The Ultimate Order of the Stick "Round" Tournament!

[Procyonpi]

Welcome to the Ultimate Order of the Stick Round Tournament! This will be the ultimate battle to determine the best set of 3 to ~60 strips in the 5 published OOTS Compilation books so far, the only way possible: let the fans vote! The rules are as follows:

1. This will be a single elimination Tournament with a seeding round at the start. Voting on each round will last 1 week typically close Wednesday at 9:00 PM EST. Generally, there will be multiple elimination matches voted on each week.
2. The moderator (me) generally will not vote, except to break ties.


The seeding round starts NOW and closes Wednesday January 21st at 9:00PM EST. Participants should vote for up to 10 different "rounds," and seeds will be assigned by total votes. They don't have to be ranked, and they don't all have to be your absolute favorites, just ones you liked. (Remember, this is just for seeding, not elimination).

For the convenience of those who do not have the books, I have linked the first page of each Round below:

Dungeon Crawlin' Fools
The Order Introduced (DCF)
Wacky Dungeon Hijinks (DCF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html)
The Linear Guild (DCF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0044.html)
Hot Dwarf-on-Dwarf Action (DCF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0073.html)
To Xykon! (DCF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0086.html)

No Cure for the Paladin Blues
The Villiage Idiots (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0122.html)
The Bandits (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0150.html)
Lizard Noises (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0175.html)
Vilification (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0190.html)
Turning Points (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0198.html)
Inn and Out (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0224.html)
A Linear Plot (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0252.html)
Trial or Error? (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0260.html)
Allies and Other Obstacles (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0289.html)
Epilogue (NCfBP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0299.html)

War and XP
A Toast to the New Year (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0302.html)
Q & A (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0321.html)
Ready to Rumble (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0339.html)
Kill the Messenger (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0368.html)
Heroism for Dummies (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0377.html)
The Collapse (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0401.html)
The Battle for Azure City (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0412.html)
Fight Another Day (WaXP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0467.html)

Don't Split the Party
On a +9 Cloud (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0489.html)
Where Are They Now? (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0500.html)
The Prisoner (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0541.html)
Advanced Diversions & Distractions (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0551.html)
Secondary Damage (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0582.html)
Return of the King, Baby (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0600.html)
Dues Elf Machina (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0623.html)
The Power of Balance (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0643.html)
Mended Stick (DStP) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0663.html)

Blood Runs in the Family
Save Room for Desert (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0673.html)
Face the Nation (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0699.html)
Father, Sun, and Slaughter (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0710.html)
Blood Will Out (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0742.html)
Prize Fight (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0775.html)
All the Wrong Places (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0823.html)
Pyramid Scheme (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0834.html)
Life After Death (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0867.html)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0892.html)
Into the Sunset (BRitF) (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0937.html)

Now go vote!

[littlebum2002]

I don't think any of those links work

[oppyu]

From 'Lizard Noises' and on all the links are missing the .html part.

So, do we need to have read the books for this? I want to read them but I still haven't A) Had a stable address, B) Had enough money for all the books and C) Been able to suppress my 'Ew, paper books' gag reflex all at the same time :(.

[Gift Jeraff]

Ready to Rumble (WaXP)
Heroism for Dummies (WaXP)
The Collapse (WaXP)
The Battle for Azure City (WaXP)
Fight Another Day (WaXP)
Advanced Diversions & Distractions (DStP)
Dues Elf Machina (DStP)
The Power of Balance (DStP)
Life After Death (BRitF)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF)

[Procyonpi]

From 'Lizard Noises' and on all the links are missing the .html part.

So, do we need to have read the books for this? I want to read them but I still haven't A) Had a stable address, B) Had enough money for all the books and C) Been able to suppress my 'Ew, paper books' gag reflex all at the same time :(.

No, you don't really need to have read the books, that's why I included the links.

Also, on that note, they're fixed.

[Bird]

May we vote for fewer than 10 rounds?

[Procyonpi]

May we vote for fewer than 10 rounds?

Yes, although I'd prefer if you try to vote for a bunch, so that the seeds actually wind up meaning something beyond the top half dozen. i.e. vote for up to 10 that you like, not necessarily just your absolute favorites.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

Save Room for Desert is listed twice.

The Village Idiots (NcftPB)
Q&A (W&XP)
The Collapse (W&XP)
The Battle for Azure City (W&XP)
The Prisoner (DStP)
Dues Elf Machina (DStP)
The Power of Balance (DStP)
All the Wrong Places (BRitF)
Life After Death (BRitF)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF)

As a side note, this was harder than I thought it would be. I'm to use to voting for individual strips.

[ranagrande]

The Village Idiots (NCftPB)
Q & A (WaXP)
Heroism for Dummies (WaXP)
The Battle of Azure City (WaXP)
Advanced Diversions & Detours (DStP)
Deus Elf Machina (DStP)
The Power of Balance (DStP)
Prize Fight (BRitF)
Life After Death (BRitF)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF)

[martianmister]

The Linear Guild (DCF)
Hot Dwarf-on-Dwarf Action (DCF)
To Xykon! (DCF)
Trial or Error? (NCfBP)
Epilogue (NCfBP)
A Toast to the New Year (WaXP)
Heroism for Dummies (WaXP)
The Battle for Azure City (WaXP)
Secondary Damage (DStP)
Dues Elf Machina (DStP)

[LadyEowyn]

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, but I couldn't decide where to draw breaks between the plotlines/rounds. Good work setting it up! Good titles, too.

My votes:

- W&XP, Heroism for Dummies. Love the Dashing Swordsman plotline, love Haley/Elan.

- W&XP, The Battle for Azure City. Awesome, epic battle with lots of twists and turns.

- DSTP, On a +9 Cloud. I really enjoy how Rich develops the ideas of alignment and afterlife in D&D/OotS. It provides a lot of insight into Roy's character, as well.

- DSTP, The Prisoner. For the combination of O-Chul being awesome and Redcloak becoming a more complex character (if you haven't read Start of Darkness, which I haven't, although I've been spoiled on everything in it). Also, Redcloak grousing about having to be 'the responsible one' while the rest of Team Evil is goofing off really amuses me.

- DSTP, Secondary Damage. I just really like the Elan-Therkla storyline.

- DSTP, Deus Elf Machina . Surprising, dramatic, action-packed, and emotional, with strong themes and some of the most extensive and concentrated character development in the entire comic.

- DSTP, The Power of Balance. Everything from when V goes off to fight Xykon to the end of the round is completely fantastic. Is it becoming clear which book is my favourite yet?

- BRitF, Face the Nation. Gobbotopia is great, and I love seeing how Redcloak has changed since his epiphany in War & XP. ("How many did we lose?"...."Not the humans, I don't care about the humans! How many [I]guards did we lose?")

- BRitF, All the Wrong Places. In which Redcloak is terrifyingly badass and smart, and those of us who haven't read Start of Darkness learn about his long-term plans.

- BRitF, Obligatory Climactic Battle. It was close between this one and "Blood Will Out", but there's a one great moments in Blood Will Out (mainly Tarquin's speech to Elan) and several great moments in Obligatory Climactic Battle (Roy figuring out the Gate; MitD starting to use its brain; Roy fighting off an army; V returning and saving the party; the entire fight on the airship).

My votes aren't balanced between books because this strip has improved massively over time.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, but I couldn't decide where to draw breaks between the plotlines/rounds. Good work setting it up! Good titles, too.
These are just the breaks (and names) from the books, I believe.

[Procyonpi]

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, but I couldn't decide where to draw breaks between the plotlines/rounds. Good work setting it up! Good titles, too.


FWIW, I didn't come up with either the breakpoints or the titles - those are both taken directly from the published books.

Edit: CURS U JAXZAN NINJA!!!! :P

[LadyEowyn]

Ah, didn't notice that because I don't own any of the books. Anyway, thanks for setting up the tournament.

[Sylian]

Ready to Rumble (WaXP)
Fight Another Day (WaXP)
On a +9 Cloud (DStP)
The Prisoner (DStP)
Dues Elf Machina (DStP)
The Power of Balance (DStP)
Blood Will Out (BRitF)
All the Wrong Places (BRitF)
Life After Death (BRitF)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRitF)

[137beth]

The order introduced (DCF) does a much better job introducing the comic than the rest of DCF.
Q&A (WaXP)
The Battle for Azure City (WaXP)
On a +9 Cloud (DstP)
Advanced Diversions & Distractions (DstP)
Dues Elf Machina (DstP)
The Power of Balance (DstP)
Prize Fight (BRiF)
All the Wrong Places (BRiF)
Obligatory Climactic Battle (BRiF)

[Procyonpi]

Voting is now Closed. Next round will be up within the hour.