Seriousness v. Humorousness

[GSFB]

I get the impression from reading some of these discussions that some people want to read into every component of every panel of every strip some literal truth as it relates to D&D rules.

Examples:

"Person A did this, so therefore he must be class/level/alignment X"

Now, we can see from comments the Giant has made that sometimes rules are bent or broken in order to tell the story. But what is the proper amount of "bending and breaking" for readers to assume when making judgments about things like, just as an example, whether or not a character MUST be neutral or MUST be evil?

I read in another thread an ongoing debate about how Belkar can't be evil, because under Owl's Wisdom he realized he should be a healer, and a stat increase can't change your alignment, so therefore Belkar MUST be more "good" than "evil" but merely lacks the wisdom to know it.

Is it safe to say that, maybe, for instance, this could be an example of the Giant making a joke, you know, for comic's sake, rather than worrying about strictly applying a spell to the alignment concepts inherent in the core rules?

So, with that in mind (I know that one is, for many of us, a rather obvious one), how far should we take this theory? Should we assume that any rules we read into the strip are purely coincidental, so long as they advance the story? I'd actually prefer it that way. I want to enjoy the strip as a form of entertainment, rather than an exercise in how to employ game mechanics.

[the_tick_rules]

well some people think because his is a D&D inspired strip it must follow the rules in the books. sometimes the rules must be ignored for cinematics sake. imagine applying D&D rules to martial arts or medieval movies, it doesn't work.

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

May I rant? I'll assume you say I can. :smalltongue:

D&D is, I've heard, a GAME! I have played it, and I can confirm this rumor. And the reason I KNOW it's a game is because it was FUN! If games were not fun, none of us would ever know the majesty of Gumdrop Mountain! Game = fun.

With me so far? Good. :smallsmile:

The D&D rulebooks begin with a statement that they are GUIDELINES. It is up to the individual DM to decide what rules would work for him and which ones wouldn't. (I, myself, am still considering the possibility that wizards and sorcerers should somehow become ONE class. And I can almost hear the "rules lawyers" shouting, "But the book says (insert what the book says).") The books are designed to be flexible. If they were INflexible, then each fighter would be the same, each wizard the same, etc. Rules = guidelines, not rules.

The equation thus far is: Fun + Guidelines = ?

? = Creativity! We can do whatever we want! When I was a player at one point, I was a cleric, and the god I worshipped used an axe. (This was before 3.0.) So I ask the DM, "Can I have an axe instead of the usual blunt weapon?" I followed up with why I wanted the axe, and the DM allowed me to be creative! I stayed within his guidelines, and thus was able to have fun!

But you know what I ALSO find fun? A good argument. Not a fight! An A-R-G-U-M-E-N-T.

[argument demo]
Person A: I have the following point.
Person B: Well, I have this point.
Person A: Tell you what: I'll explain mine, then you explain yours.
Person B: I will be hoping to convince you my point is the more valid.
Person A: As will I.
[/argument demo]

[fight demo]
Person A: You're a moron for thinking whatever it is you're thinking!
Person B: Oh yeah? Well...Yo mama!
Person A: What'd you say?
Person B: I said, "Yo mama!"
And the fists start to fly.
[/fight demo]

I can only hope these debates on the forums are the former and not the latter. The serious discussions of rules grates a bit on my nerves, but I'll happily delve into a chat about character development. Too each, his/her own. Just as long as we're all still having fun. :smallsmile:

[WoDHells]

This guy knows what he's talking about.

I never played D&D, I just read the comic for what it is, thus the "mistakes" made about the D&D rules are not even aknowledged by me when reading.

Perhaps D&D players should give it a break and start reading the comic for the story and for the jokes, not bearing the rules so much.

[fangthane]

Despite whatever any of you may do or believe, there are some who'll continue to dissect and analyse; you're obviously relatively intelligent people, so the question is this... Why even make the futile attempt to change the behavior of those who enjoy such pursuits? I'm assuming that your denigration of that process indicates that you'd prefer it be less common, at any rate.

GSFB - We should take it as far as our individual proclivities indicate. You don't enjoy it, so stay out of it; fair enough. Others do enjoy it, and those who don't can leave well enough alone. I'd like to think that those who do can be mature enough about things not to try to dictate the way you enjoy the comic.

Bor - The rules make a handy framework for those not inclined to build a D&D-like game from scratch; yes, they're only guidelines, but they're guidelines to allow for a balanced and enjoyable play session. A smart DM (like me, for example) only bends the rules as little as possible (in most cases), because that way there's less to keep straight.

WodHells - Those who play D&D often appreciate facets of the comic you likely ignore (or appreciate them more) simply because of the discrepancy with the rules as written, or because of the way a particular (and often particularly silly-seeming) rule is portrayed. Despite not enjoying the FF references nor thinking they were particularly clever myself, I wouldn't try to convince a FF fan to ignore them because they should be reading for the story and not game references. Similarly, if D&D players are able to find extra enjoyment in certain aspects of the comic, or comic-related speculation, who are you to deny them that pleasure?

[Blood]

I have seen very few "fights" on these forums. "Arguments" or "debates" are perfectly allowed and encouraged, but fighting in the way Bor described it is against the rules and (for me) rarely seen.

@WoDHells - Many of the jokes in the comic are based off of D&D rules. And it's fun to bear on the rules as much as we do. :smallwink: Of course, I still love the comic plot and its jokes, even when it's not totally D&D-based as well.

[Kish]

WoDHells has a good point, I think. (And I play D&D.) "It's funny that Teleport became a barred spell for Vaarsuvius when they changed Editions" is one thing. "Belkar should have gotten a Fortitude save against Miko's Stunning Fist, not a Will save! That was horribly unfair!" or, "How did Miko escape the Forcecage? They're supposed to have bars on all sides, not all sides except the bottom! I can't overlook this! The Giant should have used a different spell if he wanted her to escape that way!" (both examples that have actually come up) is quite different.

[EmeraldRose]

Hehheh...Bor + Issue + Post = Rant...:smallbiggrin:

[Amon Star]

The books are designed to be flexible.

I'm sorry Bor, but you are so wrong. The books are hardbacked. :tongue:

[Bor the Barbarian Monk]

I'm sorry Bor, but you are so wrong. The books are hardbacked. :tongue:
You're not applying enough pressure when trying to bend them. Double :tongue:!

To keep us on topic, I did say at the end of my post, "Too each, his/her own. Just as long as we're all still having fun." (Wrong choice of "to, two, and too," but I was posting late at night, or early in the morning, and I'm too lazy to go edit, which, I might add, would take me all of two seconds. Now THAT'S lazy! :smallbiggrin: ) I direct your attention to the word "fun." I like "fun." It's fun. And as long as fun is free, I say, "Free fun for everyone!"

(You can bomb Bor at his home by sending ticking packages to...)

:smallwink:

[vbushido]

Bor, if you want a nice Wiz/Sor mashed together combo, try the Mage class from World of Warcraft d20.

And I agree with you on the flexibility of the hardbacks... turns out they're often spineless too :smalltongue:


-----
SHE WHO would like to BE OBEYED at least some of the time

[fangthane]

(You can bomb Bor at his home by sending ticking packages to...)

:smallwink:

I cry foul! I looked up :smallwink: on my map program and it's not there! The closest it could come was Small World Park in Pittsburg, CA.

Dangit, this is one fine imitation-Rolex, too.

[WoDHells]

WodHells - Those who play D&D often appreciate facets of the comic you likely ignore (or appreciate them more) simply because of the discrepancy with the rules as written, or because of the way a particular (and often particularly silly-seeming) rule is portrayed. Despite not enjoying the FF references nor thinking they were particularly clever myself, I wouldn't try to convince a FF fan to ignore them because they should be reading for the story and not game references. Similarly, if D&D players are able to find extra enjoyment in certain aspects of the comic, or comic-related speculation, who are you to deny them that pleasure?


You misunderstand me (or, perhaps, I didn't express myself correctly :smallbiggrin:). I don't intend those who play D&D to ignore the game references, because they are there for a reason, and it's simply to make a joke out of something D&D related. Having not played D&D myself, even I get some of the jokes and find them funny.

What I mean is that there are people who stop enjoying the comic just because a specific spell doesn't work the way the Giant portrayed it, and will rant about it in the forums, making endless arguments with other players, some of which will get closed by a moderator in the end. They take it too seriously.

It's those readers I'm talking about.

Anyway, Happy New Year!
:biggrin:

[GSFB]

GSFB - We should take it as far as our individual proclivities indicate. You don't enjoy it, so stay out of it; fair enough.

Just for the record, it's not that I don't enjoy the nitpicky discussions (actually, I take part in many of them). I just wanted to see what people thought about this issue. Plus, sometimes I need to remind myself that it's all entertainment.

[ABChristine]

i really can't say how i feel about this. i would like to say that i have joined the side of the people who just want everyone to enjoy the game/comic regardless of the rules, because it is fun for all... but when a friend of mine told me that she had an "immense half-elf, undead paladin" my brain melted and oozed out my ears.