To get someone interested in OOTS, which one strip would you pick?

[Mad Humanist]

You can just pick one strip and say why you think that one strip would get someone interested.

[Fyraltari]

Power Word: Annoy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0306.html)

It's hilarious and self-contained enough that you don't need to know anything about the characters or story to understand what is going on.

[D.One]

You can just pick one strip and say why you think that one strip would get someone interested.

If you wanna go for an emotional moment, pick Responsible (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0496.html). I've read it dozens of times, and still brings me to tears.

[Sir_Norbert]

But that spoils Roy's death, and I'm not sure how much it would mean to someone who wasn't already familiar with the characters.

[Jasdoif]

301 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0301.html) has long been one of my favorites. Plus, the dense standalone comedy of warring sapient movie snacks, concurrent with the abrupt tragedy of Milk Dudes, will be a good indicator of whether a particular reader will enjoy the underlying tone of the comic.

[martianmister]

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0035.html I'm sorry

[monomer]

I like 122 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0122.html), since it is still early on in the series, doesn't require you know the characters, and it builds the world as a generally silly place.

[Peelee]

Power Word: Annoy (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0306.html)

It's hilarious and self-contained enough that you don't need to know anything about the characters or story to understand what is going on.


301 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0301.html) has long been one of my favorites. Plus, the dense standalone comedy of warring sapient movie snacks, concurrent with the abrupt tragedy of Milk Dudes, will be a good indicator of whether a particular reader will enjoy the underlying tone of the comic.


I like 122 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0122.html), since it is still early on in the series, doesn't require you know the characters, and it builds the world as a generally silly place.

All those are solid, but I'm gonna toss in The Hook (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0211.html). It has all the strengths of the quoted strips, but additionally allows the reader to read the next few strips as well, if they want to get a slightly more in-depth look at the comic, since it's an isolated little side-quest.

[D.One]

I also like very much Plot, Ahoy! (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0013.html) as a starting point, since it gives even the characters a contextualization.

[KorvinStarmast]

Hard to pick just one.
This one captures the comic element (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0025.html) and offers a few standard characterization points.

[Ruck]

Some good suggestions here.

#428, It Takes a Thief (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0428.html), was the strip that first got me into OOTS.

Lately I've been thinking that #150, A Comic as Lovely as a Tree (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0150.html), would be a good introductory strip, because it's pretty funny in a particular way that doesn't really require any foreknowledge of the characters or of D&D (everything you need to know about Durkon for the joke is right there in the strip), and it's also the start of another plot arc.

[LadyEowyn]

I think I'd go with #541, He's a Gamblin...Thing (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0541.html)

It's a good setup to pique a reader's attention. The whole sequence is highly engaging, with lots of funny and awsome moments and some poignant ones, and it gives you an immediate sense of the personalities of all the members of Team Evil as well as O-Chul, there's enough exposition (re: the Rifts and the Snarl and the Plan) to give you a sense of what's at stake, but not so much as to be bewildering.

And the next section is Elan and the orcs, which also is fun and doesn't require much context.

Sure, starting here spoils some things, but I started this comic midway through DSTP and liked it. If I'd started near the beginning, or even in Book 2, I'd probably never have bothered reading the whole thing. Best to introduce people once the writing is strong and then let them go back and catch up.

[martianmister]

Funniest strips, according to my tastes:

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0016.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0024.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0081.html
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0164.html

[Lord Torath]

I've always liked #538: Fiend or Foe (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0538.html) as an introductory comic. It's not rules-based, has a ton of funny lines, and unless the person is really paying close attention, is non-spoilery.

Although for that criteria, #16: Turn of Phrase (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0016.html) is also pretty good, as cited by Martian Mister above, with no risk of spoiler.

[D.One]

Despite the fact that I'll Hold Them Off (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0472.html) is mid-plot, the joke is quite complete there, and makes reference to a phenomenon that happens in RPG, but also in movies, comics, books, etc. Also, it doesn't spoil that much if read as a standalone.

[Riarra]

The two that convinced me to start reading were 423 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0423.html) and 766 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0766.html). I've been considering 761 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0761.html) as a hook for my pun-happy brother, but that one's a little spoilery.

[Throknor]

I don't know if it's as true now, but #130 It's Not a Gaming Session Until Someone Quotes Monty Python (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0136.html)

Did it for me at least.

[Potatopeelerkin]

I dunno if it's the BEST choice, but having actually been in that situation I picked 220 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0220.html) and it worked.

That being said, we were talking about explosive runes at the time.

[Mad Humanist]

For me what I like about OOTS is the deep sense of the value of life. But it is difficult to capture that in one strip.

The most self-contained funny strip for me is 226 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0226.html).

[SlashDash]

I actually have 2 which I usually send to people.

Sorry, hard to look up the index on my phone, but the first one is the Test of the Mind strip.

Since most people are somewhat familiar with riddle, that shows the kind of humor the comics is into it.

Usually comes with good results.




For people I know who are more gamers, I usually opt to show the "Go Team Cleric" strip.

[Mad Humanist]

I actually have 2 which I usually send to people.

Sorry, hard to look up the index on my phone, but the first one is the Test of the Mind strip.

Since most people are somewhat familiar with riddle, that shows the kind of humor the comics is into it.

Usually comes with good results.




For people I know who are more gamers, I usually opt to show the "Go Team Cleric" strip.

You sound like an OOTS-vangelist. I now have a mental image of you printing those two strips of as pamphlets and going door-to-door.

[Peelee]

I actually have 2 which I usually send to people.

Sorry, hard to look up the index on my phone, but the first one is the Test of the Mind strip.

Since most people are somewhat familiar with riddle, that shows the kind of humor the comics is into it.

Usually comes with good results.




For people I know who are more gamers, I usually opt to show the "Go Team Cleric" strip.

Test of Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0327.html) and Go Team Cleric (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0077.html) for ya.

[2.5 cats]

I got a friend hook on OotS with #685 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0685.html) (featuring Buggy Lou) after explaining that Belkar was the evil member of the otherwise-good adventuring party. But them it may just be my friend's sense of humor. :smallsmile:

[Ruck]

Test of Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0327.html) and Go Team Cleric (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0077.html) for ya.

I did share "The Test of the Mind" recently somewhere else with some friends (who would be relatively OOTS-sympathetic) when they were discussing the logic problem described therein.

[DaLucaray]

Some good suggestions here.

#428, It Takes a Thief (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0428.html), was the strip that first got me into OOTS.



I kinda agree with this one- the rest have jokes and all, but this strip showcases one of my favorite parts of OotS- intelligent and rational characters with different perspectives making smart choices. There are better sources of comedy out there, but this kind of headyness is something I just don't find most of the time and keeps me coming back and invested in the plot.

[Son of A Lich!]

I'm going to cheat and use a two-page page, Truth (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0393.html).

It doesn't take a lot to decode exactly what is going on. We get that Nale and Elan are rival twins, that Elan becomes a decent fighter, Thog is a goofy barbarian, Nale is manipulative, Haley has a whole host of depth to her character and I personally think that the love between Elan and Haley is likely the most powerful element the story has to bring to the table.

Plus, y'know, Leprechaun costume. What better way to get get someone trying to piece together what is going on then making them ask "I get all this, but why is the orc dressed up as a leprechaun?"

[Jay R]

Does the person know 3.5 rules well?
Does the person know about, and/or care about, the rules differences from 3.0 to 3.5?
A Monty Python fan?
Like logic puzzles?
Care about Good/Evil considerations?
Like sentimental stories?

There are lots of good strips. Pick one that's best for that individual.

[Windscion]

Why would anyone with too short an attention span to read more than one strip be interested in OotS?

[Laze]

That one (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0216.html) actually got me to read the comic. I think it's a pretty good indication of what's going on it the comic, but without spoiling any plot and character arcs.

[GrayGriffin]

Why would anyone with too short an attention span to read more than one strip be interested in OotS?

I think it's mostly referring to how the first few strips don't show off the current nature of OotS that well.

[Mad Humanist]

Does the person know 3.5 rules well?
Does the person know about, and/or care about, the rules differences from 3.0 to 3.5?
A Monty Python fan?
Like logic puzzles?
Care about Good/Evil considerations?
Like sentimental stories?

There are lots of good strips. Pick one that's best for that individual.

Let's assume that we don't know the answer to any f those questions but we have some other reason for trying. And don't answer with the "best one". If it tells us anything about you at all, it's probably something you did not mean to tell us.

[Lombard]

I'll go purist and say #1 since it worked for me

[martianmister]

Why would anyone with too short an attention span to read more than one strip be interested in OotS?

It's like gateway drugs, when you've got them, you'll gonna hold them for ever more.

[Ruck]

Let's assume that we don't know the answer to any f those questions but we have some other reason for trying. And don't answer with the "best one". If it tells us anything about you at all, it's probably something you did not mean to tell us.

That's a strange and kind of aggressive thing to say.

[Mad Humanist]

That's a strange and kind of aggressive thing to say.

Yeah maybe I overreacted. I was annoyed at the cheap nonanswer of a post, but maybe I was bit harsh.

[Ruck]

I think it's tricky to get an answer to something like this that isn't going to involve personal preference in some form. At the same time, the strip that got me into the series did so for the reasons DaLucaray outlined here:


Some good suggestions here.

#428, It Takes a Thief (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0428.html), was the strip that first got me into OOTS.


I kinda agree with this one- the rest have jokes and all, but this strip showcases one of my favorite parts of OotS- intelligent and rational characters with different perspectives making smart choices. There are better sources of comedy out there, but this kind of headyness is something I just don't find most of the time and keeps me coming back and invested in the plot.

But I'm also hesitant to recommend that strip because it drops the reader directly into the middle of a huge battle where they could easily get lost without context. It also has Roy's death like 15 strips afterward. On the other hand, for me, the fact that OOTS was willing to go on such an epic scale and actually have its lead die intrigued me enough to keep going. But I can see a lot of people reading that and thinking "I have no idea what's going on; why did you choose this for me to read?"

[thelivingmonkey]

For me it was strip #3. I was on a pathfinder forum, of all places and someone linked it as part of a point they were making. I was like "oh, it's only the third one there's probably like 50 i might as well read them" then got sucked in.

I think any of the early ones would work, because it isn't too much of a commitment to go back to the start to catch up and it's hard to stop once you start.

[Joerg]

I suggest 673 (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0673.html). It's the start of a story arc / book, and together with the following strips has a lot of exposition to the main characters and the story. They are also rather light hearted and don't require much D&D knowledge, but still have nice insider jokes for the roleplayers.