mailing personally are the ones he's signing. I count about 500 of those due by May, plus a bunch of Patience packages he can do at his leisure.

Also, I'm sure Rich would appreciate not getting unsolicited offers of help from people he doesn't know, even if they are fans. If he needs help, he'll ask for it himself.

This. I have the shipping well in hand thanks to Ookoodook, I don't need volunteers.


I think it's time to throw some of those samoleans at a new web board cause it sure seems all twonkerpated or twitterwonkey or something right at the moment.

It was already a probability, but keep in mind that attention has been a lot higher today than is usual.

[zankana]

Holy quintuple posting, Batman!

I think i accidently hit like 6 or 7 >.> I kept getting an error screen each time I tried to post. Every time. I almost tried again, but i saw where it HAD posted. Guess I now understand the horrors first hand >.< It should be all cleaned up now. I think I have it all cleaned up now.

[Porthos]

I've only just found out about this, but John Kovalic of Dork Tower and Munchkin fame had some very complimentery things to say about this drive on his Twitter Feed (http://twitter.com/#!/muskrat_john) and Facebook account (http://www.facebook.com/johnkovalic/posts/326718610702777) earlier in the drive. In particular he says:


Also read some "Wish *I* could draw stick figures" snark it's generated. That misses the point. "Order of the Stick" is graphically *gorgeous*, and terrifically written. We should all draw "stick figures" so well...

This is a watershed moment not just for web comics, but all of comics, folks.

Well said, Mr. Kovalic, well said.

[Ted The Bug]

Redcoat lackey of George III

That is the most beautiful way I've ever heard anyone say 'British'. Ever.

*continues to bask in Kickstarter-y afterglow*

[Skavensrule]

I think i accidently hit like 6 or 7 >.> I kept getting an error screen each time I tried to post. Every time. I almost tried again, but i saw where it HAD posted. Guess I now understand the horrors first hand >.< It should be all cleaned up now. I think I have it all cleaned up now.

I've run into this problem several times over the past few weeks with all the extra traffic from the Kickstarter. My personal policy is to open a new tab and check the thread before clicking send again. What really bites is when my local server loses connection because then I usually can't get the reply window to come back at all.

[zankana]

I've run into this problem several times over the past few weeks with all the extra traffic from the Kickstarter. My personal policy is to open a new tab and check the thread before clicking send again. What really bites is when my local server loses connection because then I usually can't get the reply window to come back at all.

I saw it suggested over in the kickstarter chat to just resend. I'll have to do that. I noticed it in the area below where it shows the posts above you.

[Pantler]

Just a small question, will the PDFs be shipped to the amazon email or the kickstarter email address?

[DarioD]

I participated!
*Basking in the afterglow* :cool:

[Zar Peter]

Just a small question, will the PDFs be shipped to the amazon email or the kickstarter email address?

I think Rich will only see the Kickstarter address so this will be it.

[Steven]

I just wanted to offer congratulations to Rich and props to all those who supported him in this. I was hoping one of my job applications would come through for me before the drive was over so I could join in the fun... Sadly they didn't.

I do plan on ordering the books as and when I can afford them though.

[Anarion]

If you get a 500 error, it probably posted, 503 error probably did not post. If you want to check, use the back button to go to the reply box and press "preview post." If your post is already up, you'll see it in the thread below after previewing.

Edit: Oh right the kickstarter. Yeah, that was pretty good. :smallwink: I'm deciding between Haley and Redcloak together for a picture or just Haley and V. Any thoughts?

[Mutant Sheep]

Special thanks to all the fans and readers who weren't able to contribute but wanted to. Money isn't the only metric of success in this industry, and knowing there are thousands more of you out there who desperately wanted to buy a book or a patch but couldn't (because you didn't have the money to spare or because Kickstarter doesn't accept all payment options) still means a lot to me, personally. Whether or not someone contributed financially does not mean anything about how much they love the comic and the GITP community, and many of the people who did contribute may never have heard of OOTS if they hadn't been introduced to it by someone else. So thanks to everyone who's reading this. We couldn't have done any of this without all of you.
Rich, thank you for this. Your behavior through the whole Kickstarter drive was amazing, and this post is (unneeded) proof that good god you're actuallya really good person. So, thanks for being such a gracious role model Rich.:smallsmile:

(Also, don't mysteriously disappear with all the money in a month or two. That would be bad.:smallwink:)

[Paine]

Out of curiosity, if I have the Whole Story And A Game package is everything going to come in June once Sticky Shticks is ready, or will the books come separately sooner?

[flarecde]

I feel bad I came into this so late. It was exciting for the last few days I watched. I want to congratulate Rich on such a huge success, no small part because he made it so fun to be involved in the first place. I certainly ended up spending way more money than I would have otherwise! Totally worth it, too.

And maybe now that I got around to making an account, I'll lurk on these forums more :P.

[Rodney]

I did not request WHAT part of her life he should cover, just a general plee for more kick-ass half-orc ninja girl! :smallbiggrin:
Therkla is one of my favourite characters (main ones excluded). I'm certain that Rich will create an entertaining story in any case, but I would probably enjoy an afterlife story more. I'm a sucker for happy ends, and would love to see Therkla getting a happier end than the quite sad one told in the main story. Gruesome details of her earlier endeavours under Kubota's command might even take away some of the warmth felt for her almost-turning-good at the end. Ignorance is bliss?

Naturally, what that story actually will be like is up to Rich (and WampaX). Anyway, thanks for both for making it possible and available (in time) for the rest of us as well.

[MoonCat]

This withdrawal is ugly. I keep refreshing the Kickstarter tab. I can't keep it closed without my browser feeling naked.

[Draconian]

Guy With a Halberd. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86816)

Don't ask. :smalltongue:

*sees people will want to know anyway*

OK, I'll explain it a little more. :smallwink: It's a long standing forum in-joke from the above thread and said poster's.... dedication to That Guy With A Halberd. As I understand it, the Cult of the GwaH has even escaped this board and been referenced elsewhere, including TV Tropes.

So if a bunch of forumitites had pooled money together, it might have actually happened. :smalleek:

While I wasn't on these forums for very long, I can relate to pushing very minor characters to relevance. If I was one of the pledgers at the $1250 level, I'd have picked someone very minor, like the priest of the Holey Brotherhood. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) :smallbiggrin: (I assume he's a priest anyway).

[Laws of Chaos]

While I wasn't on these forums for very long, I can relate to pushing very minor characters to relevance. If I was one of the pledgers at the $1250 level, I'd have picked someone very minor, like the priest of the Holey Brotherhood. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) :smallbiggrin: (I assume he's a priest anyway).

This is what I would have gone with too!

[Chess435]

This withdrawal is ugly. I keep refreshing the Kickstarter tab. I can't keep it closed without my browser feeling naked.

*refreshes kickstarter page, sees that nothing has changed, and frowns*

I know that feeling....

[Isomenes]

Can we do touchdown dances? :biggrin: Also, the reveal that Belkar was in on it, and then being held to his deal, was so sweet for me. It was like a free comic.

[Happy Me]

Edit: Oh right the kickstarter. Yeah, that was pretty good. :smallwink: I'm deciding between Haley and Redcloak together for a picture or just Haley and V. Any thoughts?

Both would be great but I lean more towards Haley and Redcloak as I can’t really guess possible the content in advance. Not that I could with Haley and V either but I probably could fool myself into thinking I could.

I have too many possibles right now: from single portrait ones of main characters (Xykon!) to ones that would need some pre-approval for various reasons, e.g. Elan/Banjo and Vurkle/Giggles since that would be sort of like 4 characters instead of two. But there is plenty of time to decide.

[Gift Jeraff]

Am I the only one who wants Therkla's story be a StickTale about Ninja Girl and Bard Boy? :smallcool:

[The Glyphstone]

While I wasn't on these forums for very long, I can relate to pushing very minor characters to relevance. If I was one of the pledgers at the $1250 level, I'd have picked someone very minor, like the priest of the Holey Brotherhood. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) :smallbiggrin: (I assume he's a priest anyway).


This is what I would have gone with too!

My hope was for a story about the adventure Redcloak had to undergo to find out if they were using psionics in the OotS world, as referenced in Comic #546 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0546.html).

[WampaX]

While I wasn't on these forums for very long, I can relate to pushing very minor characters to relevance. If I was one of the pledgers at the $1250 level, I'd have picked someone very minor, like the priest of the Holey Brotherhood. (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0276.html) :smallbiggrin: (I assume he's a priest anyway).

I did have a very minor choice, too.
I gave Rich three choices, since I wanted to make sure there were alternatives if there was overlap in the selections.

The Evil Adventuring Party from 497 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0497.html). Really, how do you begin to fathom that raiding a heaven for xp is a good idea? And your cleric can cast Plane Shift but gets killed in one hit? And did the Drow survive (we never see her again)?

Also had a Grimm Stick Tale suggestion, but with all the alternative tale PDFs being generated, I'm happy it wasn't chosen.

Therkla was the primary suggestion and I'm super happy with that selection.

[CoffeeIncluded]

]And did the Drow survive (we never see her again)?

She's dead on the ground in the last panel.

[WampaX]

She's dead on the ground in the last panel.

Yes . . . yes she is. My spot check isn't what it used to be thanks to the patch.
:smallannoyed:
But the other two questions still stand.

[turkishproverb]

*basks* Ahhh...

[Balain]

Did I miss What mystery Prize 9 is, or has it not been told to us yet?

[Porthos]

Did I miss What mystery Prize 9 is, or has it not been told to us yet?

It hasn't been mentioned yet. :smallsmile:

[peshk]

Am I the only one who wants Therkla's story be a StickTale about Ninja Girl and Bard Boy? :smallcool:

uh that would be nice. But I want a happy Ending for her, too.
Maybe she gets to play NG and BB on her new plan of existence all the time.

[Seerow]

Random question for the Giant if he's still reading the thread: After all is said and done and this gets all wrapped up, is there any chance of the bonus PDFs being given to backers to either be bundled into a book and released as a Stick Tales 2, or sold in PDF format through the store? I've been pretty broke lately and wasn't able to donate anything, but I would be very interested in legally obtaining the bonus strips made at a later date, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[Squark]

Did I miss What mystery Prize 9 is, or has it not been told to us yet?

Rich said we had to wait a day or two for that reveal.

[Seabyrn]

The Giant already answered that he can't do this, but on the KS chatroom (excuse me, in the KS comment-section :smallwink:) we have come up with the plan of an "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours" thread. Wich is to say, a thread for anyone who so chooses, to post their artwork in. Will be awesome! I know I'll be posting mine (even tho they're not OotS, but family/party drawings).

The thread isn't there now, but that is just because, ofcourse, neither are our works of art :smallbiggrin: Just keep an eye out for it!

EDIT Wauw, super ninja-ed! No worries and I second @Euo (sorry, short name stuck with me): I'll only post here if the Giant approves ofcourse. But I would definitly also appreciate some help with the choosing :smallbiggrin:

Oops, my bad then. I floated the idea on the KS comments, I only saw a few replies by Porthos, but I guess I didn't see all the replies there (comments were coming in pretty fast!).

The comments I saw at KS suggested that exclusivity was a major reason for Rich not to post copies himself, but I think the privacy issue is a bigger concern, and am glad it was mentioned here again. I'm also glad that Happy Me posted - I would really hate to think that someone didn't ask for what they wanted due to any (perceived or real) pressure to make their choice public. That would really be unfair. So I think it's a can of worms best left unopened and forgotten.

I think the thread is a great idea, and really the best. I'll contribute once the thread exists and my drawing arrives. It's a patience so it will be awhile, but that also gives me plenty of time to make a decision :)

[The Dark Fiddler]

Random question for the Giant if he's still reading the thread: After all is said and done and this gets all wrapped up, is there any chance of the bonus PDFs being given to backers to either be bundled into a book and released as a Stick Tales 2, or sold in PDF format through the store? I've been pretty broke lately and wasn't able to donate anything, but I would be very interested in legally obtaining the bonus strips made at a later date, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.



Q: Can I get a print copy of "How The Paladin Got His Scar"?

A: At this time, we have no definite plans to offer this story (or any "bonus" stories earned by backers pledging at the $1250 level) in print. We may, at some future point, collect them into an anthology book alongside other material, but such a book would not see print until at least 2013.

So, not for quite a while. At least not in print. Maybe a .pdf at some other time, but I think Rich's discussed how he doesn't plan on digital distributions... then again, this kinda is one, so...

[[TS] Shadow]

What are the plans for the coloring book after the drive? Was this a pledge exclusive thing, or do you plan to sell more copies on Ookoodook after it's finished? I personally don't mind either way (I ordered two) but I'm sure a lot of people would like a chance to buy it afterwards.

[Crisis21]

I did have a very minor choice, too.
I gave Rich three choices, since I wanted to make sure there were alternatives if there was overlap in the selections.

The Evil Adventuring Party from 497 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0497.html). Really, how do you begin to fathom that raiding a heaven for xp is a good idea? And your cleric can cast Plane Shift but gets killed in one hit? And did the Drow survive (we never see her again)?

Also had a Grimm Stick Tale suggestion, but with all the alternative tale PDFs being generated, I'm happy it wasn't chosen.

Therkla was the primary suggestion and I'm super happy with that selection.

Well, as mentioned in the very next comic (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0498.html), Horace one-shotted the evil cleric using the sword feat that he later teaches Roy. It's implied in comic 600 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0600.html) that the feat is specifically designed to counter spellcasters, so I'd presume there's some bonus damage. Horace is likely higher level than Roy was at the time (over 12th level) and 9th is the minimum for a cleric to cast Plane Shift. So Horace may have at least three levels on the cleric, probably several more.

I'd always just assumed that it was an evil adventuring party trying Plane shift out for the first time (given that the fighter was ignorant of what happened if he killed Roy) and simply bit off more than they could chew. Just because you can plane shift doesn't mean it's a good idea.

[ref]

Random question for the Giant if he's still reading the thread: After all is said and done and this gets all wrapped up, is there any chance of the bonus PDFs being given to backers to either be bundled into a book and released as a Stick Tales 2, or sold in PDF format through the store? I've been pretty broke lately and wasn't able to donate anything, but I would be very interested in legally obtaining the bonus strips made at a later date, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

On similar lines, is there any chance the kickstarter charts get bundled and printed? Or PDF is good, too.

[Denyala]

Everyone was so nice in the KS comments I had to come here and see where the party ended up!

Wasn't sure where else to post this, but I just wanted to thank Rich for giving me the chance to get a drawing. I'm a broke ass college student eating ramen, and I had to borrow a friends credit card to make the pledge, but in the end I got it and will cherish it forever when it comes.

[thepsyker]

Out of curiosity, if I have the Whole Story And A Game package is everything going to come in June once Sticky Shticks is ready, or will the books come separately sooner?Wait, so if we ordered a copy of Sticky Shticks it will push our orders arrival time back to June?

Nuts, the main reason I didn't upgrade to the Really Big Box pledge to pick up the game was that I didn't want to wait for the book I was pledged for, but I bought Sticky Shticks so I would have it when I did get around to buying the game.

Oh well just one more thing to eagerly look forward to along with the digital prizes; especially the monster pack, which I think was the coolest prize out of the lot.

[Happy Me]

On similar lines, is there any chance the kickstarter charts get bundled and printed? Or PDF is good, too.

The KS charts should be made as pop-up book! :smallbiggrin:

[Denyala]

The KS charts should be made as pop-up book! :smallbiggrin:

I second this motion :smallbiggrin:

[Shale]

Wait, so if we ordered a copy of Sticky Shticks it will push our orders arrival time back to June?

Nuts, the main reason I didn't upgrade to the Really Big Box pledge to pick up the game was that I didn't want to wait for the book I was pledged for, but I bought Sticky Shticks so I would have it when I did get around to buying the game.

Oh well just one more thing to eagerly look forward to along with the digital prizes; especially the monster pack, which I think was the coolest prize out of the lot.

Rich said it would take "a few more weeks" to get the cards together. I'm not sure where June came from.

[thepsyker]

Rich said it would take "a few more weeks" to get the cards together. I'm not sure where June came from.

Oh, ok. I didn't follow the discussion over on kickstarter to closely, was just moving to fast for how often I was able to check on it, and I thought I might have missed something mentioned in the comments over there.

[Porthos]

Rich said it would take "a few more weeks" to get the cards together. I'm not sure where June came from.

PLEDGE $16 OR MORE
223 BACKERS
One copy of the Sticky Shticks mini-expansion for the OOTS Adventure game, plus a Roy Greenhilt magnet, shipped anywhere in the world. (Note that this reward will NOT include the coloring book, hit point pad, or sticker sheet.)
Estimated Delivery: Jun 2012

Rich said elsewhere that the June date was something of a hedge on his part, trying to account for various possible delays. It could be delivered sooner, though. Just have to wait and see.

[blackjack217]

Now I am twice as glad that WampaX grabbed that prize before I could change my mind back on day 2. Since my first choice would probably have been rejected by Rich anyway and Therkla would have been my second. But now SweetBB has me wondering if an origin or afterlife story is better?:smallconfused:

Oh well, I'll just have to find out with everyone else. I am one of the ones who does plan to post thier drawing when I get it but I also plan to let Rich know that there is no rush on mine. I won't see in person for months so my sister will need to scan it and email it to me.

I would go with afterlife because: it could be reworked oots pages with her along for the ride. In fact I like that idea. All in favor of Therkla's afterlife consisting primarily of her following/stalking Elan on the prime, unable to interact in any way? Her reactions to Elan and Haley would be interesting to see.

[Particle_Man]

Rich said we had to wait a day or two for that reveal.

As long as the reveal isn't Rich fleeing to Bermuda with $1.25 million, like a Belkar-style James Bond villain. :smallsmile:

[SweetBB]

As long as the reveal isn't Rich fleeing to Bermuda with $1.25 million, like a Belkar-style James Bond villain. :smallsmile:

Not gonna happen! Rich is LG, remember? :smallsmile:

[Redshirt Army]

I'm curious - will the Pledge Reward comics be accessible in the future in any other way? I didn't manage to get my pledge in (:smallfrown:), so it'd be great to know I'd be able to purchase those comics in the future, as either a compilation booklet or a digital download. (I really don't want to come off as whining for content- I greatly appreciate the work Rich's put into OOTS, and I'd have donated during the drive if I could've.)

EDIT: Re-read the thread, this was already raised.

[SaintRidley]

I would go with afterlife because: it could be reworked oots pages with her along for the ride. In fact I like that idea. All in favor of Therkla's afterlife consisting primarily of her following/stalking Elan on the prime, unable to interact in any way? Her reactions to Elan and Haley would be interesting to see.


That actually sounds very fun.

[JT]

That actually sounds very fun.

That sounds terribly sad to me.

[SaintRidley]

That sounds terribly sad to me.

That's why it sounds fun. The perfect tear-jerker story.

[Forbiddenwar]

I would go with afterlife because: it could be reworked oots pages with her along for the ride. In fact I like that idea. All in favor of Therkla's afterlife consisting primarily of her following/stalking Elan on the prime, unable to interact in any way? Her reactions to Elan and Haley would be interesting to see.


That sounds terribly sad to me.

Ditto. I mean, come on. Therka wasn't that evil.

[Grey Watcher]

That actually sounds very fun.

So, instead of being released into the afterlife to hopefully forget about Elan, she spends the next 50 to 80 years so close to the one she loves, but unable to get even the kind words she got in life? Sounds like hell, to me.

EDIT DUE TO NINJAS: It's definitely a tear-jerker idea, but I don't know if there's a whole story to make out of it. Just lots of vignettes of Elan and friends doing their thing with sad looking Therkla floating nearby?

[MaximKat]

My hope was for a story about the adventure Redcloak had to undergo to find out if they were using psionics in the OotS world, as referenced in Comic #546 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0546.html).

Oooh, I forgot how awesome that strip was. The lampshade joke is hilarious.

[SweetBB]

That sounds terribly sad to me.

Agreed. That would be a very cruel fate to doom Therkla to for all eternity. :smallfrown:


So, instead of being released into the afterlife to hopefully forget about Elan, she spends the next 50 to 80 years so close to the one she loves, but unable to get even the kind words she got in life? Sounds like hell, to me.

EDIT DUE TO NINJAS: It's definitely a tear-jerker idea, but I don't know if there's a whole story to make out of it. Just lots of vignettes of Elan and friends doing their thing with sad looking Therkla floating nearby?

Right. Not much potential for humour, or really even dramatic tension there. :smalleek: I would hope Therkla's afterlife is a little less dreary than that.

[tomaO2]

Rich seems locked on the idea that if Belkar is used, it has to focus on a period that is before the OOTS books.

While Belkar isn't someone I would chose to have story written about, I think there are more options then that. Instead, it might be an interesting creative exercise if Rich, instead, created a story that fits in with the already existing timeline and was able to put a different spin on events that have happened. It would be very interesting to weave a new story that causes readers to rethink what they thought they knew, show a Belkar sidestory of a situation that that didn't feature him much (like when we focused on the Order talking about Miko during the coronation of Shjon(?) ) or something like that.

For example, we already know that he bullied the prisoners in the desert city but Rich could delve into that even more. Could Belkar be the reason why the prisoners Haley freed were caught so easily later on? What if prisoners were used to hunt the escaped ones and Belkar vounteered to do that? Just a thought.

Edit: Meh, I say the vewer picks the character, Rich picks the story. If it was that easy to pick the timeline then you could just ask for the origin of the Darkness monster.

[Savannah]

We don't know that it's Rich's idea. It's very likely that the person who ponyed up the $1250 wanted a pre-OotS Belkar story.

[rewinn]

...
The Giant should just rest and take his time. ...

I agree. May I hope that The Giant gets a good solid ethical accountant/bookkeeper; more small businesses crash from money management problems than from lack of a good idea.

I'll happily wait as long as it takes to get the product. I've been reading OOTS for free for at least five years, so I don't mind waiting. There is only one Giant and we can't afford to break it:smalleek:!

[Denyala]

There is only one Giant and we can't afford to break it:smalleek:!

I never thought of that! Someone get a pillow for the Giant, STAT!

[Chess435]

I never thought of that! Someone get a pillow cloning vat for the Giant, STAT!

Fixed that for you. :smallwink:

[honigmuffin]

The KS charts should be made as pop-up book! :smallbiggrin:
I second this motion :smallbiggrin:

While that's a fun idea, I guess it would have to come with protective goggles, otherwise the steep red line would take some eyes out :smalltongue:

I wouldn't want poor Therkla to spend her afterlife pining after Elan. The very idea makes my eyes water :smallfrown: she deserves to move on.

[Flame of Anor]

I never thought of that! Someone get a pillow cloning vat cloning pillow for the Giant, STAT!

Third time's the charm. :smallwink:

[SaintRidley]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]

Edit: Meh, I say the vewer picks the character, Rich picks the story. If it was that easy to pick the timeline then you could just ask for the origin of the Darkness monster.

Rich's answer to that would be "Bzzt! Try again."

If it were me, I'd have asked for a Tarquin-narrated Stick Tale - Tarquin Andronicus. It fits his ethos completely.

Or Beowulf done as a Stick Tale.

The pledger gets to request the story they would like, within reason.

Or is "some sort of law enforcement story parody starring the Cliffport Police Department" too specific for a pledger to pick too?

[ChristianSt]

I'm a long time reader of the Strip and really wanted to say thanks to Rich for all the great work he does for us. Unfortunately I was a bit late trying to get the books, so i missed OtOoPcs (and NCftPB - only had the luck to grab a WaXP after it was out of print). So after nearly waiting two years, I'm really happy to see all of those coming back to print :smallsmile: and finally get to read how the Order got started :smallbiggrin:


Thank you Rich for making my favorite comic! (on my favorite hobby, altough I never played D&D - I'm from Germany and other roleplaying games are more widespread here)

[ondonaflash]

Hey folks, I just wanted to pop my head in and say that it was fun participating in the kickstarter, and watching all of you chatter in the forum. I didn't really have much to say as it was going on, but I did want to say thanks and well done now that its all done and over with.

[Sunken Valley]

Hold on, wasn't there supposed to be an 8th comic or was it only ever 7?:smallconfused::smallconfused:

[aldeayeah]

As a Spaniard, I agree with the German guy in the first page. If a proper receipt is included in the outside of the package, it will much it much easier for it not to be mishandled in customs.

Also, if it's identified as a gift, it may avoid custom charges entirely.

[peshk]

Thank you Rich for making my favorite comic! (on my favorite hobby, altough I never played D&D - I'm from Germany and other roleplaying games are more widespread here)

Are they? DSA, SR and WoD are popular, too, here, ok, but more played than DnD? Maybe my Group(s) were more into testing than others, that could be.

(Are the comas around the "too" not necessary?)

[Shale]

Hold on, wasn't there supposed to be an 8th comic or was it only ever 7?:smallconfused::smallconfused:

Yesterday morning the Giant commented on Kickstarter saying that a comic was coming that night. He may be running a little behind - I can't imagine why.

[0datdude0]

It sure was nice getting that man updates during the kickstart drive.

[Carla]

I agree, I think that if people want a successful kickstarter project, they would do well to check out ours. The drive wouldn't have gone nearly as well if Rich had posted rewards and then went away for 30 days, even if he'd posted all the rewards and package options on the first day. It was the excitement of new things and not wanting to miss anything that kept me glued to the screen pressing F5.

At this point, my F5 key feels lonely and neglected...except for those times that I forget, hit the key and wonder 'why isn't anything happening???'

[Nimue]

Are they? DSA, SR and WoD are popular, too, here, ok, but more played than DnD? Maybe my Group(s) were more into testing than others, that could be.


Well, let's not forget Midgard :smallsmile: On the whole I tend to think that the various D&Ds are the most popular, too. Myself, I prefer a rule system where a single high level mage can't take out an entire army, but tastes vary.

[Pheldagriff]

I think DSA clearly outshines D&D at least in Austria.
and the typical DSA-player usually has strong prejudices against D&D-players (*coughhackcoughandcoughslaycough*)

[Pheldagriff]

btw, I was pondering about pledging the cameo-appearance and making my DSA-mage appear and asking the Giant to lampshade the vast powergap between D&D-mages and DSA-mages

for those of you who don't know DSA (das schwarze Auge = the dark eye), a mage there is far less powerful than in D&D. in direct confrontation he can perhaps take out 2 or 3 other people before being completely spent, but most of the existing spells aren't even meant for combat. a spell like "feather fall" is deemed pretty powerful in that setting instead of being laughed at.
and when a mage is completely spent, it takes days if not weeks until he has fully replenished his arcane ressources.

luckily, I didn't need to ponder for long as the slot was taken quite early in the run.

[peshk]

Well, let's not forget Midgard :smallsmile: On the whole I tend to think that the various D&Ds are the most popular, too. Myself, I prefer a rule system where a single high level mage can't take out an entire army, but tastes vary.

Midgard I still have to test. I only know some people who play(ed) it.

[The Succubus]

Fixed that for you. :smallwink:

I don't care how you phrase it, a cloning pillow sounds utterly gross. :smalleek::smallyuk:

[Zar Peter]

btw, I was pondering about pledging the cameo-appearance and making my DSA-mage appear and asking the Giant to lampshade the vast powergap between D&D-mages and DSA-mages

for those of you who don't know DSA (das schwarze Auge = the dark eye), a mage there is far less powerful than in D&D. in direct confrontation he can perhaps take out 2 or 3 other people before being completely spent, but most of the existing spells aren't even meant for combat. a spell like "feather fall" is deemed pretty powerful in that setting instead of being laughed at.
and when a mage is completely spent, it takes days if not weeks until he has fully replenished his arcane ressources.

luckily, I didn't need to ponder for long as the slot was taken quite early in the run.

I rather doubt DSA is even known in the US. But I could be wrong, though. I for one wouldn't mind to try a round DSA, it's just that my group which introduced me to Roleplay just had bought DnD books. So 3.5 it is for me.

[Hazelnut]

then I know of no reason that it wouldn't go out by the end of April.

:smallbiggrin:

Awesome, just in time for my 40th birthday! Best present ever.

Rich, I think this kickstarter has been a fantastic thing on so many levels; books reprinted, magnet, PDF extras, stickers, colouring book, fun to participate, etc. Over and above all of this, the best part has been seeing the penny drop with you about how much we all love OOTS. My OOTS books are prized posessions, and I wish I could afford to have a 2nd set for lending out.

I truely hope you are able to invest in new PC and cintaq or whatever makes your job easier - it will benefit us in the long run, so it was frustrating earlier in the drive when you were saying you didn't want the money to be for these kinds of things. Glad that worked out and I can stop trying to change your mind via telepathy. lol

Lastly congratulations and get some sleep.

[ThePhantasm]

Hold on, wasn't there supposed to be an 8th comic or was it only ever 7?:smallconfused::smallconfused:

O-Chul
Julio Scoundrel
Dim Sun
Haleo and Julelan
Pre-Origins Belkar
Therkla
Cliffport Cops

Looks like 7 to me. That's quite a lot! That's probably around 80 new pages.

[link3710]

O-Chul
Julio Scoundrel
Dim Sun
Haleo and Julelan
Pre-Origins Belkar
Therkla
Cliffport Cops

Looks like 7 to me. That's quite a lot! That's probably around 80 new pages.

He meant an 8th oots in a row. Also you forgot the Sir Francois and Elan PDF.

[Carla]

Ahhh, but you missed Sir Francois...so the total is 8 pdf's plus the minis! :)

EDIT: And still being Ninja'd *sigh*

[SteveDJ]

Hold on, wasn't there supposed to be an 8th comic or was it only ever 7?:smallconfused::smallconfused:


Yesterday morning the Giant commented on Kickstarter saying that a comic was coming that night. He may be running a little behind - I can't imagine why.

Yes - regarding Mystery Prize #6 "OOTS Every Day" - I was going to ask about that, too.

I recall a post/update somewhere (that I cannot find now) that he admitted missing a day in the middle, pushing the end out to Wednesday. Since the last update was on Monday, then aren't we due TWO more (Tuesday's, and then Wednesday's) to complete Mystery Prize #6??

[Palthera]

Are they? DSA, SR and WoD are popular, too, here, ok, but more played than DnD? Maybe my Group(s) were more into testing than others, that could be.

(Are the comas around the "too" not necessary?)

No, commas aren't necessary. :) But kudos for knowing the correct kind of "too" to use.

[CloakedDancer]

Yes - regarding Mystery Prize #6 "OOTS Every Day" - I was going to ask about that, too.

I recall a post/update somewhere (that I cannot find now) that he admitted missing a day in the middle, pushing the end out to Wednesday. Since the last update was on Monday, then aren't we due TWO more (Tuesday's, and then Wednesday's) to complete Mystery Prize #6??

Nope, just one. But I for one don't mind at all. Rich's been more than generous at this point, and I'm sure that as soon as the comic's done it'll be up.

[nogall]

for all you F5ers with too much time in their hands:
I just noticed that the wikipedia OOTS page doesn't mention a thing about the kickstarter drive. Care to change that? (I've never tampered with the fabrics of Wikireality, so I won't even try lest I ruin an otherwise perfectly fine webpage).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Order_of_the_Stick

[tomorrowboy]

Is there any chance of the exclusive digital comics being released as CBR/CBZ files as well as PDFs?

(For those that dont' know, here's the wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_book_archive)about these filetypes.)

[Skavensrule]

Nope, just one. But I for one don't mind at all. Rich's been more than generous at this point, and I'm sure that as soon as the comic's done it'll be up.

Agreed if things get a little wonky schedule-wise around here I'm cool with that. Just repeat this mantra:
Oh-Chul PDF
Julio Scoundrel PDF
Dim Sun PDF
Haleo and Julelan PDF
Pre-Origins Belkar PDF
Therkla PDF
Cliffport Cops PDF
Sir Francois PDF
Stickers, patches, notepads, wallpapers, drawings (at least some of which will get shared)
Walk-on cameo
And anything else I forgot about.

As rewinn said;
There is only one Giant and we can't afford to break it
So let's follow Denyala's advice and look for a very large pillow. (non-cloning variety please, that is a little creepy, plus Rich already has a beard so what would his evil twin/clone do)

[Xapi]

Is there any chance of the exclusive digital comics being released as CBR/CBZ files as well as PDFs?

(For those that dont' know, here's the wiki page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comic_book_archive)about these filetypes.)

Creating your own CBZ or CBR file is incredibly easy.

Unrelated to that, I don't think the Giant would release something like that because of the quality loss from PDF to JPG.

[Dr. Gamera]

for all you F5ers with too much time in their hands:
I just noticed that the wikipedia OOTS page doesn't mention a thing about the kickstarter drive. Care to change that? (I've never tampered with the fabrics of Wikireality, so I won't even try lest I ruin an otherwise perfectly fine webpage).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Order_of_the_Stick

It's there:

On Jan. 22nd, 2012, Burlew launched a Kickstarter campaign to get The Order of the Stick: War and XPs back into print, which eventually raised enough money to reprint the whole book series. The drive was the most funded creative work in Kickstarter up to that point, getting more than twenty times the original goal for a total of $1,254,120. During the reprint drive Burlew commited, as rewards for meeting increasing funding goals, to write nine new short stories of the characters in alternate settings or about the background of several characters; the characters for three of these stories were chosen by backers as part of the pledge reward.

Although it should read "eight new short stories", unless I missed something.

[RMS Oceanic]

So let's follow Denyala's advice and look for a very large pillow. (non-cloning variety please, that is a little creepy, plus Rich already has a beard so what would his evil twin/clone do)

Will Riker had a full beard, Thomas Riker had a goatee. Simple! :smalltongue:

[Lotus]

It sure was a lot of fun to watch all the kickstarter stuff. I've been reading OOTS since 2004 (right after Rich did the 8-bit theater guest comic) but I never bothered joining the forum. Just joining up now to say that it was fun to see Rich have such success with kickstarter, and to say thanks for all the great entertainment over the past years.

[Armitage]

Unrelated to that, I don't think the Giant would release something like that because of the quality loss from PDF to JPG.
Why should there be a quality loss? If anything, CBR/CBZ are better as these are just losslessly compressed original pictures.
The pictures in a PDF on the other hand are scaled and possibly compressed using a lossy algorithm.

[Baelzar]

How do Kickstarter funds qualify re: taxes?

Straight income? Because...ow. Add State/Local, and you'll be looking at about half going to the gubmint.

[Flame of Anor]

Creating your own CBZ or CBR file is incredibly easy.

Unrelated to that, I don't think the Giant would release something like that because of the quality loss from PDF to JPG.

They can be PNG.

[RMS Oceanic]

How do Kickstarter funds qualify re: taxes?

Straight income? Because...ow. Add State/Local, and you'll be looking at about half going to the gubmint.

We have been previously advised by the mods before not to speculate on this as we are not tax lawyers or accountants.

[Skavensrule]

Will Riker had a full beard, Thomas Riker had a goatee. Simple! :smalltongue:

Sneaky, I had forgotten about that one.

And thank you for reminding everyone about what the Mods said: Fellow Forumites, we are not tax-professionals and the Forum Rules do specifically mention things like this.

[Moorbo]

We have been previously advised by the mods before not to speculate on this as we are not tax lawyers or accountants.



And thank you for reminding everyone about what the Mods said: Fellow Forumites, we are not tax-professionals and the Forum Rules do specifically mention things like this.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?f=22&a=1 Hint: I've done the most I can do as a courtesy.

Anyways I'm surprised how many people have been worried about taxes both here and on kickstarter. Revenue != Profit



Creating your own CBZ or CBR file is incredibly easy.

Unrelated to that, I don't think the Giant would release something like that because of the quality loss from PDF to JPG.

I haven't seen those file types before, but what are the benefits of CBZ or CBR vs making a pdf slideshow especially since you'd need a special viewer to look at them? Also Rich just said he is sending us pdfs; I doubt that he draws directly in them. He probably uses an image format and converts to pdf.

[Xapi]

Why should there be a quality loss? If anything, CBR/CBZ are better as these are just losslessly compressed original pictures.
The pictures in a PDF on the other hand are scaled and possibly compressed using a lossy algorithm.

I disagree, I'm quite certain Adobe exports directly to PDF with little to no loss.

[Armitage]

I haven't seen those file types before, but what are the benefits of CBZ or CBR vs making a pdf slideshow especially since you'd need a special viewer to look at them?
Putting pictures into a PDF is like sending someone pictures as a Word file.
Why use a file format that's not intended for that kind of information?

PDF is a format for documents - mixed content. If you only have one kind of content (pictures) a dedicated format is the better choice.



Also Rich just said he is sending us pdfs; I doubt that he draws directly in them. He probably uses an image format and converts to pdf.
Which means information (read: quality) gets lost by converting them into PDF.


But yes, I'm aware that most people prefer the convenient over the sensible.
So I expect the stories to arrive in PDF format, and I just have to overcome my IT sensibilities. (Just as I have to accept my customers sending me screenshots as Word files...)

[Xapi]

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/announcement.php?f=22&a=1 Hint: I've done the most I can do as a courtesy.

Anyways I'm surprised how many people have been worried about taxes both here and on kickstarter. Revenue != Profit




I haven't seen those file types before, but what are the benefits of CBZ or CBR vs making a pdf slideshow especially since you'd need a special viewer to look at them? Also Rich just said he is sending us pdfs; I doubt that he draws directly in them. He probably uses an image format and converts to pdf.

1 - CBZ and CBR are in my opinion nothing at all, they're just a zip with a bunch of jpgs or pngs that a given software unzips (or unrars) and shows to you. Personally, I'd prefer the jpgs or pngs over that.

2 - The Giant works in Adobe Photoshop. From my admitedly short experience, Photoshop files are quite heavy and require special software to see (IE, not necesarily Photoshop itself, but a Photo editor of some sort at least, like GIMP). He will ALWAYS have to export that into a more reader friendly format. The quality loss from Photoshop to PDFs is minimal, I believe in the same ballpark as the loss to PNG (Which is what we see in the comic).

The difference is that a single PDF file can carry a full story, while PNGs are one page at a time.

And we go back to CBZ/CBR, wich lets you treat a bunch of PNGs as a single file. But you need a CBZ viewer (not something every computer has, like a PDF reader), and The Giant would have to take an extra step (first exporting everything to PNG, then creating the CBZ/CBR.

[Xapi]

Which means information (read: quality) gets lost by converting them into PDF.


But yes, I'm aware that most people prefer the convenient over the sensible.
So I expect the stories to arrive in PDF format, and I just have to overcome my IT sensibilities. (Just as I have to accept my customers sending me screenshots as Word files...)

Loss of quality will happen regardless of the format, because he will not send us the original Adobe file he worked on.

Given an equal standing between PNG and PDF, PDF is better because it allows a single file to carry all the strips.

Also, I made a mistake before, it should say Ilustrator where I wrote Photoshop.

[tomorrowboy]

And we go back to CBZ/CBR, wich lets you treat a bunch of PNGs as a single file. But you need a CBZ viewer (not something every computer has, like a PDF reader), and The Giant would have to take an extra step (first exporting everything to PNG, then creating the CBZ/CBR.

Not every computer has a PDF reader, and the versions on those mean that not every PDF reader can read all PDFs.

It's not like CBZ/CBR files require you to buy Photoshop or something to view them, the programs that use them are available online for free.

Also, the extra step of creating the CBZ file would be pretty minimal.

Personally, I've read comics on computers both as PDFs and CBZ files, and I prefer using the CBZ programs. I'm not saying that only CBZ files should available, I'm just wondering if they could also be made avaialable.

[Moorbo]

I disagree, I'm quite certain Adobe exports directly to PDF with little to no loss.

Didn't know that. Never used Adobe for generating images so I assumed Rich would need to convert from a image format to pdf.

[Xapi]

Not every computer has a PDF reader, and the versions on those mean that not every PDF reader can read all PDFs.

I've never had a problem with PDF versions that stopped me from reading what I was going to read. Also, we both know the vast mayority of computers have already installed the software to read such a widely used format, whereas this is certainly not true for CBZ/CBR.


It's not like CBZ/CBR files require you to buy Photoshop or something to view them, the programs that use them are available online for free.

I found CBZ software to be clunky, but that's not the issue because as you say:



Personally, I've read comics on computers both as PDFs and CBZ files, and I prefer using the CBZ programs. I'm not saying that only CBZ files should available, I'm just wondering if they could also be made avaialable.

I know, I just think you'll be in the vast minority there, and it would probably make more sense that you make those files for yourself.

It's not just converting to another format, he'd also have to ask each backer in which format he wants his stuff.

[Porthos]

re: The whole PDF-CBZ/CBR debate:

I like to think of myself as at least somewhat computer literate, and I've never heard of these files before today. And if I've never heard of them, I think it's a fairly safe bet that a large chunk of Rich's readership hasn't either.

So what's the point of Rich devoting time and resources that is only going to appeal to a sliver of the readership base when he could use that time on other things?

You see, standards are a standard for a reason: Ease of use and simplicity.

And whether it offends people IT sensibilities or not, I suspect a heck of a lot more people have PDF readers right this very second than CBZ/CBR ones.:smalltongue:

[The Derider]

I had a question about the Kickstarter stories. I know that there is a possibility that at a point during/after 2013, they could be released in book format (I hope this happens!), but for the PDF release, will there be any commentary on the stories like there are in the print compilations?

And unrelated to that, I am so glad the kickstarter succeeded as much as it did. I own all the print books already, and I intend to buy any more that come out. I backed it early, figuring I'd get a fun story out of it before O-Chul comes to prominence in the main book and help reprint one of the books, but holy crap! I'm amazed to see how much attention Mr. Burlew put in to the kickstarter, and what both he and the fans will get out of it. I know tortured artists can put out great work, but I'm looking forward to what a happy artist will put out!

Also, there's a part of me that hopes the newest Mystery Prize is...

A bi-monthly Julio Scoundrel release, all the way from Issue #1.

And I know that won't happen, but I can dream, can't I?

[Moorbo]

Don't know how much quality it keeps but there is an online converter for pdf to cbz: http://pdf-to-cbz.net/

Edit: Although if the pdfs are larger than 10MB that won't work.

[The Giant]

I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

[Crisis21]

I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

Looking forward to it. :smallsmile:

[happyturtle]

Hi Rich. I just want to say thank you for being awesome. :smallsmile:

[CoffeeIncluded]

I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

This news makes me very happy.

[honigmuffin]

I had a question about the Kickstarter stories. I know that there is a possibility that at a point during/after 2013, they could be released in book format (I hope this happens!), but for the PDF release, will there be any commentary on the stories like there are in the print compilations?

I remember mentioning the Giant somewhere in the first thread (y'know, the one with 100+ pages) that he might consider it. It'd be cool to have some commentary in the PDF stories :smallsmile:


Lots of complicated art.

Waiting for complicated art is no problem for me :smallcool:

Edit:

A bi-monthly Julio Scoundrel release, all the way from Issue #1.

That would be AWESOME!!! :smallbiggrin:

[SarahV]

I disagree, I'm quite certain Adobe exports directly to PDF with little to no loss.

This is correct. I'm the production manager at a print magazine and everything we send to the press is in PDF, and all of the ads people send us are PDF. As far as I know most publications and ad agencies use a PDF workflow now. Back in the early days of digital prepress (~10 years ago) I would get people arguing with me because they thought PDF was a lossy web format, but the beauty of it is that it can do everything: lossy low-file-size versions of the document, or press-ready font-embedded high-res lossless perfection. It can pretty much contain anything you want, as long as you know what you're doing.

For something like this comic, PDF is awesome because it can contain vector graphics and fonts without rasterizing them (rasterize = convert to a pixelated image) - meaning you can view it larger on your screen or zoom way in without it getting all jagged and blurry. PNG, JPG and GIF can't do that. (Now, I don't know enough about how The Giant creates his files to say whether it is feasible to do it that way or not, but the file format is certainly capable of it.)

[ThePhantasm]

I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

"Lots of complicated art." Sounds great to me!

[Elder Tsofu]

He will ALWAYS have to export that into a more reader friendly format. The quality loss from Photoshop to PDFs is minimal, I believe in the same ballpark as the loss to PNG (Which is what we see in the comic).

No, we see .gif in the comic.

[Xapi]

No, we see .gif in the comic.

You are right, it is the Kickstarter Drive banner that was a PNG. Still, the point stands.

[Skavensrule]

Waiting for complicated art is no problem for me :smallcool:


"Lots of complicated art." Sounds great to me!

Ditto and ditto!

[Mighty]

Yay, money was taken from my account today :smallsmile: Which is a weird thing to cheer about, but meh! Just happy that it didn't mess up. Now there's just the waiting (luckily had lots of practice at that when waiting for Snips, Snails and Dragontales :smalltongue: ). I'm sure it'll be worth it as usual though :smallwink:

[darkelf]

as an aside, the files which are sent to the printer to print the super-high-quality glossy books we're shellin' out for? in all probability, PDF.

[honigmuffin]

Mighty's comment made me check my online balance, and all three pledges went through :smallbiggrin:

[hkhm]

i had a great deal of fun reading through the kickstarter comments each day, even though i rarely posted. i was in on day one and could barely leave my computer as i watched the drive progress, it was surprisingly exciting.

i must say i am greatly looking forward to the drawing i pledged for. every single person in my life (who knows about oots) guessed my chosen character at once. i even have a spot on my wall picked out where it will go once it is framed.

:thog:

[Oink]

re: The whole PDF-CBZ/CBR debate:
...
So what's the point of Rich devoting time and resources that is only going to appeal to a sliver of the readership base when he could use that time on other things?

You see, standards are a standard for a reason: Ease of use and simplicity.
...


I think the whole discussion misses one of the core use cases: CBx files may contain single images instead of a whole page. This case makes it possible to view the comic on devices that have a screen which is too small to display the whole page.
So if Illustrator supports exporting to CBx, that might mean exporting not as a page but as single images - or not. And even if Illustrator supports this, there is still the question whether The Giant creates single images and combines them later or not.
Personally I'd love to be able to read OOTS on my Kindle (even if it is grayscale only) or eventually on a smartphone (once I get one - I just spent a bit of money on a certain Kickstarter project :smallbiggrin:)

[Elder Tsofu]

Btw, I think it's quite cute to see ones idol/respected person get all giddy over his own idol/respected person. :smallsmile:

[Flame of Anor]

2 - The Giant works in Adobe Photoshop. From my admitedly short experience, Photoshop files are quite heavy and require special software to see (IE, not necesarily Photoshop itself, but a Photo editor of some sort at least, like GIMP). He will ALWAYS have to export that into a more reader friendly format. The quality loss from Photoshop to PDFs is minimal, I believe in the same ballpark as the loss to PNG (Which is what we see in the comic).

No, the Giant works in Adobe Illustrator. It's entirely different--a vector graphics program. Vector graphics images are quite compact.


I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

:smallbiggrin:

[fergo]

I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

Lots of complicated art? This sounds awesome.

(For a moment I was thinking 'crayons!' but it wouldn't really fit in here :smalltongue:).

[Surfing HalfOrc]

I know the plan is to release four sets of 100 monster fold ups per quarter, for 400 monsters total. But is it possible to also release the Giantitp.com Stock Avatars as well? The work has already been done, and they make great minis for PCs as well. Or various NPC, townsfolks, pirate crews, etc...

Also, what is a Solith Knight? My Google-fu must be weak, because all I could find were some names for WoW Arena players...

[dakameleon]

I think the whole discussion misses one of the core use cases: CBx files may contain single images instead of a whole page. This case makes it possible to view the comic on devices that have a screen which is too small to display the whole page.
All mobile devices (I assume that's what you're talking about) support PDF viewing, most natively. Almost all have a zoom mechanic that'll let you read it panel by panel. It might not be as convenient as through a CBx reader, but it is more compatible.


So if Illustrator supports exporting to CBx, that might mean exporting not as a page but as single images - or not. And even if Illustrator supports this, there is still the question whether The Giant creates single images and combines them later or not.
You can almost certainly bet that Illustrator doesn't support CBx natively - no doubt someone will trounce me and prove me wrong, but I would certainly suggest that the effort to produce a CBx file with proper panel-by-panel breakdowns would be disproportionate to the number of people who actually use and/or appreciate these files.


Personally I'd love to be able to read OOTS on my Kindle (even if it is grayscale only) or eventually on a smartphone (once I get one - I just spent a bit of money on a certain Kickstarter project :smallbiggrin:)

You can already read PDFs on your Kindle, and as mentioned above certainly PDFs on whatever smartphone you get.

[Gwynfrid]

I haven't forgotten about the last comic in the consecutive run, it's just taking a very long time and I couldn't finish it yesterday. Lots of complicated art. It will be up in few hours.

Please take at least as much time as you need. Quality trumps speed every time.

The only mystery prize which personally I found not so appealing was the pledge to deliver 1 comic per day for seven days. It sure is exciting, but is it worth it ? I have gotten used to have every single comic come to me as a welcome surprise gift in my In-box. If they come faster then that's great but on a fixed schedule ? Not such a big deal.

At some point during the Kickstarter drive, reading some comments (a small minority of the total, to be fair) gave me a bit of a feeling that we are all a bunch of hungry bloodsucking bats, coming after Rich's lifeblood - ie. his creativity - yelling "more, more !" at the top of our collective lungs. :smalleek:

[Grey Watcher]

Please take at least as much time as you need. Quality trumps speed every time.

The only mystery prize which personally I found not so appealing was the pledge to deliver 1 comic per day for seven days. It sure is exciting, but is it worth it ? I have gotten used to have every single comic come to me as a welcome surprise gift in my In-box. If they come faster then that's great but on a fixed schedule ? Not such a big deal.

At some point during the Kickstarter drive, reading some comments (a small minority of the total, to be fair) gave me a bit of a feeling that we are all a bunch of hungry bloodsucking bats, coming after Rich's lifeblood - ie. his creativity - yelling "more, more !" at the top of our collective lungs. :smalleek:

I should hope that, unlike his lifeblood, Rich does not have a finite amount of creativity. If anything, my own meagre experience working in an artistic fields says that creativity is enhanced, not diminished, by meeting greater demands. It's a skill, and it improves with practice. So really, by clamoring for more, more, and even more, we're just helping him grow into a better and better writer and artist. :biggrin: