D&D Aangvanced (Avatar: The Last Airbender Screencap Comic)

[aurilee]

First of all, link (in non-link form because my post-count is too low for links): dandaangvanced[dot]tumblr[dot]com

Someone posted about this comic in the IWC forums a while back and I've been reading it since. It's pretty good for a screencap comic (heavy on the RPG/mechanics humour) and the guy making it seems dedicated enough that I'm fairly certain it won't be abandoned (a rare thing).

Some characterisations/jokes are obvious, but I at least still find them funny.

I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere else here and in general it doesn't get a lot of attention, so I figured I'd plug it a bit.

Feel free to discuss here if you wish.

[keybounce]

Don't worry, I'll provide the link for you.
{Sexually explicit link removed}

And, I love it. Off to a good start.

Especially the whole "What kind of campaign do we want next", with three types of pirates mentioned.

And, I love the railroad references in the first few pages.

[AvatarVecna]

"All I got is a cruel 'Gone With The Wind' punchline."

Oh yes, I'm definitely reading this.

[aurilee]

Don't worry, I'll provide the link for you.
{Sexually explicit link removed}

Thanks!

I'm glad other are enjoying it. :)

[keybounce]

Oh, goody: This is a DM of the Rings style railroad plot. Episode 5 has the DM taking control of a player to break open the Ice that has Aang inside.

EDIT: And get lampooned by the 4th player in episode 6.

[aurilee]

Oh, goody: This is a DM of the Rings style railroad plot. Episode 5 has the DM taking control of a player to break open the Ice that has Aang inside.

EDIT: And get lampooned by the 4th player in episode 6.

Oh just wait until you get farther into it (should you choose to keep reading). This DM is rather...unique. He's more than your average railroading DM. The players all have their own more individualised reactions too (as opposed to DMotR).

It's shockingly enjoyable (again unlike DMotR which, while fun for a quick laugh, really wouldn't have been tolerable had it run longer than it did).

[eschmenk]

I'm in the middle of the archives. It is bizarre and hilarious.

[Grey Watcher]

Interesting. Not the biggest fan of DM of the Rings-style stuff, but this looks cute so far.

And I do love the three very different ideas when someone says "pirate campaign". :smallsmile:

[keybounce]

Oh ... "If I wanted to hear what an NPC had to say ..." -- I've had players like that.

I wonder if there's an appreciable spike in traffic to this comic from this thread.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I already got sidetracked on page one, that's promising. Luckily Yu Jian Dong has only one IMDB credit, their previous campaign was Hero (Ying xiong). :smallamused:

[eschmenk]

I already got sidetracked on page one, that's promising. Luckily Yu Jian Dong has only one IMDB credit, their previous campaign was Hero (Ying xiong). :smallamused:

I was very tempted to do that, but I was thinking, "Time sink! Time sink!" Thanks for taking the plunge yourself.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

It went surprisingly quick, I picked the right crew member on my first guess. :smalltongue: [/offtopic]

[Doorhandle]

I'm liking this one, compared to a lot of Screencap campaigns. It's not weighed down in out-of-game drama, and the jokes come thick and fast. I think we have a winner!

[keybounce]

The sillyness of the "party" fighting -- Prince Zuko vs the water benders -- makes me think of grappling rules.

"But it's ten plus the damage value, multiplied by the audience number, divided by half" :-)

[keybounce]

Aww. Number 28.
{Sexually explicit link removed}

Here we are, all the players together, the GM's cunning plot revealed, get all the players on the same side, and realize that the stories told by the fire nation elders is wrong, and work together to right it, to bring peace to the world ...

And the players decide to attack each other and ruin the GM's plot.

From DMotR "railroad" to D&D "what plot?" in one comic.

[aurilee]

Aww. Number 28.
{Sexually explicit link removed}

Here we are, all the players together, the GM's cunning plot revealed, get all the players on the same side, and realize that the stories told by the fire nation elders is wrong, and work together to right it, to bring peace to the world ...

And the players decide to attack each other and ruin the GM's plot.

From DMotR "railroad" to D&D "what plot?" in one comic.

I'd generally categorise the comic as "DMotR if the players fought back". Which is why I like it more. The players aren't just whining munchkins. They've got spunk! :smallbiggrin:

[eschmenk]

I'd generally categorise the comic as "DMotR if the players fought back". Which is why I like it more. The players aren't just whining munchkins. They've got spunk! :smallbiggrin:

...but the DM puts them through some things that go way beyond anything in DMotR, too. :smallbiggrin: I mean that it goes both ways.

[aurilee]

...but the DM puts them through some things that go way beyond anything in DMotR, too. :smallbiggrin: I mean that it goes both ways.

Oh for sure, the DM here is kinda crazy, but so are the players. And a fun time is had for all! :smallwink:

It's a generally more exciting comic than DMotR. Especially since it's been a while since I watched the show and don't remember all the bits of plot (unlike DMotR where I knew where it was heading).

[eschmenk]

It's a generally more exciting comic than DMotR. Especially since it's been a while since I watched the show and don't remember all the bits of plot (unlike DMotR where I knew where it was heading).

I had heard about it, but hadn't ever seen the show. (I rarely watch TV.) This got me to watch it. I'm glad I did.

I'm not sure that having seen it recently would make that much of a difference, though. It may head in a different direction.

I don't care, but the author does cheat at times. For example, Sokka never touches his boomerang during this escape (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/126002294179/dd-aangvanced-41-aim-right-above-the-fuel). Aang was conscious (you can actually see so on the previous page if you look closely) and windbent the fireball into the ice. So, yes, the author sometimes sneakily inserts screencaps into a scene in order to change what happens. I guess in this case he changed things to be consistent with D&D rules about recovering from exhaustion.

Given that the author does change things at times by inserting screencaps, things might wind up at a different place than the original. So far (not that I've caught up), the changes seem to be either rather minor or are obvious and silly.

[aurilee]

I had heard about it, but hadn't ever seen the show. (I rarely watch TV.) This got me to watch it. I'm glad I did.

I'm not sure that having seen it recently would make that much of a difference, though. It may head in a different direction.

I don't care, but the author does cheat at times. For example, Sokka never touches his boomerang during this escape (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/126002294179/dd-aangvanced-41-aim-right-above-the-fuel). Aang was conscious (you can actually see so on the previous page if you look closely) and windbent the fireball into the ice. So, yes, the author sometimes sneakily inserts screencaps into a scene in order to change what happens. I guess in this case he changed things to be consistent with D&D rules about recovering from exhaustion.

Given that the author does change things at times by inserting screencaps, things might wind up at a different place than the original. So far (not that I've caught up), the changes seem to be either rather minor or are obvious and silly.

He definitely changes things up, which is my preference really.

The story does diverge a fair bit, and stuff gets...weird at points. I think mainly the difference if you haven't watched it as recently is that you aren't thinking as much "oh, when will this happen". Not that that's a bad thing (it's how I read Darths & Droids), but it creates more of a surprise.

It's a stellar show though, and I'll probably go back and re-watch it after the comic has finished up.

[eschmenk]

He definitely changes things up, which is my preference really.

The story does diverge a fair bit, and stuff gets...weird at points.

"Session 9 - Non-Chronological Pirate Adventures, It’s A Slam Dunk!" for example? :smallsmile: Or there may be even weirder stuff that I haven't gotten to yet. :smallconfused:

I don't think there would be much of a point in playing things too straight. It wouldn't be that much different than the original show. IMO just adding bickering between the players and game mechanics wouldn't add that much. That gets old after a while.

Personally, I enjoyed Darth & Droids when they were doing the prequels because there was stuff to satirize, but I'm not enjoying it as much lately because lately it's either just imitating the original or it's just being different for the sake of being different.

[aurilee]

"Session 9 - Non-Chronological Pirate Adventures, It’s A Slam Dunk!" for example? :smallsmile: Or there may be even weirder stuff that I haven't gotten to yet. :smallconfused:

You're close to where, in my opinion, stuff starts to approach max weirdness. In a fun way. That's going to be Session 10.

Then there's the climax at the end of Book 1. It's intense.



I don't think there would be much of a point in playing things too straight. It wouldn't be that much different than the original show. IMO just adding bickering between the players and game mechanics wouldn't add that much. That gets old after a while.

Definitely. I've read a fair amount of other "screencap campaign comics" and most of the time it's just the canon plot plus some tired D&D jokes and OOC banter. This adds a lot more and the direction it takes, while still following the general idea of the plot (given the screencap limitations), does a lot of things differently, and changes canon enough to keep it interesting.



Personally, I enjoyed Darth & Droids when they were doing the prequels because there was stuff to satirize, but I'm not enjoying it as much lately because lately it's either just imitating the original or it's just being different for the sake of being different.

I sort of agree with you on Darths & Droids. I still enjoy it, but it's mainly for the character arcs and the story itself. Punchlines are still funny, and the humour is very much in line with my own, but it's not quite the same. The prequels I enjoyed for the gags and the wacky explanations for the dumb stuff that was in those movies. Of course, I was expecting a shift since the prequels are a lot easier to make fun of, and the original trilogy presents more of a challenge parody-wise. The best part of the original trilogy comics so far for me was the re-interpretation of Jabba, but that's much off-topic at this point.

[eschmenk]

You're close to where, in my opinion, stuff starts to approach max weirdness. In a fun way. That's going to be Session 10.

Actually, I got a couple of sessions past that one, but that's where it started to dawn on me that I had better watch the actual episodes. :smallsmile:

I really liked how things basically escalated from what happened early on to what happened in Session 10. The author did a nice job of laying the groundwork for what happened. Of course, it's still absurd anyway.

[aurilee]

Actually, I got a couple of sessions past that one, but that's where it started to dawn on me that I had better watch the actual episodes. :smallsmile:

I really liked how things basically escalated from what happened early on to what happened in Session 10. The author did a nice job of laying the groundwork for what happened. Of course, it's still absurd anyway.

Absurd, but yes, well thought-out, and quite fun. It all comes together really well, in the whacked out way this comic works.

He also does a good job at throwing some character development into the mix too, especially by the end of the first book. It's certainly a comic that's grown on me since I first started reading.

[keybounce]

I'm actually glad to hear it gets better, I was thinking of abandoning the comic.

[Comissar]

Not posted here 'til now, but I found this comic thanks to this thread ~2 weeks ago now. Felt like noting that Aurilee got herself a shout out in the most recent one (no. 503), so congratulations on that :smallsmile:

[aurilee]

Not posted here 'til now, but I found this comic thanks to this thread ~2 weeks ago now. Felt like noting that Aurilee got herself a shout out in the most recent one (no. 503), so congratulations on that :smallsmile:

Yeah, I saw that. :smallredface:

Really I have to thank the creator (who goes by DeadpanSal, at least on the IWC forums) more than he has to thank me. I've really grown to like the comic a lot (it's one of only a handful of webcomics I follow) and because of the intensely regular schedule I can always count on a pick-me-up in the morning when I get in to work.

Earlier in this thread keybounce wondered if this thread increased traffic by an appreciable amount...I sincerely hope that the shoutout is a sign that it did. It deserves it. :smallsmile:

[Nerd-o-rama]

This is kind of a bizarre take on the screencap comic (like Darths & Droids started as but this keeps escalating instead of finding an equilibrium), but it's interesting and keeps a snappy pace so far as I've read. I especially like the cutaways to the chibi shorts or live action versions for jokes and banter.

[Connington]

Just binged the entire archive. It gets pretty great as it goes on, as the author starts going more surreal and denser and wackier than the template established by DMOTR and Darths & Droids. Episodes done out of order, combat calculators come to life, mute DJs playing mood music, good stuff. It manages to make The Great Divide and Secret Tunnel into a lot of fun. It's also a decent chunk of the way into Book 2 and still trucking, so it's probably not dying anytime soon.

Definitely adding this to my regular rotation.

[Comissar]

I believe the author(s) has comics lined up for some way into the future, certainly explains why they're comfortable to have such a high update rate. Incidentally, it looks like Shelby is all set to play the same role for the main party that Toph played for Team Avatar in the show. A different take, certainly, and an interesting one, but her main role looks to be to shake the three out of their comfort zones. Also, the Zuko Alone session was fun, I'm curious as to what Rube is trying to push Damien toward at the end of it, though.

[tomandtish]

Working my way through this. it's hysterical! Especially The Great Divide..

The Great Divide was a drinking game run by a guest DM... that explains a LOT!

[Nerd-o-rama]

Got back to this after slacking and just finished Session 10.

Did Praxis just die?

It was really unclear.

Also what the hell kind of world do the players live in, exactly...?

[Comissar]

Not entirely sure what was going on with Praxis if I'm honest, everything else seems pretty mundane in origin (if not expression :smalltongue:)

[Nerd-o-rama]

Not entirely sure what was going on with Praxis if I'm honest, everything else seems pretty mundane in origin (if not expression :smalltongue:)

How ironic that your avatar is making your comment ironic in a thread about an Avatar comic.

Also...

I worry about these people now. (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/138100646272/dd-aangvanced-366-manny-ascended)

[eschmenk]

Also...

I worry about these people now. (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/138100646272/dd-aangvanced-366-manny-ascended)

You will worry even more. :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin:

Wait!! How did you even see that if you only got to Chapter 10? That was page 366, and Session 11 starts with 201.


Not entirely sure what was going on with Praxis if I'm honest, everything else seems pretty mundane in origin (if not expression :smalltongue:)

Unfortunately, it's hard to talk about this without giving spoilers given that people are getting caught up in archives, but I think that was a bit of a spoiler right there. At least it would have been for me at the time.

ADDED: Ironically, in the latest update, we learn that McKenzie will still be talking about Praxis in updates that won't come out for a while. :smallbiggrin:

[Nerd-o-rama]

You will worry even more. :smalltongue: :smallbiggrin:

Wait!! How did you even see that if you only got to Chapter 10? That was page 366, and Session 11 starts with 201.

What do you think I was doing at work today?

I gotta say, though, I appreciate the surreal elements that make this thing stand out from the more prosaic (but still funny) screencap RPG comics.

Kinda want to hug

Rube
though. I think he picked up a bad misunderstanding somewhere.

[eschmenk]

Kinda want to hug

Rube
though. I think he picked up a bad misunderstanding somewhere.

You are tempting me so much to post spoilers!

A punch seems much more appropriate ATM

[Nerd-o-rama]

Well I caught up, and to be fair,

Everyone in this game is an over the top *******, except maybe Rick. Rube's just being proactive about it.

[eschmenk]

Out of order, but it took me a while to be able to post this:

What do you think I was doing at work today?

Now that it won't do you any good then, I'll point out that it's possible to download the entire Book 1 contents here (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/138964612354/book-1-collectioncbr) in cbr format. Unfortunately, they pages don't seem to be divided into sessions, but it still might be much faster than going through the pages online. (It just dawned on me that it would be a good to post that. Actually it would be good to add to the OP, although I can't do it.) (And now I know that you would have already seen that, anyway.)

OK, so here is what I thought would have been a spoiler:

I really thought that "David", who was playing Blue Spirit, was really an AI created by Manny until it was revealed that it was Damien when Zuko was unmasked. If McKenzie could create Praxis, why couldn't Manny create an AI, too?

And now, way out of order:


Got back to this after slacking and just finished Session 10.

Did Praxis just die?

It was really unclear.

Also what the hell kind of world do the players live in, exactly...?

I'm pretty sure that McKenzie really did delete Praxis. I would also bet that she has backups. And I also think she dumped Lex as a boyfriend and is a least thinking of Praxis as being a better alternative.

And yeah, it's a pretty crazy world, isn't it. And the Book 1 has a foreword which talks about the characters being based on real people. Hmm. I really really hope there is a lot of exaggeration.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Well, like the Darths & Droids cast, they definitely echo gamer archetypes that you'd expect from the canon characters (okay, D&D has Jim playing foil to Qui-Gonn's wisdom, Padmé's peaceful nature, and Han's competence, but you know, in general), and just like the canon characters end up exaggerated, it doesn't surprise me that the real-life gamer bases are also exaggerated. Terrifyingly.

[Comissar]

How ironic that your avatar is making your comment ironic in a thread about an Avatar comic.


I don't know what you are talking about. Everything is perfectly normal.

But yes, there's some interesting personalities on display here.

I don't think Rube is being a bad person, he's just playing the role he's been given, and playing it to the best of his abilities. Of everyone, save perhaps Damien in more recent comics, he's the one who gets most into character. Azula just so happens to be an unpleasant such and such, and was written that way by Damien. Note that Rube's much less antagonistic when DMing Damien's 'Zuko Alone' session.

[eschmenk]

I don't think Rube is being a bad person, he's just playing the role he's been given, and playing it to the best of his abilities. Of everyone, save perhaps Damien in more recent comics, he's the one who gets most into character. Azula just so happens to be an unpleasant such and such, and was written that way by Damien. Note that Rube's much less antagonistic when DMing Damien's 'Zuko Alone' session.

Well, it's not what he's doing IC, it's his OOC comments. Manny wants the game to be immersive, so he's making the players suffer when the characters do, and Rube is helping his brother. (It's a wonder Manny didn't throw a glass of ice water on Lex each time Sokko fell in the water while talking to the princess.) Nice people normally don't say things like this (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/143068406235/dd-aangvanced-520-aaaaaawkward). That's pretty evil! And funny. As with the romance scenes in Darths and Droids, the distinction between what's IC and OOC is becoming very blurred at times. While OOC, Rube is acting evil, like Azula, at least during the current pages.

I'm loving all of the "That's not how roleplaying works!"

[Comissar]

Well, it's not what he's doing IC, it's his OOC comments. Manny wants the game to be immersive, so he's making the players suffer when the characters do, and Rube is helping his brother. (It's a wonder Manny didn't throw a glass of ice water on Lex each time Sokko fell in the water while talking to the princess.) Nice people normally don't say things like this (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/143068406235/dd-aangvanced-520-aaaaaawkward). That's pretty evil! And funny. As with the romance scenes in Darths and Droids, the distinction between what's IC and OOC is becoming very blurred at times. While OOC, Rube is acting evil, like Azula, at least during the current pages.

I'm loving all of the "That's not how roleplaying works!"

I'd argue that's still in character. Yes it's mean, no doubt about that, and hellishly cruel to use OOC information as IC ammunition, but I still read that as Azula rather than Rube. Note he refers to himself as one of the 'girls'. The party as a whole has a very shaky grasp of IC/OOC separation. The question then becomes 'Is Rube socially aware enough to know why he shouldn't do something like that, even if he is acting as the kind of person who would?' It looks like he very much isn't, or perhaps wasn't aware that Lex was unaware of the state of things. He drops that particular line of pressure after the linked page, after all.

Speaking of IC/OOC separation. Lex's switch to being Sokka protecting Katara rather than himself protecting Mac is an interesting, though entirely understandable, method of coping enough to continue.

The 'That's not how roleplaying works!' comments seem to come at really bizarre times, I personally loved the 'Roll for Dander' :smalltongue:

[eschmenk]

I'd argue that's still in character. Yes it's mean, no doubt about that, and hellishly cruel to use OOC information as IC ammunition, but I still read that as Azula rather than Rube. Note he refers to himself as one of the 'girls'.

But Azula wouldn't be close enough to talk to them and when Rube said "girls" it was in quotes, so I'm taking it as OOC. (If it had been Azula, there would have been no need to quote "girls.") But yes, I agree that there is a very thin IC/OOC separation. To be clear, though, I view them all as good people who get a bit carried away with their gaming, so no I'm not making a moral judgement.


Speaking of IC/OOC separation. Lex's switch to being Sokka protecting Katara rather than himself protecting Mac is an interesting, though entirely understandable, method of coping enough to continue.

Good catch!

Now a question I have: Why does Katara seem to start the argument over who is the real McKenzie? (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/143218034656) Are we just supposed to assume that the argument had already been going on for a while before we switched back to her? Or was McKenzie so zonked out that she merely imagined that Mai had been claiming to McKenzie? My guess is that it's the first and I think the author has jumped into conversations mid-stream before.

[Cedar]

I'm a bit confused about the players, who is male/female and how is everyone related again?

[Comissar]

I'm a bit confused about the players, who is male/female and how is everyone related again?

Mac and DJ are female, the rest are male. I believe they're just all friends, with Rube and Manny being brothers, the cast page is outdated, but does give some info.

Shelby is also female.

Recent pages suggest Lex thought He and Mac were dating. Shelby's response (to me) suggests that she also once thought the same.

@eschmenk

She's been up for over 26 hours, peoples thinking goes wonky after that amount of time. Manny's playing Mai as though she were Mac, which can't be helping. Note that Mac, despite her frequent protests about what is and isn't roleplaying, roleplays the least out of everyone. That's probably why Mai's personality is basically just 'This is Mac'. In contrast, Ty Lee's personality does not match Lex's. She's still pretty one note at this point, but Lex at least isn't just himself when 'roleplaying' (though there isn't a massive divide between his IC and OOC).

Mai's behaviour may have triggered Mac's protests, which then gave Manny the impetus to actually have Mai claim to be Mac.

[eschmenk]

Here is the cast page (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/cast), which is accurate for Book 1. Mackenzie (I've been misspelling her name) is female, everyone else is male. Rube is Manny's brother. Praxis is Mackenzie's dice-rolling app that Mackenzie overclocked and messed with too much. The people, other than Rube, have been playing together for a while. There may or may not be something a little more going on between Mackenzie and Alex, but there aren't any other relationships.

In Book 2, Shelby Brady is introduced to play Toph. She taught Mackenzie how to play and is so good at D&D that she's banned from tournaments.

A few other people stop by to play for a session or two occasionally.

[Cedar]

Thanks! I was under the illusion first that Mack and Alex were brothers, so things went more and more confusing for me. :smallbiggrin:

[Comissar]

Thanks! I was under the illusion first that Mack and Alex were brothers, so things went more and more confusing for me. :smallbiggrin:

Yeah, it took me a while to figure that one out too. That cast page could use a revamp :smalltongue:

[eschmenk]

Thanks! I was under the illusion first that Mack and Alex were brothers, so things went more and more confusing for me. :smallbiggrin:

Yeah, I was confused at first, too.




@eschmenk

She's been up for over 26 hours, peoples thinking goes wonky after that amount of time. Manny's playing Mai as though she were Mac, which can't be helping. Note that Mac, despite her frequent protests about what is and isn't roleplaying, roleplays the least out of everyone. That's probably why Mai's personality is basically just 'This is Mac'. In contrast, Ty Lee's personality does not match Lex's. She's still pretty one note at this point, but Lex at least isn't just himself when 'roleplaying' (though there isn't a massive divide between his IC and OOC).

Mai's behaviour may have triggered Mac's protests, which then gave Manny the impetus to actually have Mai claim to be Mac.

Actually, now that I looked back, I can see how it comes from Episode 3. And it finally clicked that Alex created a female character who was in love with his main character. It didn't work out quite so well for him, did it?

[Comissar]

Actually, now that I looked back, I can see how it comes from Episode 3. And it finally clicked that Alex created a female character who was in love with his main character. It didn't work out quite so well for him, did it?

Arguably it was an effort to keep Sokka alive longer. "She won't want to hurt me if she's in love with me!" :smalltongue:

I know it's a ways off yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Crossroads of Destiny is handled. What's going to move Damien to not join the Gaang? What will the groups reaction be? Especially Mac.

[eschmenk]

I know it's a ways off yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing how Crossroads of Destiny is handled. What's going to move Damien to not join the Gaang? What will the groups reaction be? Especially Mac.

My almost certainly wrong guess: Damien and Mac bond a little over the pain of being overshadowed by someone else (Shelby and Damien's mother). Damien will still be too insecure to roleplay in front of people who've played with his mother. Rube will offer to help him develop his skills and may frame the others as a bad influence. Damien sides with Rube.

I don't suppose Damien's mother would show up as Kuzo's father in Book 3, would she? The parallels are so obvious. Or maybe she is one of the speech therapists Rube worked with?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Based on my reading of the Zuko Alone segment, Rube is setting Damien up with a devil's deal parallel to the one Azula sets Zuko up with in the finale:

"Screw over the party and Manny and become GM again."

Whether the last part means hijacking Manny's campaign or just derailing it irreversibly so he can run his own game remains to be seen, but the former is pretty feasible given lightning-shank on the main character.

[aurilee]

The cast page has now been updated with a "Season 2" section, so that should help some people out.

Also, seeing the DM play Mai and Ty Lee must be hilarious. This is one table that I'd love to watch.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Well..

Looks like my speculation on Rube's endgame was spot on, but now I have to wonder if he's being honest, or if this is just more method acting - creating an Ultimate Villain to get the party to rally against and forge stronger bonds over, IC and OOC. Normally any plot that gets announced ahead of time is a decoy, and there are other ways Crossroads of Destiny could be played. Zuko joining the team in intent but going Double Agent on Ozai springs to mind.

Also if Damien is Mr. Speech Impediment (aside from Rube having some not-even-concealed self-loathing going there), I wonder if he's referring to all the sighing and not talking to NPCs, or if Damien shares Dante Basco's subtle lisp.

[aurilee]

Well..

Looks like my speculation on Rube's endgame was spot on, but now I have to wonder if he's being honest, or if this is just more method acting - creating an Ultimate Villain to get the party to rally against and forge stronger bonds over, IC and OOC. Normally any plot that gets announced ahead of time is a decoy, and there are other ways Crossroads of Destiny could be played. Zuko joining the team in intent but going Double Agent on Ozai springs to mind.

Also if Damien is Mr. Speech Impediment (aside from Rube having some not-even-concealed self-loathing going there), I wonder if he's referring to all the sighing and not talking to NPCs, or if Damien shares Dante Basco's subtle lisp.

Given the latest strip, I'm inclined to think this was all a ploy by Rube to get the party to band together. He even suggested he and Mac team up to destroy Manny's campaign (which makes me think that Rube also acknowledge's Manny's sadistic tendencies. It seems almost like Rube watched the first book play out, saw everyone's issues (and Rick's notes), and has made it his mission to help them all (including Damien). Awwww

Re: Damien's speech impediment...I'm going with the subtle lisp explanation. Although I do like the idea that sighing constantly is a speech impediment.

EDIT: Manny initially tried to get Damien to join the other PCs. Perhaps Rube is also assisting with that, to finally give Manny a united party to work with?

[eschmenk]

Well..

Looks like my speculation on Rube's endgame was spot on, but now I have to wonder if he's being honest, or if this is just more method acting - creating an Ultimate Villain to get the party to rally against and forge stronger bonds over, IC and OOC. Normally any plot that gets announced ahead of time is a decoy, and there are other ways Crossroads of Destiny could be played. Zuko joining the team in intent but going Double Agent on Ozai springs to mind.

Also if Damien is Mr. Speech Impediment (aside from Rube having some not-even-concealed self-loathing going there), I wonder if he's referring to all the sighing and not talking to NPCs, or if Damien shares Dante Basco's subtle lisp.

What you said before involved setting Damien up as DM and "...hijacking Manny's campaign or just derailing it irreversibly..." and no, I don't think that's part of it. I think Manny is pleased with what Rube is doing and they both seem to be working so well together that I think Rube is actually supporting Manny's plans, not undermining them, despite Rube telling Katera, "Together, we can destroy Manny's campaign."

You may be right about Rube meaning Damien, but I thought Rube meant Rick when he said "Mr. Speech Impediment." I thought it was just because Rick had just said, "Damieeeen." I thought that Rube was acting angry because Damien had continued to be loyal to the other three, so Rube asked how could he be lower than the three of them. Also, at the time Rube said, "Mr. Speech Impediment here," Azula was looking at Aang. Zuko was flat on his back out in the street.

[Seerow]

So I just binge read this. Am I seeing these time stamps right and the comic is updating multiple times daily? If so that is insane, but I love it all the same.

[eschmenk]

So I just binge read this. Am I seeing these time stamps right and the comic is updating multiple times daily? If so that is insane, but I love it all the same.

About one week ago, the author started updating about four times per day. It wasn't like that before, though.

[Nerd-o-rama]

They built up a queue for exactly this reason. Tumblr makes it really easy to autopublish, even if it's still crap for everything related to readability.

[eschmenk]

Skipping the spoiler tags because it's not a huge spoiler.

You may be right about Rube meaning Damien, but I thought Rube meant Rick when he said "Mr. Speech Impediment."


Damien’s speech impediment is in pages 56 164 468 and 507
So it was Damien, but he meant Damien's tendency to become completely garbled when he's too upset. He forgets how to say words and gets the sounds out of order. (The page numbers may be off by two pages sometimes.)


We’re down to 2 a day until further notice, but it shouldn’t last past The Desert, which I’m so excited about I might crank that up to 5x.


Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary – each one is a different kind of weapon specialist. They are also a very capable singing group.

How worried should we be about that?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Oh yeah, I forgot Damien has Sheriff of Rottingham Syndrome.

And the answer is always "worried" with this comic.

[aurilee]

How worried should we be about that?

So worried.

Yet so excited.

[Cedar]

Oh yeah, I forgot Damien has Sheriff of Rottingham Syndrome.

What's that?

[eschmenk]

#570: I assume "Knowlede" is a spelling error? I don't think Manny would pun in that situation.


What's that?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xoaZA9EiFQ

Also see the quotes at the top here (http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0003910/quotes).

Actually Damien's problem is a bit different. He says the words in the correct order, but mispronounces them.

[Comissar]

Shelby rolling perception to spot the library amused me a great deal, helped by the fact I forgot that happened in the show :smallbiggrin:

[aurilee]

Shelby rolling perception to spot the library amused me a great deal, helped by the fact I forgot that happened in the show :smallbiggrin:

I didn't even notice at first. It took me a good 15 seconds to think "hey...wait a second...". :smalltongue:

[Nerd-o-rama]

The joke that never gets old, unless probably you're Toph.

[eschmenk]

The joke that never gets old, unless probably you're Toph.

She's the one who did it in the show and she didn't even get the benefit of seeing everyone fall for it. (No one said anything.)

[Comissar]

So I was expecting the abduction of Appa to be handled as a separate sub-session, as Manny is wont to do. This way of doing it is pretty clever, though. We also see Toph/Shelby lose their first proper fight here, assuming it's not a rail-road 'you lose' type thing coming up. On top of that, Rick's rule 1 gets messed with. Should be fun times all round in the upcoming strips :smallbiggrin:

[Nerd-o-rama]

Oh so THAT'S (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/144009053647/dd-aangvanced-579-mata-mata-mythology) where Lion-Turtles got foreshadowed. I never could figure that out.

[Comissar]

To be fair, it is a brief moment in an episode dedicated to something else entirely. Missing it is understandable :smalltongue:

[aurilee]

So I was expecting the abduction of Appa to be handled as a separate sub-session, as Manny is wont to do. This way of doing it is pretty clever, though. We also see Toph/Shelby lose their first proper fight here, assuming it's not a rail-road 'you lose' type thing coming up. On top of that, Rick's rule 1 gets messed with. Should be fun times all round in the upcoming strips :smallbiggrin:

Rick is going to totally snap. Looking forward to it. :smallwink:

Also, beatboxing doors. One of the best inventions of this comic.

[Nerd-o-rama]

...Did Manny just slip Lex drugs in real life?

[Comissar]

...Did Manny just slip Lex drugs in real life?

If he didn't, it's heavily implied. There are far too many things alarmingly wrong with that to list.

[moossabi]

...Did Manny just slip Lex drugs in real life?

LSD, it was confirmed in the most recent strip.

[eschmenk]

LSD, it was confirmed in the most recent strip.

Manny responded, "Close," so apparently it was something else. It's probably some sort of prescription medication, based on how he responded to Shelby, but I doubt we will find out exactly what.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Manny is a full-on criminal at this point.

I mean it's that kind of comic, but still.

EDIT: eh actually, since it's an "upper", it's possible Lex asked for it to keep awake for the double header, which makes Manny irresponsible rather than committing a form of assault.

[eschmenk]

I'm pretty sure that what Manny did wasn't legal. Sometimes we are told that conversations happen that we didn't see, but it looked like Lex merely asked for a Dr. Pepper and didn't even say anything about being tired this time. Also, that's not an effect you would normally get from an upper. Finally, if it was a descent upper, it would be a controlled substance in the USA at least. So yep, Manny might get hauled off to the slammer some day.

Was the campaign worth it Manny? Was it?

BTW, I think I was supposed to recognize the frame with the stars in it. What was it? It looked like the stars may have formed an eye?

[Comissar]

BTW, I think I was supposed to recognize the frame with the stars in it. What was it? It looked like the stars may have formed an eye?

I think it's just the starscape of the Avatar world. I doubt it's intended to reference anything.

[Agi Hammerthief]

The comic lost me in the time loop thing with the wather scroll.
Does it get better again after that?

[Nerd-o-rama]

The comic lost me in the time loop thing with the wather scroll.
Does it get better again after that?

That was kind of a one-off bit of weirdness, although the next storyline, Jet, is just as bizarre in a different way. Really, though, that middle part of season 1 is thus far peak weirdness. The Great Divide is actually a nice breather, as long as you don't mind underage drinking or try to follow the rules too badly.

I've been enjoying it so far with the caveat that it's far from a realistic gaming group and everyone (especially the GM) takes things waaaaaay too seriously. Rule of comedy/drama-based roleplaying, essentially.

EDIT: Nope, I lied (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/144411111231/dd-aangvanced-bonus-4-something-damiens-good). That seems to be a bonus strip though.

[aurilee]

This is some high drama going on now.

And as for Manny slipping Alex drugs...well that further confirms that he's the most sadistic, psychotic DM ever.

Quite entertaining. :smalltongue:

EDIT:
The bonus strip (which was hilarious BTW) was apparently written by eschmenk, so kudos to you! :smallsmile:

[Comissar]

EDIT: Nope, I lied (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/144411111231/dd-aangvanced-bonus-4-something-damiens-good). That seems to be a bonus strip though.

A bonus strip attributed to eschemenk, no less..

[eschmenk]

Wow, I'm famous! Or infamous? :smallbiggrin:

My entire contribution was the bottom half of this post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=20728595&postcount=61). I deny any other responsibility for what happened. :smalltongue:

ADDED: Now that I thought about it more, I suspect the entire post was an inspiration. Damien has trouble talking, but he can express himself through song.

[Comissar]

An interesting solution to how to display 'Appa's Lost Days'. Given the general lack of main characters during that episode, I was wondering how it'd work. I'm gonna go ahead and predict that we'll get dream sequences at irregular intervals for Rick until he's reunited with Appa, along with real time, brief cameo's at the appropriate moments. For example, when Iroh/Zuko are making their way to Ba Sing Se (is that Serpents Pass as well? Or a later episode? I forget), we'll see Appa in the background of one of the shots.

The dream sequences in particular will feed in nicely to the Guru later on.

[Disc Lorde]

I started reading this recently after seeing it linked in another thread. I've made it to about page #326 so far. The characters are...characters, all right. They definitely went the railroading GM route, even more so than DM of the Rings. The Praxis arc was weird, but funny. Overall I find it funny but not really recognizable.

[aurilee]

An interesting solution to how to display 'Appa's Lost Days'. Given the general lack of main characters during that episode, I was wondering how it'd work. I'm gonna go ahead and predict that we'll get dream sequences at irregular intervals for Rick until he's reunited with Appa, along with real time, brief cameo's at the appropriate moments. For example, when Iroh/Zuko are making their way to Ba Sing Se (is that Serpents Pass as well? Or a later episode? I forget), we'll see Appa in the background of one of the shots.

The dream sequences in particular will feed in nicely to the Guru later on.

Looks like you were right! Although it also seems that Rick is taking on the role of Appa.

[Comissar]

So looking ahead, Ember Island Players. Think it's going to be the Gaang explaining the adventure so far to Suki's player?

[eschmenk]

So looking ahead, Ember Island Players. Think it's going to be the Gaang explaining the adventure so far to Suki's player?

I think it would probably be Manny playing all the actors in any case, but I don't know if anyone will come in to play Suki. Darths & Droids already did the player romance = character romance thing*, so I'm not expecting that and I don't think there would be a another reason for a new player to join. I think it could be as simple as Manny criticizing the role-playing so far and saying, "Let me show you how bad it's been."

*But with the genders swapped

[Comissar]

Manny's already referred to 'Mary' as playing Suki at some unspecified point in the future, and given Suki properly joins the Gaang around the point of the Ember Island Players, I think it'd be a good moment for a recap of the shenanigans so far.

[Comissar]

So I think it's a fair assumption that the author reads this thread given we've had a couple of shout-out's to posters here. I can understand not wanting to leap into the discussion too much, but I did just want to ask if the comic will be going forward into Legend of Korra? There've been a few call forwards dropped so far, and I did just notice the little logo at the bottom left of the page is split with Aang's eyes at the top, and what looks like Korra's eyes at the bottom.

Unrelated to the above, how do you think the sleep-deprived Aang episode (forget the name, the one before the invasion on the day of black sun) will be handled?

[eschmenk]

So I think it's a fair assumption that the author reads this thread given we've had a couple of shout-out's to posters here. I can understand not wanting to leap into the discussion too much, but I did just want to ask if the comic will be going forward into Legend of Korra? There've been a few call forwards dropped so far, and I did just notice the little logo at the bottom left of the page is split with Aang's eyes at the top, and what looks like Korra's eyes at the bottom.

I'm interpreting this (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/144142592179/i-just-made-the-first-comic-of-book-3-dvd-boxset) (second paragraph plus tag) as a promise. Hopefully it is.

[DeadpanSal]

The writer wrote in the tags that he promises to do Korra and has written two comics for it already, so I guess he is reading the thread.

[Lizard Lord]

Honestly this comic confuses me. The GM repeatedly asks the players to stay in character, but the campaign is so full of meta stuff that how can you even tell that the players are acting out of character?

[aurilee]

Honestly this comic confuses me. The GM repeatedly asks the players to stay in character, but the campaign is so full of meta stuff that how can you even tell that the players are acting out of character?

It's more their actions that he's concerned with rather than their dialogue. As in, he doesn't like it when they break from playing out his story.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Yeah, Manny's a railroader who enforces method acting as a means of keeping people on the railroad and invested in the game (and method acts himself because that's just his style). He doesn't actually care about roleplaying in principle so much as getting characters from one end of his story to the other.

[Ronnoc]

I really didn't think I could hate this DM any more after the drugging Lex incident. Guess I was wrong.

[Adaon Nightwind]

Now this was.. this was just.. it was too much. Appearantly there are more members of that family who need a therapy somewhat urgently.

[DeadpanSal]

Good thing there's already a therapist at the table.

[thatSeniorGuy]

Holy crap on a stick Manny is a really ****ty human being.

[eschmenk]

Manny is Long Feng more or less.

Next Manny will tell the character sheets (everyone but him is gone) why everything he has been doing has been necessary and is really for the good of the players. The players just don't understand. :smallamused:

The apple means that DJ left, too, right? Has DJ been using an iTunes app all along?

The next episode (The Tales of Ba Sing Se) will be done without Manny as DM. We are already through most of the one after that (Appa's Lost Days). I'm guessing that Manny will promise to be nicer and will DM the remainder of the episode. He will actually be nice for the part with the Indian guru, but will screw Rick in the end after Rick starts to trust him again.

[Comissar]

Well, with that revelation, I'm now incredibly concerned for Rube's well-being. Particularly looking ahead to Azula/Zuko's Agni Kai and Azula's breakdown through it all. The big question is, is it Manny playing Azula at that point? Or is Rube going to be putting himself through hell for the sake of his brothers story?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Good thing there's already a therapist at the table.

He's not a therapist; he's like an eighteen year old college freshman. Which is a nice parallel to the only person who can save the world being a twelve year old kid, I guess.

But yeah Manny at this point needs to be facing criminal and civil charges IRL for several reasons.

That said, go Rube. No killing the fluffy.

[Comissar]

Looks like we're not getting Tales of Ba Sing Se as its own episode, which is a shame for two reasons;

1) It would've been a good chance for Damien to run a session

2) The tales of Zuko and Iroh contain some of my favourite character moments for both characters in the entire series.

[eschmenk]

Yes, I thought Tales of Ba Sing Se would have provided a welcome little break from Manny.

Mackenzie is apparently attending the Univ. of Virginia. Did we know that?

The "stalker demon virus" hacked Mac's FB account on update #666. I guess that's appropriate.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Looks like we're not getting Tales of Ba Sing Se as its own episode, which is a shame for two reasons;

1) It would've been a good chance for Damien to run a session

2) The tales of Zuko and Iroh contain some of my favourite character moments for both characters in the entire series.

The author is choosing to pace this differently than the series and is ditching the comedy relief moments probably until the end of Book 2. It's tragic to miss Zuko's and Iroh's tales in particular, but I think we're hitting maximum troll throttle from here to Aang getting lightning'd.

[aurilee]

Man oh man that exploded earlier than I thought. Very interested to see how this continues...And we're getting 5 strips a day now!

BTW Manny scares me. A lot.

EDIT:



The apple means that DJ left, too, right? Has DJ been using an iTunes app all along?


Yeah, whenever a song was displayed as playing that was a screenshot taken from the iTunes UI. The blank bar with an Apple logo is what iTunes shows when there's nothing currently playing. I took this as a silent stare/glare from DJ THAC0.

[DeadpanSal]

If Manny's clearly the worst DM in the world, who actually belongs behind the screen?

[moossabi]

Has anyone else noticed the change in Praxis' speech color?

EDIT: Apparently the author did.

[Shogo]

Huh. Shelby has multiple assault charges. Interesting. Not much else to say. Others have already said what I could about the DM.

[aurilee]

If Manny's clearly the worst DM in the world, who actually belongs behind the screen?

Damien would be my pick. According to hints that were dropped, he was apparently a fairly good DM. He may be all brooding and such, but he at least doesn't seem too psychotic.

Technically Mac was their DM before, but she seems a little strict and numbers-heavy for my liking.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Mac appears to be the other side of Manny's coin: sadistic and controlling, but strictly to the in-character characters, none of this real life crap, and focused on numbercrunching and mechanical difficulty instead of storytelling.

Damien's destiny as the True DM and his mother issues complicating that seems to be a plot point paralleling Zuko's destiny vs. his honor/daddy issues, and I think we're going to see him behind the DM screen sooner or later. At what point and how well that will go, though, it's hard to be sure.

Rick would make an excellent DM in my opinion, but he's not likely to ever take on that mantle after all this bullcrap.

[DataNinja]

Has anyone else noticed the change in Praxis' speech color?

EDIT: Apparently the author did.

Well, that's handy. :smallbiggrin:

[Sapphire Guard]

Damien is seems to be genuinely a pretty decent person as well, going by this update.

[Comissar]

Fun parallel between Iroh trying to help Zuko find his path and Damien trying to help Manny set things straight, too. Also, I think I mentioned this before, but I don't think I'd particularly enjoy playing in the campaigns these guys run. The IC/OOC line is blurry to the point of the players taking personal offence if something happens to their characters, and they seem to view campaigns as being something to be beaten rather than a game to play.

That said, I do agree that I think Damien would make a good DM. Bearing in mind the ending to Legend of Aang, I'm going to predict he's the one who DM's Korra.

[DeadpanSal]

I think I mentioned this before, but I don't think I'd particularly enjoy playing in the campaigns these guys run. [...] That said, I do agree that I think Damien would make a good DM. Bearing in mind the ending to Legend of Aang, I'm going to predict he's the one who DM's Korra.

I really hope if someone else DMs the table becomes a nicer place to be.

[Maryring]

I really do want to enjoy the comic, I do. But my suspension of disbelief is so thoroughly shattered by how monstrous the DM is. Why on earth are the players still playing his game?

[Lizard Lord]

I really do want to enjoy the comic, I do. But my suspension of disbelief is so thoroughly shattered by how monstrous the DM is. Why on earth are the players still playing his game?

Well at least some of them are being blackmailed. And Damien seems to think the game and friendships can and should be salvaged for some reason.

[Nerd-o-rama]

And the other players are all either insanely stubborn, overly invested, or really like a challenge.

[Comissar]

And Damien seems to think the game and friendships can and should be salvaged for some reason.

To be fair, they have gamed together for a few years at least, so they've all invested a lot of time into a shared friendship. Unfortunately, as Damien pointed out, Manny is not exactly going to win 'Human of the year' any time soon, particularly with his behaviour of late. What that doesn't mean is that he's willing to turn his back on someone he's known for X years.

[eschmenk]

I really do want to enjoy the comic, I do. But my suspension of disbelief is so thoroughly shattered by how monstrous the DM is. Why on earth are the players still playing his game?

I think you have to think of the players as being just as cartoony as the original cartoon characters or maybe even more so. After all, one of the players is an AI who is obsessed with its creator. Asking why the players are still playing is a bit like asking why Elmer Fudd kept hunting rabbits.


Also, I think I mentioned this before, but I don't think I'd particularly enjoy playing in the campaigns these guys run. The IC/OOC line is blurry to the point of the players taking personal offence if something happens to their characters, and they seem to view campaigns as being something to be beaten rather than a game to play.

I hope you wouldn't enjoy it! You couldn't even know if the snacks had drugs in them. It's almost surprising that Manny doesn't throw rocks at the players each time their characters get hit with an earthbending spell, and burn them for firebending spells and hose them down for waterbending spells. :smallamused:

[DeadpanSal]

"Oh cool, Manny bought a new fan. "
"That's a jet turbine, Rick."

[aurilee]

I'm liking this DM'ing by committee thing. I'm not sure it would work in most situations or groups, but it'd be interesting to try and I like seeing the gaang working together this way.

[DataNinja]

I'm definitely enjoying the tonal shift. It was getting just a tad depressing the last little bit. The levity is nice.

[Comissar]

So... Manny's going to be absent for the bulk of Book 3. Iroh's definitely his viewpoint character at this point. Damien briefly visits him during the 'Avatar and the Firelord' episode, then Manny rejoins the group just prior to campaign end, though remains separate from the Gaang anyway. Possibly he plays Piandao as well?

Edit - Bonus comic is amusingly meta. Also, Mac definitely doesn't know how to roleplay :smalltongue: Rollplay, sure, but not roleplay.

Edit the second - Think 'Pink haired nerd' could be a reference to our very own Nerd-o-Rama?

[aurilee]

Edit the second - Think 'Pink haired nerd' could be a reference to our very own Nerd-o-Rama?

Ha, I do believe it is! That was a fun bonus strip.

As for the latest strip, I'm glad Rick is going to try and work things out with Manny. Even after everything he put them through, Rick still wants to help. Awww.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Wow, I assumed that was a random tumblrite, but given my avatar, that's possibly the first time I've gotten a shout out in a webcomic.

Anyway, congratulations to the author for giving me just as much of an "oh hell everything's about to go to ****" at Azula's reappearance in this comic as happened in the actual series.

[DataNinja]

Wow, I assumed that was a random tumblrite, but given my avatar, that's possibly the first time I've gotten a shout out in a webcomic.

That's why I love projects like these. It really shows that they take the time, and pay attention to their audience. :smallbiggrin:

[Comissar]

That's why I love projects like these. It really shows that they take the time, and pay attention to their audience. :smallbiggrin:

I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, it's the third shout out to this thread in the comic's run. First being to Aurilee, and second to Eschemenk.

Now, when do I get my duet of Still Alive with Praxis?

[DataNinja]

Now, when do I get my duet of Still Alive with Praxis?

Nah, Mackenzie can just do "Want You Gone" (more or less). :smalltongue:

Well here we are again
It's always such a pleasure
Remember when I tried
to kill you twice?

Oh how we laughed and laughed
Except I wasn't laughing
Under the circumstances
I've been shockingly nice

You want your deletion?
Take it
That's what I'm counting on
I used to want you dead
but
Now I only want you gone

He was a lot like you
(Maybe not as much stalker)
Now some of Jet is in there too

One day I woke you up
Thought you would live forever
It's such a shame that it
will never happen to you

You've got some
short sad life left
That's what I'm counting on
I'll let you get right to it
Now I only want you gone

Goodbye my only friend
Oh, did you think I meant you?
That would be funny
if it weren't so sad

Well you have been replaced
I don't need an AI now
When I delete you maybe
I'll stop feeling so bad

Go make some new disaster
That's what I'm counting on
You're someone else's problem
Now I only want you gone
Now I only want you gone
Now I only want you gone

[Comissar]

So, Rube's a minor as well. Was that brought up prior to this? I knew he was Manny's younger brother, but those don't come with age tags.

[Nerd-o-rama]

I don't think it was specified, but since Manny's probably college aged or just past it in his 20's, it stood to reason. Plus, aside from his obvious empathy for the neurodivergent, it helps explain why Rick has the best rapport with him. In fact there may have been a throwaway line of Rick calling Rube his little buddy, but I can't be asked to search for it.

[Comissar]

I just realised that The Guru is well suited to Manny and Rick's talk. As they continue, the set will grow lighter, (hopefully) mirroring Manny's introspection and movement toward being a better person.

[DeadpanSal]

Nah, Mackenzie can just do "Want You Gone" (more or less). :smalltongue:


*lighter*

(And then some filler to ensure I'm over 10 characters)

[eschmenk]

So... Manny's going to be absent for the bulk of Book 3. Iroh's definitely his viewpoint character at this point. Damien briefly visits him during the 'Avatar and the Firelord' episode, then Manny rejoins the group just prior to campaign end, though remains separate from the Gaang anyway. Possibly he plays Piandao as well?

Edit - Bonus comic is amusingly meta. Also, Mac definitely doesn't know how to roleplay :smalltongue: Rollplay, sure, but not roleplay.

IDK. Rick is going to try to help Manny during the Guru episode. It will be a role reversal, unless Manny plays Aang for some reason. At the end of the episode, Aang rejoins everyone else. Will Manny go back? Or will Manny just strengthen himself and prepare for his comeback like Iroh did?

Will Damien use the opportunity in Crossroads to teach Mac how to roleplay? At least a little bit?


Wow, I assumed that was a random tumblrite, but given my avatar, that's possibly the first time I've gotten a shout out in a webcomic.

Just a few days ago:

Mac appears to be the other side of Manny's coin: sadistic and controlling, but strictly to the in-character characters, none of this real life crap, and focused on numbercrunching and mechanical difficulty instead of storytelling.

You aren't the only one who has said something like that, but you are one of them.

But, the Puppetmaster episode should either let her see what a control freak she is, or let her roleplay a control freak. Probably the former. Also The Southern Raiders.

[Nerd-o-rama]

You aren't the only one who has said something like that, but you are one of them.

But, the Puppetmaster episode should either let her see what a control freak she is, or let her roleplay a control freak. Probably the former. Also The Southern Raiders.

"Mac can't roleplay" is a joke in-comic, though, albeit delivered by Manny through Mai so maybe it's best to take it with a grain of salt.

That said, I do agree that she's very well-suited to portraying Katara regardless. Katara is an absurdly powerful Bender in-universe (so are Aang and Toph, but Aang has a plot excuse and Toph is played here by a character-building savant) as well as having a personality that's dominant and tempestuous (well okay, she just has a shorter-than-average temper, but the pun was too good to pass up) as a counterpoint to her capability and general altruism. Mac lacks her empathy, in-character, but the rest of Katara is there.

[aurilee]

Well the climax happened...now it remains to be seen how Damien's going to develop from here. And also why the players decide to keep playing.

[Adaon Nightwind]

Well, the solution has been foreshadowed here:

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/146123239630/dd-aangvanced-717-aborted-arc

Last panel on the bottom left. It should work.


Of course, there is also the possibillity that the author does decide to end the run there. I do not think so, but, it has been a wild ride. :)

Just realising: I *have* understood you correctly, Aurilee, that you meant "how can the game continue with Rick dead"? Or did you mean: "The game has reached it's end, the story is or should be now over"?

[aurilee]

Well, the solution has been foreshadowed here:

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/146123239630/dd-aangvanced-717-aborted-arc

Last panel on the bottom left. It should work.


Of course, there is also the possibillity that the author does decide to end the run there. I do not think so, but, it has been a wild ride. :)

Just realising: I *have* understood you correctly, Aurilee, that you meant "how can the game continue with Rick dead"? Or did you mean: "The game has reached it's end, the story is or should be now over"?

Yeah, it was more like "with all the players thinking Rick is dead, how are they going to carry on?" They all seem pretty eager to end the campaign, so Manny will have to do something to give them a big morale boost. I mean, I've watched the show so I know how it will theoretically progress, but I'm interested to see how the comic does it.

And the author has confirmed he'll be continuing on into Korra (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/146199323089/book-2-ends-on-thursday-weve-got-a-few-more), so no end in sight. :smallsmile:

[DeadpanSal]

The way I see it, the table has wrapped the campaign around their feelings for Rube and how to "fix" him. Manny and Rick at least believe that if Rube wins while he's stuck playing Azula, he'll be irreversibly damaged and will lose himself in the character. Mac, Shelby and Lex go along with that because they think it's the right thing to do. But Damien, saying that D&D is the escape he had when things were at the worst in his life feels that Rube deserves the same opportunity that they have all had.

So when the story continues, that's still the focus: does Rube need fixing, or should he be allowed to play through as his character?

[aurilee]

The way I see it, the table has wrapped the campaign around their feelings for Rube and how to "fix" him. Manny and Rick at least believe that if Rube wins while he's stuck playing Azula, he'll be irreversibly damaged and will lose himself in the character. Mac, Shelby and Lex go along with that because they think it's the right thing to do. But Damien, saying that D&D is the escape he had when things were at the worst in his life feels that Rube deserves the same opportunity that they have all had.

So when the story continues, that's still the focus: does Rube need fixing, or should he be allowed to play through as his character?

Given the latest update, I'd say that's right on the mark.

And go Damien for not being pointlessly mean. :smallsmile: Manny take note!

[Comissar]

This is the kind of zombie campaign I like. Remains to be seen if Damien rolls with it or not.

[Lizard Lord]

So I guess the point of this was to show that Rube really is lost into the character of Azula rather than simply being really into roleplaying.

[Adaon Nightwind]

Oh my. If Rube is really that deep into Azula's Character, this could take quite the dark turn when we reach the ending of the series. Unless, perhaps, he believes Azula can be reached by Aangs' Mindbending at that point? Or maybe the story will continue with the print books?

[Nerd-o-rama]

Also, I'm guessing, to make fun of all the delays in getting AtLA Book 3 out.

Which is also distressing if that joke gets played up more for the finale episodes. Or Korra in general.

[eschmenk]

I was thinking that Aang's mindbending might be used to cure Manny's addiction to power. Azula would have a breakdown, leaving Rube back in control. I suppose the most Azula thing to do would be to seize her father's character, though. :smallconfused:

I'm pretty sure the author has a pretty large backlog, so I wouldn't worry about that. I expect we will continue to have little intermissions. I notice that Damien talked about introducing aliens. We could hope for Plan 9 from Outer Space. It has everything: vampires, zombies, space aliens and plenty for the players to bitch about. :smallamused:

[Comissar]

I'm pretty sure the author has a pretty large backlog, so I wouldn't worry about that. I expect we will continue to have little intermissions. I notice that Damien talked about introducing aliens. We could hope for Plan 9 from Outer Space. It has everything: vampires, zombies, space aliens and plenty for the players to bitch about. :smallamused:

Alternatively, it was a reference to 'The World's End', the third film in the Cornetto Trilogy (within which 'Shaun of the Dead' was the first).

[eschmenk]

OK, thanks. I wasn't familiar with the reference.

[DeadpanSal]

Eschmenk - go watch the whole trilogy right now!

[Nerd-o-rama]

I watched SotD and Hot Fuzz but I had no idea there was a third film. I should check that out.

[Comissar]

I watched SotD and Hot Fuzz but I had no idea there was a third film. I should check that out.

Personally I think it's the weakest of the three, but it's still fun enough to be worth a watch.

[DataNinja]

This is why I love these threads. I get all the references explained to me that I'd never have gotten otherwise. :smallbiggrin:

[Nerd-o-rama]

One day. One day. I'm going to play a dedicated healing character and not complain about it, just for variety among RP Gamers.

In an actual RPG, though, not an MMO. MMO players are too dumb to keep alive, and I say this with tanking experience.

[aurilee]

One day. One day. I'm going to play a dedicated healing character and not complain about it, just for variety among RP Gamers.

In an actual RPG, though, not an MMO. MMO players are too dumb to keep alive, and I say this with tanking experience.

Psshhh...Healing is what NPC party members are for! Or bards with scrolls!

The only time I ever played anything close to a healer was a power-hungry cleric/mage who only prayed for healing spells because the leader of the party, who was a blackguard for the god my character worshipped, insisted upon it. He was kind of a jerk.

It's kind of amazing that a player like Mac chose to make a healer. She should know better. :smalltongue:

[DeadpanSal]

My favorite healer was a friend of mine who played a cleric of Olidammara who kept invoices for all the healing you cost him, and charged you for his services. He didn't live that long, but at the end the DM talked about his final reward - going up into the heavens, reaching the astral beyond and . . . running into Olidammara. Who immediately said, "Now let's talk about those spells I gave you..."

Also Mac didn't choose to be the healer. Manny just sprung that on her as a "bonus".

[Adaon Nightwind]

"Tied with Buffy." That was a good one :smallbiggrin:

[Lizard Lord]

I was going to say that it was weird they would let Damien GM a mini-campaign (or was that a one shot?) before deciding to ignore him for Zuko siding with Azula, but then I remembered that Rick was mocking him the whole time and deliberately sabotaged the campaign.

[DataNinja]

One day. One day. I'm going to play a dedicated healing character and not complain about it, just for variety among RP Gamers.

In an actual RPG, though, not an MMO. MMO players are too dumb to keep alive, and I say this with tanking experience.

Healers are fun to play in a group that knows how to RP properly, I've found. It's fun being respected. And valuable. And looking at the GM's face when he sees how much healing you can actually put out. :smallbiggrin:

[DeadpanSal]

I have a sudden urge to see Rick play a healing monster that exists just to make Manny angry.

It'd probably go exactly this strip: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0077.html

[aurilee]

"I am the Avatar".

So Rube's totally lost it. Rick has quite the task ahead of him.

[Comissar]

"I am the Avatar".

So Rube's totally lost it. Rick has quite the task ahead of him.

I read it as a parody of daytime soap operas, but that's an equally likely interpretation.

[moossabi]

"I am the Avatar".

So Rube's totally lost it. Rick has quite the task ahead of him.

Damien was using the silly voice, which means that they were probably joking around.

That being said, those four panels are some of the funniest webcomic material that I have ever read just for the perfect contrast with the source material that other screencap comics have tried and failed to execute properly. Props to the author.

[aurilee]

Damien was using the silly voice, which means that they were probably joking around.

That being said, those four panels are some of the funniest webcomic material that I have ever read just for the perfect contrast with the source material that other screencap comics have tried and failed to execute properly. Props to the author.

Probably, but I still kind of wish the campaign turned into "Rube is convinced he's the Chosen One and tries to take out his competition". But yeah, a great strip. Love the melodrama.

[eschmenk]

Probably, but I still kind of wish the campaign turned into "Rube is convinced he's the Chosen One and tries to take out his competition". But yeah, a great strip. Love the melodrama.

Well, maybe Damien just thought they were joking? I could imagine Rube being delusional enough to think he is Combustion Man. "I will kill you with my mind!" seems pretty delusional to me.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Okay "Bernie" is almost as good of a gag as Wang Fire just for sheer elegance in its simplicity.

Also I'm wondering about Mac. She seems to have a lot of issues about dealing with female fantasy character stereotypes like being the heal-chick earlier, but it's gotten to the point where it's a problem that her character has to wear a dress? I wonder if that's leading anywhere.

[eschmenk]

Okay "Bernie" is almost as good of a gag as Wang Fire just for sheer elegance in its simplicity.

Also I'm wondering about Mac. She seems to have a lot of issues about dealing with female fantasy character stereotypes like being the heal-chick earlier, but it's gotten to the point where it's a problem that her character has to wear a dress? I wonder if that's leading anywhere.

Yeah, I liked the pun, too.

I guess Mac might play Katara pretending to be Aang's pregnant mother in an angry or sarcastic way, showing that Mac resents expectations, but I don't know if there is enough footage to do much with that. I wouldn't be surprised if it were skipped. The dance at the end of the episode could become a lesson from Rick to Mac that it's OK to be feminine. OTOH, I think it's more likely that Mac is so competitive it will be a dance-off. IDK.

[DeadpanSal]

Just how would Mac react if Rick tried to talk to her about being feminine? I'm suddenly concerned.

[Comissar]

Speaking of Mac, I'm wondering now what Katara's hostility during her mission with Zuko is going to be reflected in for Mac. Mac herself has never been invested in Katara's character, so it's going to be something that infuriates Mac personally. Maybe it's having to work with Damien?

[eschmenk]

Just how would Mac react if Rick tried to talk to her about being feminine? I'm suddenly concerned.

And the dance had moves in it that looked a lot like fighting moves, so...

[Lizard Lord]

I am trying to figure out the answer to the question in today's comic. First, this is using the 3.5 system correct? Wouldn't Ryu get to also roll thus meaning Ken's minimum to succeed would be dependent on that variable? Also isn't Bull's Strength a spell with somatic components and thus not usable in a grapple? (Unless she meant already cast on him, but why wouldn't that already be factored into his strength?)

[Sapphire Guard]

Rube seems a lot more relaxed now. Is he just trolling the others?

[eschmenk]

Okay "Bernie" is almost as good of a gag as Wang Fire just for sheer elegance in its simplicity.

And that lasted until #770. And I don't understand Ranavalona (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona) at all. Well, I guess it depends on which stories about Ranavalona I you believe. But, hey, Mac can roleplay! :smallbiggrin:


Rube seems a lot more relaxed now. Is he just trolling the others?

I don't understand. Rube hasn't appeared in the current session yet. The last time we saw him, he threatened to raze the entire world. Do you mean Manny? If so, no, I think he is actually trying to be kinder and gentler, but I expect that he'll go power-mad again eventually.

[Sapphire Guard]

I read the last week or so's updates together. And I took that threat as the two of them having fun overacting, given things like the Star Wars reference, and the strip title being 'Two More Idiots'

[DeadpanSal]

Rube's probably a lot more relaxed now. He was ultra tense when he fought the party and came to Damien for help because he knew he wouldn't win. He even psychs himself up in #721 by reassuring himself "I can do this." Even though Rube has always felt like he's seen as a joke at the table, he won the big battle and now just plays side sessions with the guy who had his back.

I think he deserves to relax for a while.

[Quillfeather]

I have problems understanding the intentions of the color changes of the character bubbles. I know there was a bonus comic on what the color changes are supposed to mean but I don't think they are strictly adhered to. Can anyone explain to me what the lighter and darker versions of each characters colors are supposed to mean?

[eschmenk]

I have problems understanding the intentions of the color changes of the character bubbles. I know there was a bonus comic on what the color changes are supposed to mean but I don't think they are strictly adhered to. Can anyone explain to me what the lighter and darker versions of each characters colors are supposed to mean?

I think the best thing would be to just go with the depiction from the bonus comic.

In the last few comics, everyone has been staying in their "normal" state, except for Manny, but it's obvious when he switches between NPC and DM modes. Lex's color might be lighter than normal and it might have lightened even more when he read what Mac said about him, but any differences were subtle and not very important, IMO. You could already tell that he's not in a good mood (which is what the light color means for him). Nothing seems to contradict the bonus comic, as far as I can tell.

[Nerd-o-rama]

And that lasted until #770. And I don't understand Ranavalona (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona) at all. Well, I guess it depends on which stories about Ranavalona I you believe. But, hey, Mac can roleplay! :smallbiggrin:

Mac's probably been reading either Rejected Disney Princesses or Badass of the Week. Or both, given who she plays.

[Comissar]

Prediction time - Majority of the current episode has Manny pulled away every time he's about to give Lex some growth, right up until the end where Pian Dao begins attacking Sokka, which is where Manny is back and in killer GM mode.

[Randomguy]

So one of Lex's previous characters was Rincewind? That actually works perfectly. :smallbiggrin:

[Connington]

You know, I'd be really interested in seeing Rick, Damien, or Rube DM Legend of Korra.

[Lizard Lord]

To me the "obvious" route for Legend of Korra is Rick playing Tenzin, Mac playing Korra, Shelby playing Lin, Lex playing Bolin, Damien playing Mako, and Rube playing Asami/PNaga/Pabu with Manny remaining GM.


With that said I have no confidence that they will actually go this route, hence why I put "obvious" in quotation marks. This, however, will not stop me from saying "called it" if I'm even partially right. :smallamused:

[aurilee]

I was thinking that maybe Rick would DM Korra. That would also let him play Tenzin as an NPC. Besides, the last few strips have proven that Rick is a pretty cool DM.

[DeadpanSal]

My vote for DM is "Anyone but Mac."

[Nerd-o-rama]

I'm down for "anyone but Manny".

It'd be a nice Darths and Droids-ish twist, though, if the almost-universally-beloved Last Airbender was run by the incredibly flawed DM Manny, and the much more uh...divisive Legend of Korra was run by one of the much more capable and sane duo of Rick or Damien.

Also damn, I never thought I'd be happy to see the moment Sparky Sparky Boom Man showed up, but there we go.

[eschmenk]

Also damn, I never thought I'd be happy to see the moment Sparky Sparky Boom Man showed up, but there we go.

So, I guess Rick shouldn't have sabotaged Damien's zombie campaign. :smalltongue: Well, that and everyone has been ignoring Damien since then.

OK, Damien is obviously bribing Manny by appealing to his sadistic side, but what will make Damien switch from Rube back to the main group? Will Rube be so psychotic on The Beach that Damien will realize that Rick was right or will he do it just for the challenge of it? Maybe Rube will dare him to try? I doubt we will do all the flashbacks with Roku and Sozin in The Avatar and the Firelord, so that probably won't be it.

[Comissar]

Seeing the beach episode is fantastic, Damien and Rube making Manny's planned chill out session tense is hilarious.

[AvatarVecna]

Started reading through this again, and I thought I'd pull out some lines that struck a chord with me:


"No good person is sure of their alignment. They're just numbers, my son...and you can change them."


"Don't tell my mom, she thinks roleplaying is from the devil."

"Just GURPS."

Also, I kinda like the idea of Shelby as the OPM of RPGs.


"There once was a young boy...he played at heroics, dreaming of one day being strong. And though he wasn't very skilled at anything...he never gave up. So one day, he'd grow up strong to do the right thing and stand up for what mattered."

"What happened to him?"

"He stopped pitying himself and murdered the ****ers who took your son."

Just some stuff I found interesting.

[DeadpanSal]

Oh my god, the author has got to make Shelby play Saitama someday!

[AvatarVecna]

Interesting callback: when Damien takes Rube's side during the fight where Rick bites it, he rolls 13, 17, and 22...the same numbers (in the same order) that he rolled back when he was trying to capture Rick back in the Southern Water Village in the beginning.

[Comissar]

Reveal(?) that Lex has a niece. Have we seen her in comic? ... Was she the one that showed up right at the end of the airbending temple episode (forget the name) with the machinist? Think she'll play Jinora?

[TheNotoriousSMP]

Just started reading this and I'm a few comics in. I've gotta say it starts out a bit roughly but it's been improving fairly steadily over time. Definitely going to continue reading.

[DataNinja]

Reveal(?) that Lex has a niece. Have we seen her in comic? ... Was she the one that showed up right at the end of the airbending temple episode (forget the name) with the machinist? Think she'll play Jinora?

I'm preeetty sure we've at the very least heard of her before. But I could be mistaken. It does ring a bell, though. (I think.)

[Quillfeather]

Reveal(?) that Lex has a niece. Have we seen her in comic? ... Was she the one that showed up right at the end of the airbending temple episode (forget the name) with the machinist? Think she'll play Jinora?

This could be fun. What are everyone's predictions as to who DM's and who plays which character in Korra? I think Shelby or Rick are good candidates for DM even though Manny has talked a lot about the group being Damien's table.

[Comissar]

I think Rick or Damien as DM is likely. The hint seems to be toward Damien being DM, but I might just be reading into something that isn't there. If he isn't DM, I think Damien is likely to play Mako. If Rick isn't DM, I think he may play Korra. Shelby... Asami, perhaps? Actually, Mac may also be Mako, just to show her lack of roleplaying ability (Mako is super bland for a long time, he's a perfect fit :smalltongue:). I think Lex is a good fit for Bolin. This does leave Rube and Manny without characters, though. I guess Lin might be a PC, but I don't think she's around enough to really qualify. Tenzin could be a PC, though, so perhaps Rube/Manny play him? Gonna stick with my 'niece as Jinora' theory.

[Lizard Lord]

Okay this seems weird to me. In what system do stealth skills work that way? I always thought that if you roll for something your character has thus attempted the stated action and you cannot take it back no matter if the attempt succeeds or not. With stealth related checks failure means you are heard and/or seen. How does Damien get to roll for stealth and then get to decide not to leave cover just because he rolled badly. If Zuko doesn't leave cover because he believes he will get caught than the attempt shouldn't have been made in the first place. Is it just intentional to show Manny going too easy him because he is just that worried about going too hard on him?


Actually scratch all that. I just realized as I typed the last sentence that its most likely because Zuko getting caught by these guys would ruin Manny's narrative.

[DeadpanSal]

Along those lines, I'm pretty sure everything Manny does can be easily explained by Page 153:

Manny: "Guys. Guys. I don't care. I don't care if you roll fairly. I don't care if you cheat. Make up feats, whatever. I can't make this easier for you. I made a railroad. All you have to do is eat the Flavor Text, stay on the railroad, don't interrupt anything written in blue."

[Comissar]

It's nice to see Damien enjoying himself.

[Dragonexx]

I've been doing some thinking about how this comic would handle Legend of Korra. I'm not really focusing on characters other that Korra for this.

The most likely choices to play Korra to me would be Damien, Mac, or Shelby. Here's why.

Throughout the first two season, Korra honestly has very little identity for herself beyond being the avatar. She's hotheaded, short-tempered, brash, and reckless, and usually attempts to solve her problems with fighting (her interactions with the corrupt judge stand out). She becomes easily frustrated when she encounters a situation that she cannot (metaphorically speaking) punch her way out of. This is also why Amon terrifies her so much (at least, significantly more than other characters). She only sees herself as the Avatar, the worlds strongest bender, and here is a guy who can take away bending. To Korra, this is tantamount to being killed. Eventually it finally happens and she's debended of everything except airbending (since she hadn't learned it at the time).

After realizing that even Katara cannot heal her of this, she runs away, and from what it looks like was contemplating throwing herself off that cliff. Instead, she's saved by Aang (somehow). The lesson might not have been fully learned, because throughout the first half of season two, she's still much the same, prone to rash decisions and quick to violence. However, later in the season, the big one happens, Vaatunaloq rips Raava, the Avatar Spirit out of her, utterly destroying her connection to her past lives and ability to use the Avatar state. She is quite literally, no longer the avatar any more.

Now, when I first saw the tree of time and the following finale, I had dismissed it as a poorly foreshadowed deus ex machina ala to energybending in The Last Airbender. Ridiculous, but fun. However, upon rewatching season two, I find myself liking it much much better. Inside the tree of time, we see images of Korra's past. We see her fights yes, but also her friendships, her cooperation with her team in pro bending, her date with bolin. All part of her identity. Also, there the dialogue.

Tenzin: "Let go of your attachment to who you think you are, and connect with your inner spirit... I'm not talking about Raava. Raava is not who you are."

Tenzin: "Korra, the most powerful thing about you is not the spirit of Raava, but your own inner spirit. You have always been strong, unyeilding, fearless."

An image of Avatar Wan appears.

Korra: "Avatar Wan!"

Wan: "Before he fused with Raava, Wan was just a regular person."

Korra: "But he was brave... and smart... and always wanted to defend the helpless."

Tenzin: "That's right, he became a legend because of who he was not what he was. He wasn't defined by Raava, anymore than you are."

We then see Vaatunaloq attacking Republic City.

Korra: "Everyone's in danger!"

Tenzin: "You have to help them Korra."

Korra: "How?! They're halfway around the world!"

Tenzin: "Do as the ancients once did. Connect to the cosmic energy of the universe. Don't bend the elements, but the energy within yourself."

Korra: "You really think I can do this?"

Tenzin: "I have no doubt."

Korra: "Thank you for not giving up on me"

Tenzin: "I'm proud of you."


We then see Korra meditate on these memories of herself, her experiences and growth as a person. As she does so she she projects spirit from her body. Her spirit, her very identity grows greater and greater, until she's capable of taking on Vaatunaloq herself. Korra has completed her growth as a person.

We see this through out later seasons. Korra, while still hot-headed, is less so, and becomes more diplomatic and thoughtful. One example that stands out to me is when she's speaking with a clearly condescending, selfish and rude Earth Queen. Korra remains polite and respectful, and even accepts the queens side-quest. This is a far cry from her frequent arguements with President Raiko. I could honestly see a season 1 or 2 Korra attempting to strongarm the queen into cooperating.

As this applies to the players I could see it working several ways depending on who plays her.

Mac: Mac has very little investment in her characters, and is also said to be something of a control freak GM (possibly even an ego tripping GM considering how meat-grindery her games are said to be). Playing korra, she could learn to become a better roleplayer, and to be more permissive of things.

Shelby: Shelby is the ultimate munchkin. She only sees characters as a set of statistics, and most likey spends most of her play time in tournament play, which likely leads to her not having much experience with roleplaying and character development. Korra could open her up to this sort of thing, making her much better at storytelling.

Damien: Damien has struggled to form an identity for himself as a roleplayer, living in the shadow of a mother who's a legendary player. It's also stated that all of his characters tend to be brooding types. With korra, he could learn how to play different characters, and grow as a person. This also ties into Korra's development of identity.

So yeah, those are my thoughts on that.

[aurilee]

I'm preeetty sure we've at the very least heard of her before. But I could be mistaken. It does ring a bell, though. (I think.)

She appeared at the end of one session (in the first book I believe). Her appearance caused Manny and Lex to power through a big battle scene as fast as possible so that the niece wouldn't have to stick around (she's apparently very annoying).

[DeadpanSal]

Yeah, the raid on the air temple in episode 17. And then she called Lex during the Lake Laogai fight in the second book. Which is funny because when she comes up in The Beach, Lex says "You all met her! Twice!"

[moossabi]

I can't remember, was the obscure reference prophesied earlier on supposed to be in this episode or Nightmares and Daydreams (and Bears, oh my!)?

[aurilee]

Wait...the latest comic seems to imply that Katara is a non-good alignment. I thought she was supposed to be Neutral Good? Is she True Neutral or something? Or has there been no reference to her alignment before, and I'm just confusing myself?

[DeadpanSal]

I don't think Katara's non-good. It's probably just Mac being described. I wonder what everyone's alignment would be, separate from their character. The only Lawful Good player is probably Rick.

[GiantBardo]

this is amazing, thanks for the link

[aurilee]

I don't think Katara's non-good. It's probably just Mac being described. I wonder what everyone's alignment would be, separate from their character. The only Lawful Good player is probably Rick.

And the tags for #874 give a nod to this. :smalltongue:

So I guess this is more of a case of "Mac is forgetting to roleplay again", since she's trying to get Katara to do things outside of her alignment.

I have to assume at this point that Katara will willingly embrace and use bloodbending in contrast to what happened on the show. I wonder how she'll use it going forward?

[Comissar]

I keep hoping that Mac will finally start to actually roleplay, rather than just rollplaying. Also, it's fun seeing Shelby's developing crush on Lex, though I think it'll go the way of Toph/Sokka and not end up in anything.

[aurilee]

I keep hoping that Mac will finally start to actually roleplay, rather than just rollplaying. Also, it's fun seeing Shelby's developing crush on Lex, though I think it'll go the way of Toph/Sokka and not end up in anything.

Yeah, it's cute how she's taking care of him with his Knowledge (Batman) checks. ^_^

I'm thinking that maybe after she actually starts to bloodbend, Rick will come back into the game and question her on it. Given that he's the big roleplayer of the group, he might influence her in that direction. Or he might not.

[Comissar]

I'm thinking that maybe after she actually starts to bloodbend, Rick will come back into the game and question her on it. Given that he's the big roleplayer of the group, he might influence her in that direction. Or he might not.

The other option is that the Zuko/Katara joint episode (I forget the name) will push Mac to finally play Katara. Damien is probably the biggest roleplayer in the group, with the arguable exception of Rube. Rick is more of the moral centre than the roleplayer.

[aurilee]

The other option is that the Zuko/Katara joint episode (I forget the name) will push Mac to finally play Katara. Damien is probably the biggest roleplayer in the group, with the arguable exception of Rube. Rick is more of the moral centre than the roleplayer.

Sorry, by "the group" I meant the current Gaang (Katara/Sokka/Toph/Aang). Damien's definitely the biggest roleplayer. Rube is good at roleplaying, but not good at character/player separation.

Is there a whole episode of just Zuko and Katara? I remember them going after Azula near the finale, but it's been a while so maybe I'm mis-remembering. Now that you mention it though, I don't think the Zuko/Katara/Azula thing could work unless Mac actually played Katara. But then again, maybe Zuko joining the Gaang is actually just Katara bloodbending him and the entire plot is subverted. :P

[Comissar]

Sorry, by "the group" I meant the current Gaang (Katara/Sokka/Toph/Aang). Damien's definitely the biggest roleplayer. Rube is good at roleplaying, but not good at character/player separation.

You say that like the rest are good at IC/OOC separation :smalltongue:

I take your point though. With the exception of Damien, Rube, and possibly Shelby, the group seem to treat their respective characters as just themselves (admittedly to varying degrees), something that has lead to taking personal offence for IC actions in the past. Rube expresses the opposite end, finding himself only able to be expressive as Azula rather than as himself.


Is there a whole episode of just Zuko and Katara? I remember them going after Azula near the finale, but it's been a while so maybe I'm mis-remembering. Now that you mention it though, I don't think the Zuko/Katara/Azula thing could work unless Mac actually played Katara. But then again, maybe Zuko joining the Gaang is actually just Katara bloodbending him and the entire plot is subverted. :P

There is! It's just after Zuko joins, and is amongst the Boiling Rock and the Sun Warriors episodes. The pair go off to find the man who killed Katara's mother, and Katara uses Bloodbending for the last time in the series.

[DeadpanSal]

Now that you mention it though, I don't think the Zuko/Katara/Azula thing could work unless Mac actually played Katara. But then again, maybe Zuko joining the Gaang is actually just Katara bloodbending him and the entire plot is subverted. :P

Wow.


With the exception of Damien, Rube, and possibly Shelby, the group seem to treat their respective characters as just themselves (admittedly to varying degrees), something that has lead to taking personal offence for IC actions in the past. Rube expresses the opposite end, finding himself only able to be expressive as Azula rather than as himself.

Wow.

You guys aren't writing anything, are you? Because the stuff you post is gold.

[aurilee]

You say that like the rest are good at IC/OOC separation :smalltongue:

I take your point though. With the exception of Damien, Rube, and possibly Shelby, the group seem to treat their respective characters as just themselves (admittedly to varying degrees), something that has lead to taking personal offence for IC actions in the past. Rube expresses the opposite end, finding himself only able to be expressive as Azula rather than as himself.

All too true. Even Damien, who as you said is the best roleplayer, has still come to view his character as an extension of himself, and a way to explore his own demons and fears.

Dungeons and Dragons: It's therapeutic or you're doing it wrong.



There is! It's just after Zuko joins, and is amongst the Boiling Rock and the Sun Warriors episodes. The pair go off to find the man who killed Katara's mother, and Katara uses Bloodbending for the last time in the series.

Ah, forgot about that! Definitely excited to see how that plays out.



You guys aren't writing anything, are you? Because the stuff you post is gold.

My writing is generally limited to limericks, bad jokes and snarky diplomatic emails to customers.

Thank you though. :smallredface:

[Comissar]

All too true. Even Damien, who as you said is the best roleplayer, has still come to view his character as an extension of himself, and a way to explore his own demons and fears.

Dungeons and Dragons: It's therapeutic or you're doing it wrong.

Well, I always see my characters as being facets of myself (and I may have said as much up thread, I forget), but I don't take it as far as "I'm literally playing me running through this campaign world". It's hard to imagine playing a character that doesn't in some way represent a portion of my own personality, the few times I have tried rapidly lead to disinterest.

I also think Damien still has a very clearly defined boundary between himself and Zuko, he seems to be the most aware that the things that happen to Zuko are not things being directly aimed at him. I think he's also the only one in the group who's not called Manny out on being a killer DM (which he can be at times), and again I'd attribute this to his much clearer boundary between IC/OOC.


Ah, forgot about that! Definitely excited to see how that plays out.

Boiling Rock should be fun too, Suki will join the Gaang, which makes me wonder if she'll be an NPC or if there actually will be a new PC coming in. Also, wondering if these PC+Zuko episodes will be DM'd by Damien rather than Manny.

@MasterofAeons - I don't write anything, just enjoy picking things apart :smalltongue:

[aurilee]

Well, I always see my characters as being facets of myself (and I may have said as much up thread, I forget), but I don't take it as far as "I'm literally playing me running through this campaign world". It's hard to imagine playing a character that doesn't in some way represent a portion of my own personality, the few times I have tried rapidly lead to disinterest.

I play much the same way. In this case though, especially in Book 3, it seems Damien is using Zuko to help him explore his own psyche in a more deliberate way, drawing parallels between the two of them (although sometimes only at the prompting of Manny or Rick).

I think Manny in a way is partly responsible for the weakened barrier between IC and OOC for the players. He frequently used NPCs as an obvious mouthpiece for himself, which causes the PCs to react in a personal way.



I also think Damien still has a very clearly defined boundary between himself and Zuko, he seems to be the most aware that the things that happen to Zuko are not things being directly aimed at him. I think he's also the only one in the group who's not called Manny out on being a killer DM (which he can be at times), and again I'd attribute this to his much clearer boundary between IC/OOC.

Yeah, he definitely has a barrier, but as I said he's also using it as an opportunity to look back at his life and evaluate his current state of mind.

I agree with you 100% regarding Damien's relationship with Manny. I think his main problem with Manny was what happened with Rube. Damien seems protective of him now (which is adorable) and doesn't want Rube to be manipulated/hurt by Manny.

hmm..."Manny", "manipulate"....hmm... [/idle thought]



Boiling Rock should be fun too, Suki will join the Gaang, which makes me wonder if she'll be an NPC or if there actually will be a new PC coming in. Also, wondering if these PC+Zuko episodes will be DM'd by Damien rather than Manny.

Manny already hinted that Suki would be a new player didn't he? I remember Sokka getting excited by a new girl potentially joining the table.

I'm thinking those sessions might be DM'ed by Manny with Rick's assistance again (like the last one they did "together").

[DeadpanSal]

Yeah, when Lex said he planned to leave the table, Manny started dropping hints about a girl he knew coming to join as Suki. It was easy to miss it in the chaos of Rube's dilemma, but on page 661, Manny admits he lied about that.

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/145572253264/dd-aangvanced-661-the-reluctant-dragon

"News flash, idiot! I lied! I always lie!"

[Comissar]

So it seems like Manny is trying to force Mac into roleplaying through overwhelming force. I have to be honest, I forget how this episode ends in the actual series, so I'm curious to see what the resolution is here.

[aurilee]

Well that was a somewhat unexpected conclusion. Mac didn't even get to use bloodbending.

I think this is the first time we've seen Manny well and truly give up like that. Before if he got frustrated he'd just get more sadistic or railroad-y.

[eschmenk]

I think Manny in a way is partly responsible for the weakened barrier between IC and OOC for the players.

* Remembers Manny forcing the players to choke down lutefisk during the first season *

Yep, I think you could be correct there. Yep, I really do. :smallamused:

Didn't Manny drug Rick a couple of times during the first season? I'm thinking that maybe Rick should consider himself lucky that Manny isn't knocking him unconscious or giving him hallucinogens for the dream sequences anymore. Wasn't there even a brawl in the kitchen at one point?

(Sorry for the late reply.)

[aurilee]

* Remembers Manny forcing the players to choke down lutefisk during the first season *

Yep, I think you could be correct there. Yep, I really do. :smallamused:

Didn't Manny drug Rick a couple of times during the first season? I'm thinking that maybe Rick should consider himself lucky that Manny isn't knocking him unconscious or giving him hallucinogens for the dream sequences anymore. Wasn't there even a brawl in the kitchen at one point?

(Sorry for the late reply.)

Yep, he drugged him, refused to let him have water and kept the entire party sleep deprived (all separate instances, but I think those sessions were close to each other).

I don't remember a specific kitchen brawl, but yeah, it probably happened.

[Comissar]

Well, I think this is the first time I've been officially pointed out in a webcomic, so just want to say thanks to the author! You even managed to spell Comissar without the extra m! :smallbiggrin:

Incidentally, I feel like Full Metal Alchemist would make for a fantastic campaign setting, but you'd need to run it for a group who're unfamiliar with it to properly hit all the right notes.

The reveal of both the existence of Homunculi, and the fact that they're running the country are both huge things that would be awesome 'wham' moments for a campaign I think.

[DeadpanSal]

I don't think I'd particularly enjoy playing in the campaigns these guys run. The IC/OOC line is blurry to the point of the players taking personal offence if something happens to their characters, and they seem to view campaigns as being something to be beaten rather than a game to play.


We're petty. We blur the line between what's in character and out of character to the point where we hurt each other. We look at every campaign as something to beat, not as a reason to be with friends.

Wow, Comissar, you're the best player at the table.

[aurilee]

Well, I think this is the first time I've been officially pointed out in a webcomic, so just want to say thanks to the author! You even managed to spell Comissar without the extra m! :smallbiggrin:

Incidentally, I feel like Full Metal Alchemist would make for a fantastic campaign setting, but you'd need to run it for a group who're unfamiliar with it to properly hit all the right notes.

The reveal of both the existence of Homunculi, and the fact that they're running the country are both huge things that would be awesome 'wham' moments for a campaign I think.

Congrats on the mention! ^_^

Rick is getting into a lot of heavy stuff in the last couple of comics. I hope the other players can show enough maturity and responsibility to take him seriously. I think Shelby and Damien will be called to action pretty easily, but Mac and Lex may be harder.

Poor Rick. He needs a big hug.

[eschmenk]

Well, I think this is the first time I've been officially pointed out in a webcomic, so just want to say thanks to the author! You even managed to spell Comissar without the extra m! :smallbiggrin:

Grats!


Congrats on the mention! ^_^

Rick is getting into a lot of heavy stuff in the last couple of comics. I hope the other players can show enough maturity and responsibility to take him seriously. I think Shelby and Damien will be called to action pretty easily, but Mac and Lex may be harder.

Poor Rick. He needs a big hug.

Yes he does. But he needs a smack upside the head, too! And a kick in the ass. And for the other players to convince him that he's wrong rather than help him, IMO.

Somewhat ironically that's a matter of Rick muddling the distinction between IC and OOC again. In his mind, Rick is the hero who needs to save the day and he's stressing out over all that responsibility just like Aang did. Granted, it's Rube, rather than the entire world that he's trying to save, but he has the same basic attitude as Aang. However, Rick's reality is very different! He's not a hero. The person he wants to save doesn't need his help. Unfortunately, Rick doesn't understand that, so he's causing problems for himself and everyone else.

[NOTE: I originally wrote this more tentatively, but after reviewing the Island episode, I'm more convinced that I read things (mostly) correctly. I reworded some parts (and the previous paragraph(s)) and just struck some parts out.]

Damien, who may live with Rube and certainly spends much more time with him than Rick, doesn't think that Rube needs saving. I'm pretty sure that he's right and Rick is wrong. Manny, his brother, doesn't think Rube needs saving either, AFAIK. (I'm not clear if Rube is living with Damien or at the YMCA now. YMCAs used to have dorms.) Given Praxis, I'm not sure I know how reality works there, but it does seem awfully arrogant of Rick to assume that he can judge how broken Rube is or for Rick to think that he and his friends are so important that they could break Rube as easily as Rick theorized they did. Rick (and the others) were certainly wrong about Rube not being able to talk. What makes Rick so sure that he knows so much more about what's going on with Rube this time? It seems that Rick is the one who's out of touch with reality, if anyone is. To the extent that Rube is acting like he thinks he's Azula, he may just be testing the others or just intentionally messing with Rick. I'm not sure that's the case (given Praxis, I'm not sure if it's possible to be sure of anything) but I wouldn't rule it out.

To put Rick's arrogance another way, Rick tends to talk to Rube like Aang talks to Appa -- as if Rube was more of a pet than a friend. Yes, Rick is a really nice guy who means well, but I can't blame Rube for resenting the way Rick treats him and I could understand why Rube might choose to mess with Rick, given that Rube can't get Rick to treat him with more respect. [EDIT: Apparently Rube pretended to be Azula not because Rube resented how Rick was treating him, but as a crutch (he was still uncomfortable) and perhaps because he wanted to keep Rick as a friend. Still, I had the basics right.]

Damien does seem to be genuinely worried about Rick, though, which I thought was nice.

LINKS:
(I'm assuming that everyone around the fire was telling the truth, as with the cartoon episode.)

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/148262548662/dd-aangvanced-817-broken-characters-broken: Rube: "The only friend I ever had only liked me before I started talking and thinking. Now he wishes I really am retarded, because he needs to think he can fix me." I think it's pretty clear that Rube was talking about Rick there.

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/148316440928/dd-aangvanced-820-fraternal-roleplaying: No longer around the fire, Damien talks about Rube having his act together and about Rube using Azula as a crutch. I think Damien is at least mostly right. And yes, Rube has gone back to being Azula again, but I think that's because he's still not comfortable being himself, not for the reasons Rick thinks. Rube may have more resentment than Damien understands, though.

--------

Another bit of irony is that, since Manny's game is at least analogous to the real-world cartoon series and the good guys won in the cartoon series, it's probably not all that bad if the players mix IC and OOC. If they do, then hopefully, the players will rise up and do whatever is necessary in the end. Unfortunately, Azula wasn't a happy camper in the end and Lex might wind up with a broken leg, so it might not be all that great, though. But it could be that Rube, after being non-expressive for so long, will relish the opportunity to act crazy, but it will just be an act, or maybe it could be that Rube's been misdiagnosed all along and he really has major problems and the gaming will reveal it and let him get the help he needs or maybe he will be really pissed off and throw a temper tantrum. I don't know. Rick will hopefully get a chance to be a OOC hero, but I think he would be more likely to cure Manny of his addiction to power than to cure Rube.

There is a good chance that I could be completely misinterpreting things or misremembering them, so take what I said with a grain of salt.


I don't remember a specific kitchen brawl, but yeah, it probably happened.

I think I was remembering this (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/145580215594/dd-aangvanced-663-grappling-rules-and-physical). I just happened to bump into it thanks to the link in Master of Aeon's recent spoiler (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21209383&postcount=216). Looking at it again, I don't think it really counts as a brawl, but a chair was broken.

[aurilee]

@eschmenk: so much yes to all of that!

"What if we erased part of his character sheet so he can't firebend anymore?"

Damien has solidified his place as my favourite character. ^_^

[eschmenk]

And now I think it's becoming clearer why Manny had access to anti-psychotic medicine that he could slip into Rick's drinks during the first season. :smallbiggrin:

[aurilee]

And now I think it's becoming clearer why Manny had access to anti-psychotic medicine that he could slip into Rick's drinks during the first season. :smallbiggrin:

Yeah...it definitely seems like Dr. Rick was focusing on the wrong patient.

[eschmenk]

But since something seems obvious now, I'm expecting things to shift at any time, yet again... :smallamused:

[aurilee]

That is how this comic tends to work. :smallwink:

[DeadpanSal]

Yes he does. But he needs a smack upside the head, too! And a kick in the ass. And for the other players to convince him that he's wrong rather than help him, IMO.


Eschmenk is putting out some really good stuff. Rick has the best intentions of anyone at the table, but up until now just seems like he's never had any real ideas of what to do and just felt helpless about his position. It seems like the table is fought over by three major forces. The most obvious one is Manny, who basically smothers you in flavor text until you become a better player. It's done wonders for Damien and Lex, but has had zero effect on Mac. Opposite him is Rick, who kind of puts out a weak positivity where he can and sometimes just complains that the table needs some kind of glue. He takes it really hard that he can't fill that role, though I don't know why he can't step up more. And Damien and Mac are outside of that, but I think Damien is the stronger force. While Mac just wants things to go back to the way they were, most strongly in the first book, Damien's biggest goal is protecting Rube. I think it's pretty clear by this recent twist that Manny can't be the DM anymore. Someone is going to inevitably take over. But, if it's Rick, will he be ready now?

He's got his first real plan for the first time. His arc has been through confronting his own emotions and pushing away his destiny as a spotlight character, into becoming the voice of the table and undisputed main character - but under the huge (self inflicted?) burden of being up against the world's worst DM, trying to undo the damage that's been done to Rube. He's gone from blaming Manny directly - even punching the DM for being a giant jerk - into now saying "We all did this." He's being pretty responsible in saying that, as a member of the admittedly toxic table, that he isn't blameless in creating Rube. Is Rick finally on the right path and ready to save Rube, or is Eschmenk right here when he sides with Damien, who thinks that Rube doesn't need saving? Is this even a good plan?


But since something seems obvious now, I'm expecting things to shift at any time, yet again... :smallamused:

How much more can things change? What do we have, ten episodes left until Korra?

[eschmenk]

How much more can things change? What do we have, ten episodes left until Korra?

What I meant was that how to interpret things can change quite a bit pretty quickly. Just as for example, recent pages (898 and 899) make it look as if Manny has gone psychotic. I checked the episode because I suspected the screenshots had been messed with, but no, those were hallucinations that Aang had because he was extremely sleep deprived. Just for the sake of an example, what if we found out that Rick's tiredness cause him to hallucinate everything on those pages. Now all of the sudden Manny wouldn't have been psychotic. I don't actually expect that, but things like that do seem to happen sometimes. I think it's just that the characters each have a unique viewpoint, so their narratives aren't consistent and the "information" that we have to interpret tend to vary depending on the situation and which character is driving the narrative at the time.

As somewhat of another example of something that could make things look very differnt, I just spotted that I misremembered some things in the earlier comment. It turns out that Rube is living with Rick (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/145931731204/dd-aangvanced-698-transition), so maybe Rick is in a much better position to judge Rube than I thought. And there Manny is acting like he really believes Rube could get lost in Azula's personality. :smallconfused: And just a few pages earlier, Rick calls Manny a "psychotic idiot." At the time, I wouldn't have thought that he really meant the "psychotic" part, but now I think he did.

-------------

Page 900 (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/151431729172/dd-aangvanced-900-game-plan-redux): DAMMIT RICK! Never say, "What could go wrong?" or "Why should we be afraid?" even if you have a Shelby! :smallyuk:

I'll easily believe that Rick's plan can work on Manny since Manny thinks it can work (and it's easy to see where the screencaps would come from to show it), but I'll have trouble accepting that Rick's plan could work on Rube unless Rube becomes convinced that it will work. Maybe if, after he's cured at the very end, Manny goes to Rube and apologizes and tells Rube that he loves him and Rick apologizes for talking down to him then Rube will relax and be OK. :smallconfused: That won't fit the cartoon episodes, though. The author would have to get artwork from elsewhere.

I actually kind of dislike the way Rick and Manny plan to "fix" Rube because it seems very high-handed. They aren't giving Rube any choice in the matter. Should they be trying to "fix" Rube without his permission?

[Ronnoc]

There's something that's been bugging me for a while. Rick is a psychology student meaning he likely has not been liscensed as a psychologist. Despite this he's been attempting to treat Rube's laundry list of disorders. Practicing any form of medicine, including psychology, is illegal at least in the U.S. and will definitely prevent you from ever working in the field in any official capacity. Beyond chronic hero syndrome why is Rick trying to treat Rube himself rather than going to a professional?

[DeadpanSal]

Rick is the Dr. Phil of this world. He doesn't have a license, but he's on the case!

No, seriously. Rick is in way over his head and totally should be stopped before he hurts someone. Ronnoc is right, Rick's good intentions are ultimately pretty negligent. Edit: He's at least aware that he has a chronic hero syndrome, but like Rube says, he's out to prove something more than anything. He wants for Rube to need his help, even though it might not be necessary.

[aurilee]

There's something that's been bugging me for a while. Rick is a psychology student meaning he likely has not been liscensed as a psychologist. Despite this he's been attempting to treat Rube's laundry list of disorders. Practicing any form of medicine, including psychology, is illegal at least in the U.S. and will definitely prevent you from ever working in the field in any official capacity. Beyond chronic hero syndrome why is Rick trying to treat Rube himself rather than going to a professional?

Like Master of Aeons said, the whole point here is that Rick *shouldn't* be trying to help Rube in the way that he is. He's still just a student, and he's treating Rube like a school project. What Rube needs is an actual friend, someone to support him. Once Rick finishes is training, then maybe he could help Rube in a professional way. Right now though, Rick truly believes that he's qualified to "fix" Rube. But he's clearly not. Whether or not Rube really even needs serious psychological help (and not just therapy or some good friendships) is up for debate too.

[Quillfeather]

There's something that's been bugging me for a while. Rick is a psychology student meaning he likely has not been licensed as a psychologist. Despite this, he's been attempting to treat Rube's laundry list of disorders. Practising any form of medicine, including psychology, is illegal at least in the U.S. and will definitely prevent you from ever working in the field in any official capacity. Beyond chronic hero syndrome why is Rick trying to treat Rube himself rather than going to a professional?

This has been bugging me for a while too, but more because I think of Ricks actions sometimes are off character for him. I don't know that Rick shouldn't be helping Rube. I think there is room for him to be helping him as a friend, but Rick goes about it in a weird way. The way he talks about it is not the way a physiologist would especially in front of Rube himself. This idea if "fixing" a person is not the nomenclature someone as emotionally considerate and intelligent as Rick has been presented to us would use; so why does he?

Here's a thought.

During the chase Rube cautions the group saying "Rick is probably analyzing you", and later goes on to classify everyone like a psychologist would. Rube also makes a comment about handing him the campaign. Later Rube talks about wanting his friend back relating to Rick. I think at some point Rube and Rick spent more time together and Rube either got a hold of notes Rick had on the group or Rick talked about his professional thoughts with him and due to Manny's abuse, Rube's insecurities, and Rick's and the groups perceived pity towards Rube he uses that information to gain leverage for Azula and he begins to do just as much damage to the group as Manny does.

I think guilt may account for a lot of Ricks actions. Guilt beyond just shouldering a burden but actually doing something seriously wrong. Now if Rick shared his thoughts with Rube or left notes about and suspects Rube might have gotten a hold of them. He would feel responsible and that might account for some of Ricks odd behavior and detachments up to where we are now in the comic. If this is true I think this is where the "fix" comments are coming from.

This comic is rooted in the flaws of the people at this table. Manny to some degree actually had good intentions at the beginning. He wants to make these people, well at least Damian, better players. Along the way though he loses himself to the power of the DM Screen. I think 481 - Recurring Character puts a fine point on Damien's issues. He is stuck and Manny see's this. Shelby is a mechanic prodigy and has a mysterious and hinted at violent and shady past & reputation. She is also an apparent mentor of Mac's. Where Shelby is talented with game mechanics I think Mac is well learned. I think Mac shares a few of Manny's traits just with different motivations behind them. Lex starts off happy to be at the table gaming and acting out his most recent, apparently semi-flawed character concept, but more so he is a kind of lapdog to Mac really relying on her for a lot of things. Rick like Lex is at the table to be with friends and wants everyone to have a good time. I think flaws of innocence and a hero complex are too simple for this comic, so it makes sense to me to have Rick, the super positive happy guy at the table, actually making things worse.

[Sapphire Guard]

I thought that was canon? I can't point to a page, but I seem to remember Azula using Rick's psych notes to exploit the party's weaknesses.

And even excluding everything else, psychoanalysing your friends by stealth is a pretty dickish thing to do.

[Quillfeather]

I couldn't find a direct reference and I don't recall Rick ever taking Rube to task on it. Considering his field of study I could see him writing down his observations just for himself. Now if he was talking to Rube about things and/or sharing his notes thats dickish.

[eschmenk]

During the chase Rube cautions the group saying "Rick is probably analyzing you", and later goes on to classify everyone like a psychologist would.


I thought that was canon? I can't point to a page, but I seem to remember Azula using Rick's psych notes to exploit the party's weaknesses.

And even excluding everything else, psychoanalysing your friends by stealth is a pretty dickish thing to do.

On the page immediately before the one I highlighted above, Rube claims he was exploiting Rick's notes to tear the group apart, then, as Quillfeather said, he classifies everyone as if he got the classifications from Rick's notes. I think that's probably what you are remembering. I don't believe Rube, though. I doubt that Rick classified himself in his own notes, and he unless it was an extremely recent and short-term observation, he wouldn't have said that he was "exhausted." (He was exhausted right then because Manny and Rube weren't letting him or the others sleep.) I also doubt that Rick only made negative comments about everyone, including himself. I think Rube was just messing with them, but it could be read differently.

As Quillfeather said, that was in the "Chase" episode, specifically pages 151 and 152 in the Book 2 cbr file.

I can't blame a psychology student for taking what they learned and wondering how well it might apply to the people they know, but I would agree that they should keep most of that analysis to themselves.

Having said that, I love the way Rick impersonated Shelby in the episode after that one:

I'm Shelby! What's restraint? I rolled a 97 on a D-3!

[DeadpanSal]

I can't even tell you how hard I'm shipping Lexby right now.

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/151572286169/theconstantfangirl-knows-whats-up

LET! SHELBY! AND! LEX! GET! TOGETHER!

It's taking forever and I just want to see them end up together already. Everyone at this table is miserable and they could just be happy together!

[Comissar]

http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/151572286169/theconstantfangirl-knows-whats-up

LET! SHELBY! AND! LEX! GET! TOGETHER!

It's taking forever and I just want to see them end up together already. Everyone at this table is miserable and they could just be happy together!

Patience! Shelby's still working up to asking Lex out properly.

[aurilee]

Patience! Shelby's still working up to asking Lex out properly.

And it will be so rewarding when it does.

On the flipside, the Aang-Katara relationship is hilarious. The idea of Katara having Aang in her inventory is oddly cute. :smalltongue:

I also fully approve of "Mannyfestation"

[Comissar]

Oh, I just got that they're all printers

Got it quicker than I did, Rick...

[DeadpanSal]

I'm glad we're back up to three pages a day. It's nice to see Rube playing someone other than Azula. He seems happier doing that. Too bad there's no scenes of Haru defeating Azula, or we'd have a good ending to this comic right here.

And Praxis and his band of freedom fighters: Jet, Laser, 3D, Toner, and Dot Matrix. They're all printer names. That may be the worst joke in the world.

[aurilee]

Yeah, it was the Dot Matrix that tipped me off before. :smalltongue:

Rube naturally made his previous character a total badass and in the process gives him a brand new ability he just made up. Plus someone to talk for him. Rube may have his issues, but he's good.

[eschmenk]

Rube naturally made his previous character a total badass and in the process gives him a brand new ability he just made up. Plus someone to talk for him. Rube may have his issues, but he's good.

My impression is that Rube is the smartest and most well-rounded person at the table.

I'm noticing again that it appears that Rube knows that Rube (not Azula) is the person who revised Tsuki's character and is roleplaying both Tsuki and his uncle. Rick, are you noticing that?

One thing that's jumping out at me from the screencaps is how obvious it is that Katara really likes Tsuki. I could easily imagine that Mac would try to add another guy to her inventory immediately after adding Aang and I'm sure that the mention of diamonds and gems and the fact that he apparently managed to steal so much that he has a huge reward on his head made him look really good in Mac's eyes :smallbiggrin: , but I'm wondering how that played out in the cartoon. I don't remember. :smallconfused: In the cartoon, Aang only hallucinated that he kissed Katara, but it was obvious that he was attracted to her, and here she was obviously attracted to Tsuki in front of Aang. A jealous avatar might be a bad thing, but I don't remember that happening. I guess I could do more re-watching. Come to think of it, although I don't remember any screencaps that would support it, I could image this a cruel way for Rube to manipulate and hurt Mac.

[DeadpanSal]

I'm not sure that the Katara/Aang relationship ties in to how Rick or Mac feel about each other. In fact, against all odds it seems like this is the first real example of Mac roleplaying. But Mac's relationship with Rube as he played Tsuki was more supportive and mentoring. If she has romantic feelings for him, she hasn't shown any. Mac doesn't seem to show many of her emotions, actually. Except anger.


Come to think of it, although I don't remember any screencaps that would support it, I could image this a cruel way for Rube to manipulate and hurt Mac.

When Rube comes against the party, he tends to go for the weakest person at the table to eliminate. First, that was driving Lex into a depression. Then he followed up by attacking his brother's character. He was supposed to go after Rick/Aang by killing Appa too, but refused. Going with the content that's coming in this invasion arc, I'm worried about who Rube might zero in on this time.

[eschmenk]

I'm not sure that the Katara/Aang relationship ties in to how Rick or Mac feel about each other. In fact, against all odds it seems like this is the first real example of Mac roleplaying. But Mac's relationship with Rube as he played Tsuki was more supportive and mentoring. If she has romantic feelings for him, she hasn't shown any. Mac doesn't seem to show many of her emotions, actually. Except anger.
Mac is incredibly greedy, at least when she plays. She's the one who keeps wanting to do something completely merciless or unethical for the sake of increasing her loot. (Think of the way Haley seemed to be in OOTS.) I think the way Mac feels about Rick is shown in the bottom half of this page (http://dandaangvanced.tumblr.com/post/151520979719/dd-aangvanced-902-shipping-fee). I don't think the way Katara seems to be acting with Tsuki now is any different than what just happened with Aang. I think that the way Tsuki's uncle described Tsuki was intended to explain / make a joke out of Katara's interest in him. Katara is just reflecting Mac's greed. She's a very material girl this time around. At least, that's how I read it.

That greed could leave Mac very vulnerable, of course. That's why I was wondering if there will be more to it than just explaining Katara's behavior toward Tsuki. On second thought, I'm rather doubting it, but I wouldn't want to underestimate Rube, so I don't really know.

[aurilee]

My impression is that Rube is the smartest and most well-rounded person at the table.

I'm noticing again that it appears that Rube knows that Rube (not Azula) is the person who revised Tsuki's character and is roleplaying both Tsuki and his uncle. Rick, are you noticing that?

For sure. If anything these last few strips have shown that Rick is coddling Rube and underestimating his emotional/mental stability. Damien seems to understand Rube a lot better.

[Comissar]

Rick, no... :smallfrown:

I was wondering how the Azula scene would play out here, looks like Rick's unintentionally goading Rube into a poor mind set (up until now, Rube seems to have been enjoying himself with the invasion). Also makes me wonder how the fight at the end between Azula/Zuko will play out. Given it's Damien, not Rick, who'll be facing off against Rube there, I imagine it'll be either heavy roleplay (plus Mac's rollplay), or Damien just genuinely understanding Rube and helping him as a friend rather than trying to fix him.

Speaking of Damien, and I know I'm a few pages late commenting on it, it seems getting told there's no space for his roleplay is pushing him back into his shell (based on his shift back to the relatively emotionless white bubbles).

[eschmenk]

Rick, no... :smallfrown:

I was wondering how the Azula scene would play out here, looks like Rick's unintentionally goading Rube into a poor mind set (up until now, Rube seems to have been enjoying himself with the invasion). Also makes me wonder how the fight at the end between Azula/Zuko will play out. Given it's Damien, not Rick, who'll be facing off against Rube there, I imagine it'll be either heavy roleplay (plus Mac's rollplay), or Damien just genuinely understanding Rube and helping him as a friend rather than trying to fix him.

Speaking of Damien, and I know I'm a few pages late commenting on it, it seems getting told there's no space for his roleplay is pushing him back into his shell (based on his shift back to the relatively emotionless white bubbles).

I'm not sure what you mean by "poor mindset," but I do think Rube is seeing some more confirmation that he'll need to teach Rick a lesson, at least. I don't think that your alternatives for the final battle with Azula are mutually exclusive. I think both are probably right. If Rube wants to roleplay, then treating him like a friend might mean just roleplaying with him and doing your best to defeat him, but in a non-patronizing way. BTW, speaking of commenting on something a few pages back, did you notice Mac's hilariously bad first attempt at roleplaying during her romantic scene with Rick? (Not that Rick did any better.) At least, I think that was an attempt at roleplaying...

Ooh, I think I may have just figured something out! :smallsmile:

OK, it ties in with what you said about Damien and what I just said about Mac. I agree that Damien set aside his roleplaying for the day in order to cooperate with Rick's plan to "fix" Rube. That would explain the "One more day with a stiff upper lip. One more mask to wear" statement and the switch to a white background, as you mentioned. Rick's plan is going to fail, of course. So that's going to leave Damien having to convince everyone that what to do (for Rube, at least) is to roleplay and have fun with Rube and treat him like an equal, not what Rick thought. That could correspond to Zukko trying to rejoin the party at the west temple. (Zukko had to get them to trust him and let him join; Damien has to get them to trust what he says about Rube.) But Mac doesn't know how to roleplay. So the extra stuff between Katara and Zukko could be Damien helping Mac practice roleplaying. (That was a stumbling block for me -- I couldn't figure out how to work in the idea that it was primarily Katara who didn't want Zukko back.) I don't how to work in Zukko burning Troph's feet, though.

And going back to what you originally said, one argument for predicting that the ending would involve heavy roleplaying is how incredibly cheesy it would be if ultimately it was roleplaying that saved the day. :smallbiggrin:

BTW, I'm happy to see some signs of Sokka being a "creative and competent tactician" (cast page). I'm glad to see Lex stop being the butt of too many jokes (IMO). I couldn't figure out how Shelby could be attracted to him. To be honest, the illiteracy jokes came across as being excessively cruel to me, so I'm glad to see something counteract that.