A message for the Giant

[deworde]

I started reading OOTS 5 years ago; when Start of Darkness had just come out, when we were finding out about Scribbles and Snarls, before the fall of Miko or the death of Roy.

Since then, I've moved away from home, met the love of my life, had a beautiful daughter, got married. I had the joy of persuading my future wife to try the books, and watched as she fell in love with the characters (Thog in particular).

I get to read the comic to my daughter and argue with my wife about Belkar's voice. I get to enjoy and be amazed by the continuing adventures of possibly my favorite characters in Fantasy Fiction.

I just want you to know how much your writing has meant to me personally, and how much I'm looking forward to sharing it with my daughter. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she reads the latest strip.

Thank you.

[Ted The Bug]

Hear, hear.

*raises glass*

Started in early '07. I've since moved to a different continent, gotten into the school of my dreams, and found my life's passion.

All while reading about one guy's quest to make his dad look stupid. :smallwink:

[Turin_19]

Also started around 2007. Haven't stopped clicking the link everyday to see if there's something new. (Ok, sometimes I skip weekends).

Thank you for this amazing story!

[Ailowynn]

I started reading last year :smallbiggrin:

But that doesn't mean I love the comic any less! Thanks, Giant!

[Sylthia]

I started in 2008, after a member of my D&D group told me about the comic.

[twa_pehs]

I started around around the battle for Azure City, I think I may have got linked here from Penny Arcade.

I've rarely read anything so touching or involving. There are some strips that brought me to tears and many that have had me stare at my screen in wide eyed amazement and then go all evangelical and try to get my friends to read it. The things that happen in this comic have weight Mr Giant, they feel important and your sense of build up and drama are excellent. I am very glad I found this story and I add my thanks to those above.

[RobbyPants]

I started somewhere in 2007 or 2006. Over at the WotC boards, people were arguing about Samurai builds, and someone mentioned how you could make a "Samurai" without any Samurai class levels. That person, or another linked to the same OOTS discussion where Miko talked about being a Monk/Paladin. I read a few of those comics, decided I liked it, and started with #1!

[Ornithologist]

I truly cannot remember when I started reading. Maybe around Cliffport. Yeah, that sounds about right.

But I went backwards and immediately started at #1.

Cheers!

[Flame of Anor]

I started reading in 2007, during the hiatus after 484. I found a link in someone's signature while I was browsing the WotC boards. It introduced me to the world of webcomics, but it's still my favorite! (Well, maybe tied with one or two others.)

[MasterGhandalf]

Started reading in Aug 2009 (about four years and half a month or so ago, in fact), when the current arc was just getting started. OOTS has ever since been one of the small handful of webcomics I follow diligently, and is probably my favorite out of those. Giant, keep up the good work!

[Fan67]

I got the link to the comic roughly when the Dungeon of Dorukan exploded and the Order met Miko. I followed it for a year then decided (epic will save passed) to withdraw from reading it for a YEAR to remember the feeling I got from the first all night long OotS reading maraphon.

The second time I decided to abandon the comic for a year was sometime during late 2011 and guess what I missed? Freaking KICKSTARTER!!! Never again will I spent more then couple weeks without checking giatitp.com (am I the only one constatly typing gianttitp.com by mistake? he-he :smallredface:).

But because of the kickstarter I finally got all the books from ookoodook and really looking forward to grab the next one.

Yeah, and +1 to the group of guys who met their wives after they became the fans of the Order. :smallbiggrin:

[Demolator]

I started around the time 863 came out. Needless to say, I was quite dejected to start at was probably exactly the wrong time.

[littlebum2002]

I remember the exact comic I started on. It's the one where the empress is flying, and V says she will not cast any more magic since the laws of physics have had a hard enough day already. So yeah, I'm relatively new, but I've read the story 3 or 4 times so I've caught up...

[F.Harr]

I don't remember when I got invovled, but I remember WHAT got me here. I found a copy of [Ain't]No Cure for the Paladin Blues in a bookstore and wanted to find out more. I spent weeks going through the strips. I even tried to get my brother and mom reading. It didn't work. My favorite purchase when I FINALLY could get a coppy of [A]NCftPB for my very own.

Yay!

And poor wolf in LRRH.

[Darth V]

I followed too many links from TvTropes to random pages of OOTS. I found most of them funny, so I decided to give it a shot and started from the beginning. After several days (or weeks?) of Archive Binge the group was just somewhere in Sandsegde or in the desert shortly after. Dunno which date this was. I have been visiting giantitp.com/comics/ootslatest daily since.

As "Newbie" I struck down at the Kickstarter Drive and bought the Whole Story Pack. :smallbiggrin:

Worth. Every. Cent! :smallsmile:

[konradknox]

Latest comics have been some kind of cruel vengeance! :smalleek:
They have me on the edge of the seat, and needing to see the next page like it's crack.
Malack's down. Durkon up with the staff. Seriously? Leaving us on such cliffhangers?!!! What comes next?! What's gonna happen?!

[F.Harr]

I followed too many links from TvTropes to random pages of OOTS. I found most of them funny, so I decided to give it a shot and started from the beginning. After several days (or weeks?) of Archive Binge the group was just somewhere in Sandsegde or in the desert shortly after. Dunno which date this was. I have been visiting giantitp.com/comics/ootslatest daily since.

As "Newbie" I struck down at the Kickstarter Drive and bought the Whole Story Pack. :smallbiggrin:

Worth. Every. Cent! :smallsmile:

I'm jeallous.:smallyuk:

[Ghost Nappa]

I followed too many links from TvTropes to random pages of OOTS. I found most of them funny, so I decided to give it a shot and started from the beginning. After several days (or weeks?) of Archive Binge the group was just somewhere in Sandsegde or in the desert shortly after. Dunno which date this was. I have been visiting giantitp.com/comics/ootslatest daily since.

As "Newbie" I struck down at the Kickstarter Drive and bought the Whole Story Pack. :smallbiggrin:

Worth. Every. Cent! :smallsmile:

With the exception of being able to participate in the Kickstarter event, this and a couple of mentions to it from a fan of another Kickstarter, FTL - Faster Than Light, I started the Archive Binge. I have no idea when I started but I want to say maybe a month before I registered on the forums.

Easily one of the highlights of my day when a new comic is posted and I've decided to pick up the prologue books if-and-when I have the money.

[Darth V]

I'm jeallous.

What for? :smallconfused:

[F.Harr]

What do you think? You got the whole-story package. :D

[Darth V]

The books are still available at the Online Shop. And with the exeption of maybe SSaDT they all can be bought at your own path of time if you're short of money.

[F.Harr]

Oh. I'd thought the package might include more than the currently available publications.

No longer jellous. Sorry.

[Darth V]

Well, yes, there is some nice swag like the magnet, the stickers, the coloring book(s), the Backer's Choice PDFs, the Monster Minis,...

Ok, ok, I'll stop now! :smalltongue::smallredface:

Hey, the wallpapers are free for everyone, even for Non-Backers! :smallbiggrin:

[F.Harr]

O.K., Eiversuestichkeit (jellousness) BACK on! Hmph! >:(


;D

[Darth V]

Sorry! :smallbiggrin:

PS: It's eifersüchtig as adjective: Ich bin eifersüchtig - I am jealous
Or in your case Eifersucht as noun: Eifersucht wieder zurück - jealousy back on

Don't get me wrong, that's not meant as smart-ass! I'm native german so I just wanted to correct your mangled vocabulary. I'm sure my English is not perfect either. :smallsmile:

[SandboxPenguin]

I've been reading this comic since #18, Though only recently did I discover the forums. Been loving it all the way. Keep it up Giant!

[Sholos]

I don't remember exactly when I started reading, but it was a while ago. Somewhere between 2003-2007. I've graduated college in the meantime and even made some friends. Some of whom read OOTS! It's been a great ride so far and I'm looking forward to where it takes us next.

[Quild]

Found a message of me from early 2006 where I mention that I already was checking oots everyday. So I started in 2005, maybe 2004.

wow

Due to oots fandom, I started D&D in 2010 but can't play anymore since two of my friends left France :(. I miss that. And them, yeah.

[Anatares]

I think I started near the very beginning - Within the first 50 at least. My dad showed it to me and it was an instant favourite. That Christmas I think I bought him the Bluff the ogre comic on a sweater for him :)

[Scurvy Cur]

My archive binge started at the Miko-falls-from-grace comic. I followed a link over from a (pages-long) debate on how much leeway a paladin had in their conduct on the forums for a NWN persistant world. The strip had been linked over as a supporting illustration for one side in the argument.

I decided to start reading from the beginning, and was instantly hooked. Sometimes I neglect to check in for a while, but keep up to speed as much as I can all the same. Thanks for writing.

[F.Harr]

Sorry! :smallbiggrin:

PS: It's eifersüchtig as adjective: Ich bin eifersüchtig - I am jealous
Or in your case Eifersucht as noun: Eifersucht wieder zurück - jealousy back on



SpaSIba bolshoye!

Thanks so much! I really appriciate it.

By the way, "NWN persistant world"?

[Scurvy Cur]

By the way, "NWN percistant world"?


NWN is shorthand for Neverwinter Nights, a CRPG based (clumsily, imo) on 3.0 edition D&D. As a standalone game, it has little to recommend itself, and is a disappointment, given that it came from the same studio that did the excellent Baldur's Gate series. The one shining strong point of the game is the relative ease with which a small team of a few people can build a persistant world, which is a game server running a (usually) custom module that is intended to be somewhat sandbox-ish, rather than having an overarching series of scripted quests.

This is actually a reasonably decent format for a roleplay-heavy D&D experience, since players can run their own RP with each other regardless of a DM's presence, and a DM can create special quests and encounters in the existing areas in the module. And the game engine takes care of all the dice-roll heavy numbers stuff. It's got elements of tabletop D&D mixed in with some of the capabilities of a more mainstream online game. It isn't "massively multiplayer" by any means, but can allow usually a few dozen players to occupy the same setting while all pursuing largely player-driven stories. Sort of like having a place you can go for a pickup session of D&D if you want.

Not many of these are really active anymore, though, because it's a very old game and no longer supported by the publisher.

[pwning doodes]

I'm getting on the "OotS is awesome" boat with the rest of y'alls. I first got introduced to the comic when my friend brought his copy of Start of Darkness to a sleepover and I started reading over his shoulder. He let me borrow it after the sleepover since I seemed so interested. I spent at least one night reading through it and just not being able to put it down.
Actually, it took me a while after that to realize there was an online comic. I think I read the borrowed SoD and bought the first two compilation books before finding the Playground. It took me a while after that to find the forums, but boy am I hooked! I love a good story, and I plead guilty of having spent six hours straight holed up in my room with a good novel at least once. The Order of the Stick is at that level for me. I just can't stop reading, and I will be so sad when this is over. Thank you, Rich, for this beautiful epic story. When the comic ends, if you decided to write a sequel series, know that I would be cheering you on the whole way! :smallwink: *nudge*

[Jaklefire]

I started reading when they first met the linear guild
God it's been so long, that must have been in like '04
I was like 6 then too, my dad got me to start reading it and it's meant so much to me. It got me to start gaming and DMing and has certainly changed my life. Thank you Mr Burlew, your comic is simply AMAZING and i say that as honestly as a 16 year old can.

[Fan67]

I started reading when they first met the linear guild
God it's been so long, that must have been in like '04
I was like 6 then too, my dad got me to start reading it and it's meant so much to me. It got me to start gaming and DMing and has certainly changed my life. Thank you Mr Burlew, your comic is simply AMAZING and i say that as honestly as a 16 year old can.

Oh my god I feel SO old right now. :smallfrown:

[Grey Watcher]

I started reading when they first met the linear guild
God it's been so long, that must have been in like '04
I was like 6 then too, my dad got me to start reading it and it's meant so much to me. It got me to start gaming and DMing and has certainly changed my life. Thank you Mr Burlew, your comic is simply AMAZING and i say that as honestly as a 16 year old can.

I started reading just a few monthsweeks (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0035.html) before that and I was in college....

Stop making us feel old! :shakes fist in crotchety old man style:

But seriously, I love this comic. It's one of my favorite works of fiction, and I always find myself eagerly looking forward to the next episode.

[sam79]

Joining the Feelin' Old Posse, aswell as the We Love OotS Club.

Started reading from the start at about the time V was stuck on a little island on her own (mid-2008ish?). I checked it out basically because of how much it seemed to be referenced on TVTropes, which was that season's Internet TimeWasting Champion. Finished my archive binge in time for V's showdown with the Big X. By that time, I'd already ordered all of the books then in print.

In other life events since starting OotS, I've changed address at least four times, changed jobs at least twice, left my twenties WAY behind, moved to live in a new country, bought a house, got a cat and a dog.

OotS is one of the only webcomics I read regularly (and easily the strongest of them), one of the best comic books I've ever read, one of my two favourite works in the category 'As-Yet-Unfinished-Epic Fantasy' (no prizes for guessing the other) and normally the first or second page I click to when I go on the internet. This is also the only forum I bother to contribute to any thing like regularly.

The art style was what initially attracted me, and the author's writing and sense of humour struck a chord instantly: but it is the characters and the plot that keep me coming back; I want to know what happens, and I care about how what happens affects the people in the story.

[F.Harr]

Indeed. I also love the author's commentary in the printed books.

[Lord Torath]

Just wanted to chime in and say "Thanks!" I started reading when I followed a link from Turn Signals on a Land Raider, I think right after Belkar had his Mark of Justice removed. Didn't really understand what was going on, but I worked my way through the archives in a couple of days.

Picked up The Whole Story during the Kickstarter, and just acquired the OotS Adventure game in June!

All my kids have read the books (well, except my oldest daughter. She's just not ready for the books yet. Maybe after she learns how to read a book without destroying it...), and are now following along with the latest updates. My wife appreciates that they now occasionally talk about something other than Minecraft, but they have to be careful not to give away spoilers (She won't read the online comic. Only the books).

So thanks for sharing your story and your talents with us! I really appreciate it!

[goodyarn]

Wrecan got me into OOTS. I don't remember when exactly. Before strip 300, I think.

I love the comedy. I love the pathos. I love its understanding of human(oid) nature. I love the scope of it.

It's a wonderful tale.

[RMS Oceanic]

I started reading a couple of strips before "NALE!!! NALE!!! nale!!! XCGH???" and joined the forums after reading 400 and having happy feels.

I too am a fan of the Author Commentary, because I've gotten a kick discussing who will do what and why and its interesting to see what the truth is.

[i6uuaq]

Joining the Feelin' Old Posse, aswell as the We Love OotS Club.

Started reading from the start at about the time V was stuck on a little island on her own (mid-2008ish?).

That's about when I started too!

I don't remember what brought me to the site. All I remember was that the most recent strip was V's flashback (and "Finding Plot Holes for Dummies"), and I couldn't understand how it related to events on the island at all!

So I decided to jump back a few comics, picking a nice round number (#550), which began 'In Media Res', so I was still confused!

I ended up going to the beginning, and I read 500 strips that night, 8pm through 2am.