Tock Zipporah
2013-07-07, 02:40 PM
So I was inspired by The Stick Awards (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=283609), run by Porthos, and The Favorite Character Tournament (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=282222), run by oppyu, and got the idea for another type of voting thread that I thought would be interesting.
The Most Epic Battle Tournament.
Basically, the idea is to vote for which battle scene has been the best one ever in the history of the Order of the Stick. Obviously, the tournament will be limited to strips in the online archives (so the prequel books and bonus content in the other books not posted online won't be included). In addition, since there are some massive differences between some types of battles, the tournament will be divided into four categories:
1. Normal Battles. "Normal" in this case means the Order (or another group) fighting against a group of enemies (or a single large creature, like when the Order battled the Chimera or the Hydra). These battles use group tactics and are fairly standard by D&D traditions.
2. Duels. Duels are most commonly 1 on 1, such as when the Order fought their individual evil counterparts in the Linear Guild. Some might be 2 on 1 or 2 on 2 (such as when Nale and Sabine ganged up on Elan at the desert palace, or Team Cleric vs. The Thai Loving Monster). I'm still counting such battles as "duels" because they involved only a small portion of each group, while the rest of the group was engaged in separate battles elsewhere. There might be some grey areas, but in general any battle with 3 or more people on one side won't be counted as a duel. Also note that with few exceptions, "Duels" will be between major characters (or a main character vs. a "miniboss"), not nameless minions.
3. Solo Battles. These are situations where one person faces a group alone (Belkar's infamous "Sexy Shoeless God of War" scene, or Haley soloing a group of hobgoblins and leaving Belkar speechless). These use different tactics than either normal Battles or duels, since one person has to handle multiple enemies and this usually means they get the chance to kick some serious behind and show how tough they are. (Note that a single monster vs. the Order doesn't count; Solo Battles will usually be a solo Order member or a Solo member of Team Evil, etc.)
4. Mass Battles. These are huge fights with dozens or more involved (the battle in Xykon's throne room against a horde of goblins and undead, or the Battle for Azure City). Since large-scale battles use vastly different strategies, they count as their own category. The exact line between a "normal" or "mass" battle might be vague at times, and will be based on a judgment call.
Miscellaneous notes: Some battles might last multiple pages, and have different segments of the battle put in different categories. For example, during the Battle for Azure City, we see Vaarsuvius going against a group of Titanium Elementals (Solo Battle), then Vaarsuvius and the giant Azurite soldiers vs. the hobgoblin army (Mass Battle), then Vaarsuvius vs. the Death Knight (Duel), each of which will be counted separately. Likewise, a battle that changes format partway through can be counted separately (so in the first Linear Guild duels, we start with Roy fighting Thog and Elan fighting Nale, but then they switch, so those would count as separate battles).
Since Rich tends to post some battle sequences as multiple pages on a single post, most battles will be a single post. However, particularly with Duels, some can last multiple posts (Durkon vs. Malack, for instance). In such a case, I'll simply be making a judgment call on what counts as a "single" battle segment.
Also note that this tournament is focused on battles, not strips. So strips with no fighting will be skipped, as will strips with only one panel of fighting and the rest nothing but talking. If there's any grey area, I'll simply make a judgment call on whether to include something or not. Likewise, if a strip goes back and forth between, say, two separate duels, each duel could be voted on separately despite being in the same strip.
Voting Rules: I'll be posting a set of 10 battles at a time, in roughly chronological order. Keep in mind that the order might be shifted a bit to keep the categories divided properly (so I'll post ten "Normal Battles" and skip any individual "Duels" in that part of the comic until I have enough "Duels" for a full vote). Also, in some cases, I may make ad hoc adjustments just to fit related battles together (so all the original Order vs. Linear Guild duels might be together as one voting segment even though it's less than ten battles, simply because they're all part of the same sequence).
Vote for your favorite out of the ten battles listed (one vote per person per segment). Voting will remain open for a week. If you'd like, feel free to engage in discussion about why a particular battle was the best, and you can post additional replies to keep the discussion moving. You can change your vote anytime before the voting for that segment closes, but only one vote per person will be counted, regardless of how many discussion posts you make.
Also, feel free to post any suggestions about the thread in general. I'll eventually be taking the winners and pitting them against each other, with the eventual longterm goal of choosing the One Battle That Rules Them All.
All above rules are subject to change, and adjustments will be made for any battle that doesn't quite fit in a single category, based purely on judgment calls on a case by case basis.
So without further ado, I present you with... *drumroll*
The Most Epic Battle Tournament!
ROUND ONE: FIGHT!
Normal Battles 1
Battle 1. Strip #1: New Edition (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html), in which Durkon feels Really Stable.
Battle 2. Strip #3: See Spot Spot (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0003.html), in which Belkar fails a Spot Check. (Continued when the ninjas ambush (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0005.html) and leave a bunch of free swords in Elan's spleen (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0006.html).)
Battle 3. Strip #4: The Power of Music (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0004.html), in which Elan enrages a bunch of ogres (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0005.html).
Battle 4. Strip #10: Like Enthrall, Only Boring (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0010.html), in which Vaarsuvius does not cast a spell.
Battle 5. Strip #11: Alignment Differences (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0011.html), in which Belkar calls dibs on the priest's amulet.
Battle 6. Strip #17: Rapier Wit (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0017.html), which introduces the Chimera Trigak (Continued here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0018.html), here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0019.html), here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0020.html), and here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0021.html).)
Battle 7. Strip #30: Behind the Secret Door (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0030.html), which introduces the Mind Flayer that thinks Roy is delicious (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0031.html), but gets hauled away by the lawyers (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0032.html).
Battle 8. Strip #34: Math is Fun (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0034.html), in which we see Durkon solving word problems.
Battle 9. Strip #41: Just Take the AoO (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0041.html), in which Elan gets "accidentally" frozen.
Battle 10. Strip #51: Stupid Isn't Always Cute (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0051.html), in which Roy and Thog battle a bunch of earth monsters.
And that's Round One! Vote your hearts out!
(Strips below are being saved for later until I have enough for each category. I'm archiving them here for easy reference as I'm going through the comic strip by strip.)
Solo Battles:
Strip #37: Evil, But Cost Effective (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0037.html), in which Xykon demonstrates his management skills.
Duels:
Strip #40: The Gods Must Be Busy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0040.html), Thor vs. Surtur.
Strip #42: Belkar Unleashed (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0042.html), Belkar vs. a Goblin Ninja, in which Belkar finally makes a spot check.
The Most Epic Battle Tournament.
Basically, the idea is to vote for which battle scene has been the best one ever in the history of the Order of the Stick. Obviously, the tournament will be limited to strips in the online archives (so the prequel books and bonus content in the other books not posted online won't be included). In addition, since there are some massive differences between some types of battles, the tournament will be divided into four categories:
1. Normal Battles. "Normal" in this case means the Order (or another group) fighting against a group of enemies (or a single large creature, like when the Order battled the Chimera or the Hydra). These battles use group tactics and are fairly standard by D&D traditions.
2. Duels. Duels are most commonly 1 on 1, such as when the Order fought their individual evil counterparts in the Linear Guild. Some might be 2 on 1 or 2 on 2 (such as when Nale and Sabine ganged up on Elan at the desert palace, or Team Cleric vs. The Thai Loving Monster). I'm still counting such battles as "duels" because they involved only a small portion of each group, while the rest of the group was engaged in separate battles elsewhere. There might be some grey areas, but in general any battle with 3 or more people on one side won't be counted as a duel. Also note that with few exceptions, "Duels" will be between major characters (or a main character vs. a "miniboss"), not nameless minions.
3. Solo Battles. These are situations where one person faces a group alone (Belkar's infamous "Sexy Shoeless God of War" scene, or Haley soloing a group of hobgoblins and leaving Belkar speechless). These use different tactics than either normal Battles or duels, since one person has to handle multiple enemies and this usually means they get the chance to kick some serious behind and show how tough they are. (Note that a single monster vs. the Order doesn't count; Solo Battles will usually be a solo Order member or a Solo member of Team Evil, etc.)
4. Mass Battles. These are huge fights with dozens or more involved (the battle in Xykon's throne room against a horde of goblins and undead, or the Battle for Azure City). Since large-scale battles use vastly different strategies, they count as their own category. The exact line between a "normal" or "mass" battle might be vague at times, and will be based on a judgment call.
Miscellaneous notes: Some battles might last multiple pages, and have different segments of the battle put in different categories. For example, during the Battle for Azure City, we see Vaarsuvius going against a group of Titanium Elementals (Solo Battle), then Vaarsuvius and the giant Azurite soldiers vs. the hobgoblin army (Mass Battle), then Vaarsuvius vs. the Death Knight (Duel), each of which will be counted separately. Likewise, a battle that changes format partway through can be counted separately (so in the first Linear Guild duels, we start with Roy fighting Thog and Elan fighting Nale, but then they switch, so those would count as separate battles).
Since Rich tends to post some battle sequences as multiple pages on a single post, most battles will be a single post. However, particularly with Duels, some can last multiple posts (Durkon vs. Malack, for instance). In such a case, I'll simply be making a judgment call on what counts as a "single" battle segment.
Also note that this tournament is focused on battles, not strips. So strips with no fighting will be skipped, as will strips with only one panel of fighting and the rest nothing but talking. If there's any grey area, I'll simply make a judgment call on whether to include something or not. Likewise, if a strip goes back and forth between, say, two separate duels, each duel could be voted on separately despite being in the same strip.
Voting Rules: I'll be posting a set of 10 battles at a time, in roughly chronological order. Keep in mind that the order might be shifted a bit to keep the categories divided properly (so I'll post ten "Normal Battles" and skip any individual "Duels" in that part of the comic until I have enough "Duels" for a full vote). Also, in some cases, I may make ad hoc adjustments just to fit related battles together (so all the original Order vs. Linear Guild duels might be together as one voting segment even though it's less than ten battles, simply because they're all part of the same sequence).
Vote for your favorite out of the ten battles listed (one vote per person per segment). Voting will remain open for a week. If you'd like, feel free to engage in discussion about why a particular battle was the best, and you can post additional replies to keep the discussion moving. You can change your vote anytime before the voting for that segment closes, but only one vote per person will be counted, regardless of how many discussion posts you make.
Also, feel free to post any suggestions about the thread in general. I'll eventually be taking the winners and pitting them against each other, with the eventual longterm goal of choosing the One Battle That Rules Them All.
All above rules are subject to change, and adjustments will be made for any battle that doesn't quite fit in a single category, based purely on judgment calls on a case by case basis.
So without further ado, I present you with... *drumroll*
The Most Epic Battle Tournament!
ROUND ONE: FIGHT!
Normal Battles 1
Battle 1. Strip #1: New Edition (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html), in which Durkon feels Really Stable.
Battle 2. Strip #3: See Spot Spot (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0003.html), in which Belkar fails a Spot Check. (Continued when the ninjas ambush (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0005.html) and leave a bunch of free swords in Elan's spleen (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0006.html).)
Battle 3. Strip #4: The Power of Music (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0004.html), in which Elan enrages a bunch of ogres (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0005.html).
Battle 4. Strip #10: Like Enthrall, Only Boring (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0010.html), in which Vaarsuvius does not cast a spell.
Battle 5. Strip #11: Alignment Differences (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0011.html), in which Belkar calls dibs on the priest's amulet.
Battle 6. Strip #17: Rapier Wit (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0017.html), which introduces the Chimera Trigak (Continued here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0018.html), here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0019.html), here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0020.html), and here (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0021.html).)
Battle 7. Strip #30: Behind the Secret Door (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0030.html), which introduces the Mind Flayer that thinks Roy is delicious (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0031.html), but gets hauled away by the lawyers (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0032.html).
Battle 8. Strip #34: Math is Fun (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0034.html), in which we see Durkon solving word problems.
Battle 9. Strip #41: Just Take the AoO (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0041.html), in which Elan gets "accidentally" frozen.
Battle 10. Strip #51: Stupid Isn't Always Cute (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0051.html), in which Roy and Thog battle a bunch of earth monsters.
And that's Round One! Vote your hearts out!
(Strips below are being saved for later until I have enough for each category. I'm archiving them here for easy reference as I'm going through the comic strip by strip.)
Solo Battles:
Strip #37: Evil, But Cost Effective (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0037.html), in which Xykon demonstrates his management skills.
Duels:
Strip #40: The Gods Must Be Busy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0040.html), Thor vs. Surtur.
Strip #42: Belkar Unleashed (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0042.html), Belkar vs. a Goblin Ninja, in which Belkar finally makes a spot check.