The Purpose of this Arc's length:

[TheBST]

Given the amount of time spent on it, this 'Broken Order' arc (is there a consensus on what we're calling it yet?) has to fullfil a purpose within the overall plot of the strip. I think we can trust Rich as a storyteller about that.

Obviously it's given us a realistic timeframe for V to start to crack and given Elan, Haley and Roy some genuine character development, as well as cementing Team Evil as a true military power in the world.

But I'm guessing there's been something behind the scenes developing during all this time for Rich to spring on us later (or since we might have a scene change after #600. soon).

A few guesses on a possible ulterior reason for this arc's timespan:


1. Brings us closer to Belkar's death.
2. Allows a realistic amount of time for Nale to seize a gate, or to appeal to
him and Elan's father for troops and supplies.
3. Allows Team Evil enough time to build an armada to sail towards Girard's
Gate....and straight towards the Azurite Fleet, minus their best caster...
4. Allows Sabine's bosses time to formulate their own schemes.
5. Allows enough time for the Azure City Resistance to prepare for a full-scale revolution.
6. Maybe Rich just wanted to enjoy writing some tangential stories after the
Battle and the tale grew in the telling...

Side note: Roy claimed to have 'remembered everything' last time we saw him. Info on the Gates, perhaps or something important from Origin of PCs?
(Haven't bought it. Times are tight)



Anyone one else got a theory?

[Mariel Dragon]

the thing with roy remembering is just, that he remembers everything the Oracle told him, because he did not pass through the Memory Charm. The rest sounds more or less plausible

[Grey Watcher]

I suspect there's at least some element of theory #6 involved. In the commentary for No Cure for the Paladin Blues Rich......admitted that the Bandit Arc an longer than anticipated, which forced him to hustle to get Miko onstage for #200. Some of the bonus strips in that book are strips that he apparently wanted to do in the main run, but realized that it would've dragged things out even further.

[Njord]

about the the Armada thing:

I haven`t actually read the SOD book, so I`m not sure about the nature of redcloack and Xykon relationship, but I think that we might see a break here, because instead of giving time to them have "an armada" it seems to me that redcloack was just constructing the goblinoid reign, and I don`t think that we will see any more of these huge armies going against places for redcloack wouldn't want them to get hurt.

[batsofchaos]

I think the length is entirely intentional, and the reason folks feel that it's dragging is due to the update schedule. Taking a gander at the archives, this current arc if defined as "after the break" (485 on-ward, which encompasses Roy's time in heaven to the present), we're at about 115 strips. Comparitively, the war on Azure City, starting at Xykon's appearance at the watch-towers up until the Order being seperated is 117 strips. It's not like this arc is so incredibly much longer than anything else that's happened in the strip. It might feel that way since we're given one or two pages at a time, one to three times a week. That pace, which is a reasonable pace, seems to make the story slow way down. But reading through the archives the story's pace feels natural.

I know a lot of folks are getting impatient waiting for Roy to come back, but this segment of the story with the Order broken is very important. Lots of stuff has happened with promises of even more stuff happening, and the story is noticably pulling forward.

[Heroic]

I think the sole purpose of this story arc being long is to make the expected resurrection of Roy very climatic and dramatic.

[David Argall]

A few guesses on a possible ulterior reason for this arc's timespan:

1. Brings us closer to Belkar's death.
Belkar's death is not time sensitive, or was not until recently.


2. Allows a realistic amount of time for Nale to seize a gate, or to appeal to
him and Elan's father for troops and supplies.
Time in and out of comic are not at all related. The day of the siege took 67+ strips. The next 112+ days were covered in 16 strips [some of which may have happened the night of the siege]. The plot does not need any space to advance the calendar for such a purpose.


3. Allows Team Evil enough time to build an armada to sail towards Girard's
Gate....and straight towards the Azurite Fleet, minus their best caster...
And since they are minus their best caster, it is most unlikely Team Evil will battle the fleet. NPC vs NPC gets very little space.


4. Allows Sabine's bosses time to formulate their own schemes.
5. Allows enough time for the Azure City Resistance to prepare for a full-scale revolution.
Again, the plot does not need to waste strips to note the passage of time. Haley noted this with "Later that evening.". The strip needs merely say "A year later..."


6. Maybe Rich just wanted to enjoy writing some tangential stories after the
Battle and the tale grew in the telling...
A theory that at least has some potential. Our writer has in fact hinted he might add in another book or two if things go well. [Now just what that means is open to dispute, but he seems open to the possibility of expanding the plot.]


Anyone one else got a theory?
Well, one would be that our writer wants to end the current book with a splash page of Roy returned, which means he has to get in 60 more pages of problems for the party.

[Kish]

about the the Armada thing:

I haven`t actually read the SOD book, so I`m not sure about the nature of redcloack and Xykon relationship,
No offense, but it makes a rather huge difference to the rest of your post, and I can't say more without spoilering you. :smalltongue:

[InuSaga]

This is something I thought about the other day after I received my copy of War and XPs. I think it may seem like Roy's been dead forever and the Order is never going to get back together and this is taking WAY longer than it has to. Yet, I believe it's because we're getting the story a comic at a time and have to wait a few days between updates. When you read the strips one right after another, even with the bonus material, it actually flows well and doesn't drag out.

Finally, an excuse to state my opinion.:smallsmile:

[Morgan Wick]

I'm not buying the "it's only because of the update schedule" crowd. It now looks like this arc is going to span this entire book. Things like V going insane and Haley confronting her past and even Elan meeting Therkla are almost certainly of great import.

[Lord Seth]

I think the sole purpose of this story arc being long is to make the expected resurrection of Roy very climatic and dramatic.The problem is, if it goes on for much longer like it is, it'll be less of a dramatic climax and more of a "oh, FINALLY he's back".

[Lumenadducere]

I'd agree that this arc seems like it's going to be the majority of the next book, but I'm okay with that. Considering everything that's happened since the end of the last one, I doubt we're going to be seeing too much more beyond the reunion of the OotS.

[RosesOnConcrete]

I agree that the length has something to do with the book. The last big splash page is gonna be either Roy back and ready to kick some ass, or the Order reunited.

[FabuVinny]

The current arc is the next book. Rich says as much in the commentary of War and XPs.

He also says that taking detours before getting back to the main quest is a part of OOTS. That's exactly what this is - a huge detour created by the loss at Azure City that has no easy fix, albeit with multiple developments to the main plot happening in the background.