All Teams Must Have a Thog

[PontificatusRex]

By with I do not mean all teams must have a murderous half orc who likes puppies and slicing through soft, defenseless flesh.

Rather, every team must have a member possessed of child-like innocence and a - dare I say it - sunny disposition, whether they are on the side of Good, Evil or Neutral. Thog, Elan, the MiTD, Oona taking on the role now that the Monster has matured and become more thoughtful, and now our new friend the beholder.

This is not at all a dis at Rich being unoriginal or anything, I think it's fun. And given how the story is so much about parent/child relationships, it creates lots of chances to explore that dynamic without the necessity of biological ties.

[KorvinStarmast]

I disagree.
The best teams do not have a mental midget, nor a complete fool, in their midst.
In D&D, stupidity kills more often than the wiles of the DM.
(One of my favorite scenes in OoTS is the series of strips showing Roy outsmarting Thog, culminating with the very satisfying end of their gladiatorial contest)

But if you have +19 plot armor? OK, suffer a fool gladly. :smallsmile:

[PontificatusRex]

I basically disagree.
The best teams do not have a mental midget in their midst.
In D&D, stupidity kills more often than the wiles of the DM.

I should clarify: All teams in this strip (with the possible exception of the Vector Legion). Not every gaming group.

[KorvinStarmast]

I should clarify: All teams in this strip (with the possible exception of the Linear Guild). Not every gaming group. Aah, that's a bit different. :smallsmile:

[Fyraltari]

I should clarify: All teams in this strip (with the possible exception of the Linear Guild). Not every gaming group.

Did you mean the Vector Legion? Because the Linear Guild most definitely has a Thog in the form of Thog.

[pearl jam]

I think that's safe to assume. :P

[PontificatusRex]

Did you mean the Vector Legion? Because the Linear Guild most definitely has a Thog in the form of Thog.

Arg, yes, fixed now.

[Precure]

Don't ya forget Yor and Enor!

[masamune1]

I should clarify: All teams in this strip (with the possible exception of the Vector Legion). Not every gaming group.

Tarquin is the Elan of the Vector Legion.

[Peelee]

Don't ya forget Yor and Enor!

Yor, Hunter from the Future (https://images.moviesanywhere.com/2b565b0ee88b3bf7385e0e0a80d530a1/93a2fe37-c76e-4955-b917-58ec90e44624.jpg)?

[Potatopeelerkin]

Who's the Thog in the Inter-Fiend Cooperation Commission?

[Emanick]

Who's the Thog in the Inter-Fiend Cooperation Commission?

Obviously, it's Sabine's "vessel (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1183.html)."

[Precure]

Yor, Hunter from the Future (https://images.moviesanywhere.com/2b565b0ee88b3bf7385e0e0a80d530a1/93a2fe37-c76e-4955-b917-58ec90e44624.jpg)?

No. Yor, Fighter from the Thieves Guild (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0615.html).

[Fyraltari]

Who's the Thog in the Inter-Fiend Cooperation Commission?

Thog. The Linear Guild (unwittingly) worked for the IFCC, remember?

[Fincher]

I disagree.
The best teams do not have a mental midget, nor a complete fool, in their midst.
In D&D, stupidity kills more often than the wiles of the DM.
(One of my favorite scenes in OoTS is the series of strips showing Roy outsmarting Thog, culminating with the very satisfying end of their gladiatorial contest)

But if you have +19 plot armor? OK, suffer a fool gladly. :smallsmile:

What if they're only kind of like this? I once played a woman in Call of Cthulhu who was an arty eccentric drunk who had a habit of being impulsive, often to a fault, but I made sure to limit her crazier ideas to situations where the other players would vote her down or where they actually made sense in context.

[Quizatzhaderac]

I'd say there's some sense to this, as you need some optimism or else the work takes on a nihlistic/grimdark tone. By "optimist" I mean in terms of how the character interprets events, not so much in terms of how they estimate chances of success.

Groups that don't have a stand out optimist generally have characters take turns being optimistic, or the characters are optimistic be default.

I'll add two more qualifications to be a Thog: 1) the character must be generally on board with the team's objectives; the monster in the dark doesn't count and he is unwilling to engage in team evil's standard operating procedure. 2) The character can't be dehumanized; we're not supposed to empathize with Xyklon much more than the Titanium golems.

So my list of Thogs is as follows:
Team evil 0.0: Right eye
OotS: Elan
Team evil 1.0: not applicable
Linear guild: Thog
Team Evil 2.0: Jirix
Sapphire guard: Lien
Bounty hunters: Enor
Linear guild 4.0: Not-Thog (Tarquin)
Vector Legion: Tarquin
Team Evil 3.0: Oona
Vampires: Optimistic as a group
Clan Thundershield: Optimistic as a group
Serini and pals: Sunny

In book one, team evil is never an extended focus. In books two and three, basically everything always works out for them, so there is no need for a noticeably optimistic character.


Thog in the form of Thog.I didn't know barbarians could cast polymorph (self). That is to say, the spell that polymorphs the target into yourself.