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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

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    Default OOTS Strip Summaries

    Restarted from this thread with permission so as to allow a maintained summary list in the first few posts.

    Spoiler: Rules
    Show
    Welcome, all, to the Summary of the Stick, a collaborative effort to provide a comprehensive resource for your OOTS searching needs! Contribution rules are as follows:
    • Credit: Everyone whose summary is listed in the compilation list will be added to the Contributors section with their contributions listed by their name.
    • Summary guidelines: We welcome clever and witty summaries, but above all, proposed entries should be clear: an ideal entry will summarize the content of the strip in one or at most two short sentences and, if possible, reference a memorable joke or occurrence.
    • Submitting a summary: Currently, summaries for new strips are on a first come, first serve basis; that is, the first one to provide a new summary for the new strip gets listed in the index, unless contested, in which case the following rules will be used:
    • Changing a summary: If you find a current or proposed summary entry unsatisfactory and wish to propose your own, you may do so. Once you have done so, others may also submit their own proposed revisions. After the proposed revision(s), a vote will be held.
    • Voting: A proposed replacement entry must have two positive votes to be added to the index. Any vote for the proposed entry is a positive vote; any vote against the entry is a negative vote, meaning that at least two more people must support an entry than must oppose it. If there are multiple proposed candidates, an alternate vote will be held among the options, with the original entry being considered one of the candidates. Once a vote has been called, it will close in three days unless otherwise specified by the thread maintainer (me).




    Spoiler: Contributors
    Show
    DaggerPen
    thereaper
    Gorm_the_DBA
    Shale
    martianmister
    Gwynfrid
    orrion
    SaintRidley
    ChristianSt
    Porthos
    TheWombatOfDoom
    unbeliever536
    rodneyAnonymous
    kinem

    Special thanks to Lombard for the original thread.


    And just so you can't say we didn't warn you - thread contains spoilers for the plot of the online comic.
    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2015-11-24 at 10:05 PM.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Summary of the Stick

    Spoiler: Book 1 (1-121) Dungeon Crawlin' Fools
    Show

    Spoiler: (1-43) Exploring the Dungeon of Dorukan.
    Show
    1. In which editions are upgraded.
    2. The Order first splits the party, a la a gym class softball game.
    3. The Order fails some spot checks, and Blackwing first appears.
    4. A stupid ogre rolls sense motive with bardic assistance.
    5. The party reunites, and more spot checks are failed.
    6. Durkon cures wounds, and Elan finds some free swords.
    7. Durkon has some difficulties with ThorPrayer ®
    8. Elan gets a potion, and Haley bluffs Belkar.
    9. The Girdle of Masculinity/Femininity is introduced.
    10. V puts goblins to sleep.
    11. Roy decides it's best not to dwell on Belkar's immunity to Unholy Blight.
    12. It's time to go up a level. And down a level.
    13. Elan summons plot exposition.
    14. Roy pulls an all-nighter for the sake of the team. His wildly unreliable team.
    15. The ghost of Roy's father makes an ominous prophecy.
    16. Roy and V talk, listen checks are failed, and Durkon REALLY hates undead.
    17. Trigak first appears and rapiers are sundered.
    18. Haley's second Sneak Attack is even more surprising than the first.
    19. Elan's illusion fails due to Trigak's committed relationship.
    20. Spiked tentacles forcefully intrude.
    21. Belkar kills Trigak and prophecies are mangled.
    22. Roy works with what he's given and convinces Belkar to track Trigak.
    23. The Monster In the Darkness wishes to get out of the darkness.
    24. Durkon's heavy armor makes stealth difficult.
    25. Elan is naked invisible!
    26. Roy tries to talk Elan into his clothes before Haley returns.
    27. Durkon agrees to cast Cat's Grace if Elan dresses. Shame it's a touch spell.
    28. Haley makes a variety of innuendos about Elan's rapier before going to see what 18 charisma is worth "under the hood."
    29. Haley finds no treasure but for Elan's rapier. Good thing, too, since her bag's all full with feminine products anyway.
    30. Elan finds a secret door, and a mind - er, squid thingy.
    31. The squid thingy debates the relative tastiness of the Orders' brains.
    32. Story content is removed due to trademark reasons.
    33. The Order answers letters, and more questions than answers are raised regarding doilies.
    34. Durkon's lacking arithmetical abilities impede his battle efficacy.
    35. Haley takes ten on trap searching, and has a wardrobe malfunction.
    36. Haley clarifies the difference between there BEING traps and her FINDING traps.
    37. Xykon's viewing experience is interrupted by some labor disputes with the resident ogres.
    38. Elan and Belkar vent some frustrations using markers and a paralyzed Roy.
    39. Eugene Greenhilt appears to tell Roy that he got the prophecy all wrong, then heads back to the afterlife with his date.
    40. Thor cannot multitask between Durkon's spell preparation and saving a village.
    41. Elan's attempt to aid V's concentration has the opposite effect; shame he got "accidentally" frozen.
    42. If Belkar kills alone in a dungeon, and the Order isn't there to see it, does he still get experience?
    43. The Linear Guild first appears.

    Spoiler: (44-72) Meeting the Linear Guild.
    Show
    44. The Linear Guild counterparts introduce themselves, and Drizzt jokes are made.
    45. The Order considers teaming up with the Linear Guld; Haley is concerned about having to further split the loot.
    46. Nale introduces the Talisman of Dorukan, then monologues.
    47. The combined forces of the Order and Linear guild split into groups to hit up the sigils; Xykon watches it all via picture in picture.
    48. Belkar repeatedly leaves Yik-Yik's threatened area repeatedly.
    49. V attempts to trade Z for a houseruled in Fly spell, to no avail.
    50. The Semi-Secret Origin of Elan and Nale!
    51. Thog and Talky-Man have an adventure with non-traditional panel layouts.
    52. Durkon and Hilgya hit it off, aided by Durkon's lacking Knowledge: Religion abilities.
    53. Celia gets stoned.
    54. Elan turns down Nale's offer to join his team.
    55. The groups move into the pit of non-updated monsters, including the flumphs.
    56. Nale's sudden but inevitable betrayal.
    57. The Linear Guild leave the Order in the cold.
    58. Owl's Wisdom, Halfling's Rage.
    59. Some prophecy about goats, I think?
    60. One dwarf down; the rest to go.
    61. Elan denies the psychopathic egomaniac.
    62. Haley doesn't know which metal hurts Sabine; Manyshot saves the day.
    63. Ground floor: dual-wielding rangers, small knives, kobold hats.
    64. With Nale's aid, Roy lives out an old fantasy.
    65. Lawyers come to the rescue.
    66. One of Elan's illusions finally works, in an unexpected way.
    67. Nale runs afoul of karma.
    68. Perhaps best to stick to the usual angel and devil.
    69. Stone Celia trumps stone ceiling.
    70. Nale has an electrifying conversation with Celia.
    71. Celia tells all about her job history.
    72. "No man left behind" does not apply to dwarves.


    Spoiler: (86-121) Xykon found, Dorukan's Gate blown up.
    Show
    86. The Order fulfill a pressing biological need.
    87. The Order learn surprising information about V's biology.
    88. V learns why one should never buy discount invisibility spheres.
    89. The Order experiences directional confusion, to the benefit of the artist.
    90. ELAN GOT A FOUR!
    91. Perhaps Fruit Pie the Wizard would have done better.
    92. V's preparation of a signature spell pays off.
    93. Teenage rebellion saves the Order.
    94. While walking through the dungeon, the Order strategize for the fight with Xykon.
    95. Redcloak speaks with the dead.
    96. The MitD hears much about a Gate of some sort.
    97. Xykon reveals the humorless side of lichdom.
    98. Belkar's fine halfling chef senses cast light on a trap.
    99. While the Order seal in some flavor, Haley is kidnapped.
    100. Haley escapes, and laments the lack of something special for the 100th strip.
    101: Elan intimidates a goblin teenager with the threat of being considered a jerk.
    102: Roy has boobies.
    103: The MitD tries, unsuccessfully, to come up with a terrifying threat.
    104: Both the OotS and Team Evil prepare for battle.
    105: Admit it, Roy; you always wanted to say "Charge".
    106: Xykon has a lot of ranks in Reverse Psychology.
    107: Belkar screws up protecting the spellcasters.
    108: Haley tumbles into the fray.
    109: Really, Haley should have kissed Elan just then, and we all know it.
    110: Xykon has killed a lot of Fyrons in Cliffport, it seems.
    111: The oxymoronic giant dwarf makes his first appearance.
    112: Shatter!
    113: Roy becomes catatonic.
    114: YOU! BROKE! MY! SWORD!
    115: Skeleton dust is not good for Elan's eyes.
    116: Time for Haley's favorite part: the looting!
    117: The villains beat a hasty retreat.
    118: Never leave Elan unsupervised around self-destruct runes.
    119: You know, in real life, explosions don't launch people like that.
    120: Story arc wrap-up, and a good panel for the end of the trade paperback.
    121: The sad part is, the d3 really does get more play than the d12.


    Spoiler: Book 2 (122-301) No Cure for the Paladin Blues
    Show


    Spoiler: (150-174) Battling bandits.
    Show
    150: Our heroes enter Wooden Forest.
    151. Haley gives two aspiring thieves some useful pointers.
    152. What's the Pickpocket DC on a bard, anyway?
    153. Roy leaves the party, and Elan, to fates unknown.
    154. Haley names V's familiar Blackwing; V wonders if "Pinata" would be more apt.
    155. Haley displays mysterious time-altering abilities.
    156. Elan gets some use out of Animate Rope after all.
    157. When in doubt, set the Bandit Camp on fire. When not in doubt, do it anyway.
    158. Haley instructs us all on the economics of banditry.
    159. Samantha's father reveals Samantha's history; Samantha reveals herself.
    160. 160. A jealous Haley challenges Samantha. Bad idea.
    161. Putting your faith in a dwarf in a forest may not be advisable.
    162. Roy has a change of heart and decides to save Elan after all. And the rest of the party, too.
    163. Roy tries to save the party while Durkon's a little tied up.
    164. Well, he saved three of the party's necks, anyway.
    165. Belkar comments on humanocentric methods of execution.
    166. Elan and Samantha play Tetherbelkar.
    167. Roy is an equal match for Samantha's father; the rhinoceros, not so much.
    168. Samantha's father challenges his daughter for leadership of the bandits.
    169. A shocking new contender in the bandit leader competition enters the fray.
    170. Durkon disbands the bandits instead of abusing his power. Well, mostly.
    171. Belkar's approval fills Roy with shame.
    172. Haley makes a daring rescue of Elan's affection for Roy.
    173. A wizard NEVER loses their ticket.
    174. Enter mysterious blue-cloaked figure, exit weasel. Please.




    Spoiler: (224-251) Inn blown up along with treasure, Haley speechless.
    Show


    Spoiler: (259-288) Order on trial in Azure City.
    Show
    259. Hobgoblins Kodrog the Slayer and Jim answer reader questions and almost reveal the MitD.
    260. You all meet in a cell... no wait.
    261. Belkar escapes from solitary.
    262. Love - for when bard songs just won't work.
    263. The Order, sans Durkon and Belkar, prepares to escape.
    264. Quick movement on the Orders' part and quick thinking on Durkon's prevent the Order from getting in (more) trouble.
    265. On the way to the courtroom, Hinjo and the Order bond, and Miko leaves to track down Belkar.
    266. Elan spins a variety of wild theories about Lord Shojo's identity.
    267. The arrival of a purported being of pure Law and Good makes the Order nervous.
    268. Jones and Rodriguez arrive for the prosecution; Celia arrives for the defense.
    269. Celia explains how catching her boyfriend "slipping the wood" to a dryad led her to go back to school.
    270. When in doubt, set Miko on fire.
    271. Various old NPCs come back to testify against the Order.
    272. Celia demands to know how blowing up Dorukan's Gate weakened the fabric of reality.
    273. Crayons of Time I - at the dawn of time, the gods argued over how the world should be.
    274. Crayons of Time II - The Snarl kills the Eastern gods and destroys the first world.
    275. Crayons of Time III - the gods imprison the Snarl in a new world, but rifts emerge, and the Snarl kills Soon's wife.
    276. Crayons of Time IV - The Order of the Scribble forms and seals the rifts, and Kraagor dies.
    277. Crayons of Time V - The Order of the Scribble breaks up, each defends their own Gate, and the Sapphire Guard forms.
    278. Celia doesn't make the crazy rules - she just twists them to her purpose.
    279. Belkar takes a brief break from his rooftop fight with Miko to make Halfling Drop Soup.
    280. Roy tells Elan not to help the prosecution with their rhyme scheme.
    281. Belkar knocks Miko out with a lead sheet and waits for her to wake up.
    282. The lawyers make their closing arguments. They're too brief for V's tastes.
    283. Elan doesn't know which side to vote for, and creates a weekend cliffhanger.
    284. The Order minus Belkar are cleared of all charges, but before they can leave, Miko knocks Belkar through a window into the courtroom.
    285. The Order come to Belkar's defense; Miko attempts to take them all down, but is ordered to stop, and instead swears to take down the Order eventually.
    286. Vaarsuvius points out some holes in Belkar's plan to make Miko fall.
    287. Roy sics Elan on Hinjo as token revenge for their incarceration.
    288. Haley and Roy play an impromptu game of charades. Shojo has a gaze attack that causes encephalitis?



    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2014-07-02 at 09:18 PM.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Spoiler: Book 3 (302-484) War and XPs
    Show




    Spoiler: (339-367) Nale's Cliffport trap.
    Show
    339: Welcome to Cliffport, a murder spree is underway
    340: The Order arrives in Cliffport, and plans their attack on Nale
    341: The Order takes their places for the attack, Thog misses Candyland
    342: Roy finds Julia, fails his "Pay Tactical Attention" roll
    343: Sabine fights Roy, drains a level of his
    344: Leeky Windstaff attacks with the Trees, Durkon's fears are confirmed
    345: V is unable to destroy Leeky's Trees, needs some assistance
    346: Haley snipes from above, falls on a flumph
    347: CSI: Cliffport comes through, CPPD heads to the park
    348: YokYok wanks to kill Belkar, we're inside a town, so Belkar has to run
    349: Back to Roy vs Sabine, it is revealed she was the source of the starmetal quest
    350: The CPPD arrives, Julia escapes while the apprentice tries to hold them off
    351: While the battle rages, Nale captures Elan
    352: Julia meets Durkon, who calls down the thunder
    353: Durkon vs. Leeky Windstaff begins; Leeky bears out
    354: Durkon and Leeky fight; Julia plays Centipede
    355: Julia reaches the CPPD; Roy finishes the fight with Sabine
    356: Roy captures Pompey, but he escapes with Sabine
    357: Belkar unleashes a wave of adventurers on the kobold-of-the-day
    358: The party (sans Elan) reunites; Belkar has some kobold-infused chips and salsa
    359: The party finally takes down Leeky
    360: The police tries to get Roy's attention; Nale kills The Chief
    361: Nale switches places with Elan, and the CPPD arrive
    362: Thog and "Nale" resist arrest while "Elan" cooperates; the OOTS enters the scene
    363: Elan and Thog are arrested; Nale explains that they'll be in jail a long time
    364: Julia and Roy say their goodbyes; Nale and Sabine don't get this "no killing your brother" thing
    365: Nale and Sabine make out prior to departure; V notices ("Must fight urge to assert heterosexuality!")
    366: The party teleports out; Nale hears about the threat to the world for the first time
    367: Elan begs a guard to set him free; Thog gives the "not-nale" soliloquy


    Spoiler: (377-400) Elan meets Julio Scoundrél, saves the day, gets the girl.
    Show
    377: Everybody arrives in Azure City; flashback to the Order nearly getting eaten by a roc
    378: Nale and Sabine talk strategy; Haley gives the disguised Sabine a death-glare; Roy takes Nale to Shojo to hear the story of the Gates
    379: Roy recaps the Cliffport adventure for Shojo, and gets a skeleton thrown at him
    380: Nale tells Sabine about the gates; she heads out to tell the IFCC, while Nale drops in on Haley
    381: Nale sweet-talks Haley; her subconscious calls in all the personalities to figure out what to do
    382: Haley argues with herselves about the date with "Elan" and decides to go for it
    383: Nale does his villainous monologue in a mirror, is discovered by Belkar, and Charms the halfling
    384: Nale and Haley "talk" briefly, then dine and dance in romantic silence
    385: Sabine sees Nale with Haley and seeks advice from V; Belkar chases Durkon while singing showtunes
    386: Nale leads Haley up to the room; Elan, Thog and Sabine burst in on the scene
    387: Begin the flashback to Cliffport; Elan and Thog break out of prison
    388: Elan and Thog get new clothes and sneak onto the Final Fantasy VI airship, but can't pass for console characters
    389: Elan meets Julio Scoundrel and secures a ride on the Mechane; we see his "giant wooden alpaca" plan
    390: Julio shares the secret of the Dashing Swordsman class with Elan
    391: Elan's Dashing Swordsman training montage
    392: The Mechane arrives in Azure City; Elan and Thog burst in on Nale again
    393: Elan and Nale fight; Haley gets her voice back and declares her love for Elan
    394: The Linear Guild escapes, and Nale tells Sabine his plan for a romantic joint murder
    395: Haley hopes Elan somehow missed her declaration of love; the Linear Guild attacks while she's changing
    396: Haley and Elan fight the Guild; Thog kicks in a door; "Sneak Attack--BITCH!"
    397: V and Durkon arrive; Nale tries the old "I'm the good twin!" gambit but V sees through it with an insult
    398: The Order finishes off the Guild; Durkon hears Haley talk; group hug!
    399: The Order debates how to keep Nale & company prisoner; Elan figures he can use his favor from Shojo; Cutaway to Pompey and Leeky abandoning the cause
    400: Everybody turns in for the night. Elan and Haley get their Big Damn Kiss


    Spoiler: (412-466) The Battle of Azure City.
    Show
    412-Hinjo is crowned, while the order discuss.
    413-Azurites are making battle plans to defense themselves, Haley is interested in rare miniatures.
    414-Nobles do leave Hinjo, assassins don't.
    415-Xykon use TeeVo to watch Miko, Team Evil finds location of the gate.
    416-Team Evil is planning the battle (with classic comedy).
    417-Haley has a pre-battle change of priorities.
    418-Hinjo has a junk, Belkar is disturbed.
    419-Miko makes an un-friendly contact with Sabine.
    420-Hinjo makes an offer to Tsukiko and other prisoners, which Belkar can't refuse.
    421-Elan's big pre-battle speech fails miserably.
    422-Azurites and Hobgoblins march into battle.
    423-Redcloak uses science to break Azure City defense.
    424-Vaarsuvius vs Titanium Elementals, paper beats rock
    425-Roy saves Elan's life, much to his own dismay.
    426-Xykon's decoys appeared, everyone is confused.
    427-Vaarsuvius uses magic to stop hobgoblin attack.
    428-Haley explains a con man's shell game, real Xykon is found.
    429-Roy attacks Xykon, Belkar gives him his ring for a bet.
    430-Roy confronts Xykon, Xykon doesn't remember him (again!).
    431-Redcloak explains the truth behind Xykon's decoys.
    432-Hobgoblins don't like coconut oil, Belkar is jealous of Hinjo's big dog.
    433-Hinjo wants to force hobgoblins into retreat, Redcloak has other plans.
    434-Xykon tells all about his crown.
    435-Belkar faces a dilemma, which forces him to perform a quasi-good act.
    436-Vaarsuvius underestimate hobgoblins, death knight rides into battle.
    437-Vaarsuvius explains Law of Cartoon Inertia.
    438-Elan is running out of puns, Haley pass him notes.
    439-Belkar claimed to be a sexy shoeless god of war.
    440-Death knight kills the general, Blackwing abandons V.
    441-Roy saves V's life, Xykon is unimpressed.
    442-Xykon try to reason with Roy, Meteor Swarm'd him into ground.
    443-Death of Roy Greenhilt.
    444-Haley blame herself for Roy's death, Durkon console her.
    445-Elan sungs "O buddy Roy", it affects everyone.
    446-Tsukiko joins Team Evil, betrays Azure City.
    447-Xykon faces Sapphire Guard.
    448-Xykon destroys Sapphire Guard.
    449-Ghost-martyrs of Sapphire Guard attack!
    450-Eye of Fear and Flame became Belkar's tool of destruction.
    451: Redcloak decides racism isn't cool.
    452: Wall of Orange.
    453: Huecuvas, Ninjas, and Giant Dwarves with Hammers.
    454: Haley misses a totally dramatic shot. Repeatedly.
    455: I killed a PC and all I got was this lousy summary!
    456: CLERIC FIGHT!
    457: Tsukiko is not invited to Redcloak's party.
    458: The Linear Guild Escapes (again)!
    459: TURN UNDEAD! (sort of.)
    460: If only the bars in Miko's jail weren't cracked...
    461: Miko enters the throne room.
    462: Miko successfully screws the pooch.
    463: KRRAACKKAKOOOOOOM!!!
    464: Miko can live with that.
    465: No Miko Death Knight for you!
    466: And so begins the reign of Redcloak.



    Spoiler: Book 4 (485-672) Don't Split the Party
    Show



    Spoiler: (501-540) Haley, Resistance Leader.
    Show
    501: Kazumi and Daigo married, House Kato heir on the way.
    502: Elan's new job: VIP bodyguard (eyepatch required).
    503: Enter a ninja, spying on Hinjo. Or maybe Elan.
    504: Broken link leads to wizard breakdown.
    505: More urgent issues than a mere sea troll raid.
    506: Elan and Therkla's first meeting involves flanking together.
    507: Safety first: Where to dispose of used corpses.
    508: Kazumi and Daigo get a wedding gift to make up for their trashed reception.
    509: Therkla and Qarr discuss the mysteries of an assassin's heart.
    510: Roy and Eugene go for Epic level scrying.
    511: An introduction to the basics of goblin slave driving.
    512: Haley finds that 0-level spell beats pointy arrow.
    513: Tsukiko's Undead First Responders.
    514: Thanh in "Paladin on a stealth mission": Bad idea.
    515: Belkar: Up a level, down a level.
    516: Thanh, it's your turn to get turned.
    517: Bring it on, Haley.
    518: And she gets blown out the panel.
    519: Haley, running away from friend and foe.
    520: Belkar chooses his side.
    521: Belkar's second thoughts.
    522: It says secret on that door, because it's, well, secret.
    523: For tips on how to get a free ride, ask Belkar.
    524: For tips on how to break mind control, ask Haley.
    525: Roy gets his celestial backside kicked.
    526: Roy finds out about certain realities of death.
    527: Being dead doesn't help with communication, either.
    528: Haley cracks the mystery of Celia's talisman.
    529: In case of emergency, break glass, get a sylph.
    530: Now, let's break the bad news to Celia.
    531: Haley connects the dots.
    532: Dorukan's ultimate abjuration, explained.
    533: Belkar, unifier of the Resistance.
    534: Roy, you're benched, you know. Get over it.
    535: Thanh takes over.
    536: A tribute to Gary Gygax.
    537: Celia's not a killer, but she's got eyeliner.
    538: Celia's evil act needs Belkar's help.
    539: Belkar's Resistance: One goblin, one gnome at a time.
    540: Haley enacts milk chocolate justice. With almonds.


    Spoiler: (551-581) Kabuto plots, the Oracle dies.
    Show






    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2015-01-15 at 01:21 AM.

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Gender
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Spoiler: Book 5 (673-946) Blood Runs in the Family
    Show



    Spoiler: (710-774) Elan meets his father.
    Show
    710: Elan searches for Girard and banishes all laughter from taverns.
    711: Haley completes a trial of doom, joins a Sisterhood, and buys moisturizer all in the same day!
    712: V, Haley, and Elan are ambushed. V is poisoned and Elan uses his new spell to decent effect.
    713: Elan and Haley are disarmed and Elan gets beaten up.
    714: Elan gets pun-ished some more and Blackwing has a revelation from ~550 strips ago.
    715: Elan is mistaken for Nale and V has a plan not involving soul-selling.
    716: V stuns the competition and clues are left to lead Roy to the Empire of Blood.
    717: You have the wrong twin we're off to see the Empress. Plus labor disputes.
    718: Malack's first appearance, Elan's an imbecile, and wet t-shirt contests.
    719: The empress is fat, and not smart, and has cow on her face.
    720: Elan makes the empress mad and Malack suggests Elan for a main course.
    721: A daring escape involving a Blade Barrier to the face and a Yummy vs. Pointy graph.
    722: Haley gets defenestrated and captures herself while Elan surrenders to the General.
    723: Luke, I am your father.
    724: The Star Wars references continue and a bounty is paid.
    725: Part of Tarquin's backstory and hereditary speculations.
    726: They're guests now and Haley's reason is trumped by dinosaurs.
    727: Elan stumbles into the plot. Tarquin knows Draketooth and will spill the beans after the festival.
    728: The bounty hunters discuss their job and Belkar smells ylang-ylang.
    729: Roy asks a reasonable question and starts a bar fight.
    730: Bar fight mayhem. Mr. Scruffy contributes.
    731: The police arrive, Roy and Belkar get arrested, and they had the wrong twin.
    732: Durkon gets left behind and gets papers for the Empire.
    733: Durkon should have prepared 5 sending spells.
    734: Roy and Belkar get life in prison with the possibility of death via arena.
    735: Durkon arrives pretending to be a religious pilgrim and meets Malack. The bounty hunters get screwed at court.
    736: Gladiator arena tropes are explored. Belkar's a jerk.
    737: Durkon and Malack discuss religion. Xykon fails his Oracle checkup.
    738: Bounty hunters refuse to work with Roy and Belkar helps them anyway.
    739: Durkon spots Elan and Haley and promises to add Malack to Macebook.
    740: The unnecessary one dwarf rescue team.
    741: V sends to Roy, and the party is staying until after the festival. The festival spoils Roy's optimism.
    742: Dinner time. The Free City of Doom is invited.
    743: Haley converts to Thor and gets drunk to fool Malack.
    744: The menu is Evil, Durkon is annoyed, and Belkar is well-fed.
    745: Halflings have lots of bonuses with a thrown rock.
    746: Roy meets Ian and Geoff and their dated references.
    747: Elan wins at logic, Haley is smashed and V talks to Hinjo.
    748: Roy gets to fight in the first slot. Belkar helped with the decision making process.
    749: Morning routines, seductions, and prisoner escape plans.
    750: A montage of father-son antics, spell research, and prisoner springing.
    751: Tarquin shows off the dimmers he had installed in the palace.
    752: Haley gets her long hair back. And then some.
    753: Roy and Belkar see Tarquin's face for the first time.
    754: Elan blows his will save vs bias.
    755: The Empire of Blood's Parade.
    756: Amun-Zora attacks.
    757: Amun-Zora is arrested.
    758: Tarquin's scheme is revealed.
    759: 200-foot-tall flaming letters.
    760: Elan prepares to duel Tarquin.
    761: The duel does not go well.
    762: Tarquin chooses not to execute Elan.
    763: "If I win, I get to be a king. If I lose, I get to be a legend."
    764: Elan explains the situation to Haley.
    765: Haley decides to go rescue her father.
    766: Elan got a 9 this time.
    767: Potion of Glibness.
    768: Haley makes it to her father.
    769: Ian thinks Haley is the leader.
    770: Elan is taken prisoner by Geoff.
    771: Roy punches Geoff.
    772: Ian is too paranoid to be rescued.
    773: Roy promises to take Ian and Geoff with him when he leaves prison.
    774: Potions of Glibness only work on things that aren't true.

    Spoiler: (775-822) Linear Guild attacks.
    Show
    775: Elan is offended by bad choreography.
    776: Elan gives a demoralizing speech to the crowd.
    777: Gannji gives Enor the victory string.
    778: The Allosaurus makes its debut.
    779: If you lost a multipurpose lead sheet, you'd miss it too.
    780: The Ultimate Battle! Commoner vs Housecat!
    781: A guard decides to tease Belkar. It ends pretty much the way you'd expect.
    782: Turns out Roy won't be fighting Enor after all.
    783: The Heartbreaking Battle: Enor vs Gannji.
    784: The Allosaurus to the rescue!
    785: Enor and Gannji escape.
    786: Belkar has a hard time keeping his secret.
    787: The Champ is unveiled.
    788: "thog says 'fudge the police!'"
    789: Zz'dtri ambushes Haley.
    790: Vaarsuvius decides to face Zz'dtri alone.
    791: Thog knows how to use his best ability score in a fight.
    792: Belkar thinks the Linear Guild is no threat, while Mr Scruffy gets shot.
    793: Elan draws first blood against Nale via migraine.
    794: Elan kisses his way free.
    795: "TALKY-MAN BROKE THOG'S TUSK!"
    796: "STOP. TALKING."
    797: Blackwing is a super-advanced flying stealth dinosaur!
    798: Thog gets glassed.
    799: Vaarsuvius realizes how to win.
    800: You may insert your own joke about Yukyuk being dominated here.801: Amun-Zora is freed.
    802: Vaarsuvius journeys to the semi-elemental plane of Ranch Dressing.
    803: Blackwing delivers a Belt of Giant Strength.
    804: Qarr thinks Sabine doesn't have her priorities straight.
    805: Celestial tree sloth attack!
    806: Durkon joins the battle.
    807: Belkar is angry at having nothing to stab.
    808: "THAT'S how I use my intelligence score in combat, DUMBASS!
    809: Tarquin catches Roy and Belkar.
    810: Enter the Lizard.
    811: "HARM."
    812: Infiltration Protocol.
    813: Roy negotiates for his freedom.
    814: Ian proves wisdom to be his dump stat by arguing with Tarquin.
    815: Ian escapes despite there being no reason to.
    816: Tarquin talks about Draketooths.
    817: Elan gets a flying carpet!
    818: The heroes fly off.
    819: Tarquin has a Ring of True Seeing.
    820: Nale spills the beans about the Gates.
    821: Nale refuses to say "dunh dunh DUNH".
    822: Meet the new Linear Guild.


    Spoiler: (834-898) Windy Canyon.
    Show
    834: Back in the desert...
    835: Vaarsuvius returns from the Semi-Elemental Plane of Ranch Dressing.
    836: Elan comes up with a plan for dealing with his father that he won't reveal.
    837: Our heroes are forced to search for Girard's Gate the old-fashioned way.
    838: Roy decides to follow Belkar's nose.
    839: The pyramid appeareth.
    840: Yukyuk is a poor trapfinder.
    841: The Draketooths are in no condition to help anyone but scavengers.
    842: Vaarsuvius sees a disturbing sight.
    843: Vaarsuvius can't handle the truth.
    844: Sometimes, the dead just prefer to stay that way.
    845: Unsurprisingly, corpses are good at hiding secrets.
    846: Presenting Girard Draketooth.
    847: The new and improved Linear Guild arrives.
    848: Roy musters the troops for battle.
    849: Meet "Thog".
    850: The Order of the Stick engages "Thog".
    851: The Order fights not-thog, Elan tries not to get in the way.
    852: The Order tries to find out not-thog's identity. NOPE!
    853: The Order finds a trap, but not Vaarsuvius.
    854: Tarquin and Malack talk things out like reasonable adults.
    855: Roy plans an ambush.
    856: Malack makes mummies, Nale makes plans, and Qarr cracks up.
    857: Vaarsuvius goes from moping to fleeing.
    858: Arrow fired; arrow catch backfired.
    859: HOLY.
    860: Holy Word + evil party member = surprisingly effective, actually
    861: Qarr abandons Malack, Roy shows mummies his great cleavage.
    862: The Linear Guild retreats.
    863: The Linear Guild regroups, and Elan complains about being left out of the fight.
    864: A recap comic advances the plot (for once).
    865: The Order has a plan, and Xykon is on the move.
    866: Vaarsuvius has regrets, is damned nine times, minimum.
    867: Haley disarms runes, Belkar splits the party.
    868: Belkar loses the path, finds... Malack?
    869: Belkar still has some to learn about genre savviness.
    870: And everyone said there was no way he'd be a vampire.
    871: Durkon learns unpleasant truths, scientific facts about Malack.
    872: Malack rolls poorly on his diplomacy check.
    873: Durkon Heals Malack.
    874: Belkar fails a will save and things go to Hel.
    875: Malack monologues. Soylent Red - it's people!
    876: Malack dismisses Durkon's Death Ward.
    877: Durkon dies.
    878: Durkon rises.
    879: Belkar runs back to the Order. Well, crawls.
    880: Belkar breaks the news to the Order. Roy breaks down.
    881: Belkar uses his primary skillset to get the Order moving again.
    882: The Linear Guild meets the new addition to Malack's family.
    883: The Linear Guild summons two fiends, and we check in on two others.
    884: Qarr's lies reveal some truths.
    885: Enter illusionary Xykon.
    886: Exit illusionary Xykon.
    887: The Order's phantasmal adventure, featuring nonstandard panel layouts.
    888: The Order arrive for the wedding of Elan's dreams.
    889: Elan comes to terms with, brings the team back to reality.
    890: Elan's Song of Freedom serves as a harsh wake-up call for Belkar.
    891: Elan refuses to be demoralized by the illusion.
    892: The Linear Guild passes the Phantasm hall.
    893: Roy thinks they're out of trouble when Nale's team passes them.
    894: Sorry, Nale, but your Gate is in another pyramid.
    895: Roy finds, pledges to destroy Girard's Gate.
    896: The IFCC interrupts Vaarsuvius's attempt to interrupt the Gate's destruction.
    897: Vaarsuvius visits the planes in the ventral position.
    898: The Order flee the destruction of the Gate.

    Spoiler: (899-936) Tarquin's breakdown.
    Show
    899: Team Evil's plan blows up in their faces.
    900: The Order learn there may be more to the Rifts than they believed, and Roy gets Disintegrated.
    901. MitD saves the Order (kind of).
    902. How does Spider-Man fight sand?
    903. If the elf talks the readers will know too much.
    904. Roy ponders the question of bows without quivers.
    905. Nale decides to add to the Order's troubles with the surf and turf.
    906. Malack dies. Again.
    907. Nale attempts to conduct a job interview
    908. Durkon kills Z, rejoins the OotS.
    909. The Silicon elemental is gone.
    910. Enter Tarquin, riding triceratops.
    911. Elan and Haley visit Tarquin.
    912. Tarquin screws with Elan, renders Nale apoplectic.
    913. Nale now dead as a door-not-nale.
    914. Sabine reacts.
    915. Tarquin frames Haley's dad.
    916. Tarquin's firing squad: round two.
    917. Plan A: survive till dusk.
    918. Ding! Wizard's done. Time to check the inbox.
    919. Enter V through sand.
    920. V attempts to apologize. Everybody's busy.
    921. Everyone gets a reminder of what happens when a caster meets an army.
    922. Belkar becomes an Eberron halfling in his own special way.
    923. Plan B: retreat.
    924. Tarquin exchanges favors.
    925. Plan C: keep retreating.
    926. Bloodfeast the Extreme-inator is rendered mostly harmless.
    927. Tarquin's team tastes the rainbow.
    928. Exit Miron, stage Contingent Greater Teleport.
    929. Tarquin whips the Order's butts.
    930. Enter Julio, stage up.
    931. Elan explains Julio's presence, Durkon gets his mojo back.
    932. Julio makes for a fine distraction.
    933. In which the Order boards the Mechane.
    934. In which Tarquin breaks Haley's arm and a caster fight is imminent.
    935: V wins through superior intelligence, and Blackwing snags a bauble.
    936: Elan is no longer a twin, and this is a terrible ending.




    Spoiler: Book 6 (947+)
    Show

    Spoiler: (947-990) To Tinkertown, Crystal Golem fight, Godsmoot setup.
    Show
    947: Durkon's Mama saves the day with one hand...er, missing.
    948: Durkon's internal dialog runs at the speed of lightning
    949: Elan is immersed in his role as backup healer.
    950: Vaarsuvius deals with the fire; Blackwing deals with airsickness.
    951: Roy is reduced to helping with some piece of rope.
    952: Thor is in charge of storms in Northern lands.
    953: Control Weather is on the standard Cleric spell list.
    954: Thor's absolute power is really quite limited, due to some pesky regulations.
    955: Thor strikes at the air ship a second time, only to be thwarted by Vaarsuvius and Blackwing.
    956: Out of the storm and heading to Tinkertown.
    957: When confronting "Durkon", Belkar takes a dive.
    958: "Durkon" gets some music with his dinner.
    959: Haley and Bandana discuss clothing.
    960: Belkar tells V about Durkon and gets a new magic psionic dagger.
    961: Roy eavesdrops to confirm "Durkon's" deity, but fails a Hel of a listen check.
    962: Durkon remembers many dinner parties.
    963: Durkon Allotrope Thundershield remembers learning when to help, and the "Durkon" doesn’t make the connection.
    964: In need of repair, the Mechane arrives in Tinkertown, gnome steampunk port of call.
    965: Haley's haggling skills are a huge time and money saver.
    966: Tinkertown shopping list: Teleportation, Resurrection, then brunch.
    967: Blackwing's bauble is still shiny, and now useful too!
    968: No high-level clerics means "Durkon" dominates the discussion.
    969: Belkar's search for protection from mental domination shows he's still Evil (but has standards)
    970: Haley stocks up on wands, while green-faced trouble looms.
    971: Crystal Returns
    972: Crystal is some sort of innovative golem.
    973: When wands and adamantine arrows don't work - RUN!
    974: Bozzok had Grubwiggler resurrected so he could build Crystal's body into a sentient golem.
    975: Haley takes flight, Crystal's rampage forces her to back down.
    976: Haley will literally throw money at anyone who sells her an adamantine weapon.
    977: The gnome police intervenes with advanced, but counterproductive weaponry.
    978: Crystal is charged up with both lightning and pain.
    979: Having understood what happened to Crystal, Haley uses diplomacy to great effect.
    980: Grubwiggler leaves Bozzok to his fate at Crystal's hands.
    981: Haley walks Crystal down to the Tinkertown Municipal Waste Disposal Facility.
    982. Durkon breathes again. Kind of.
    983: Durkon became a cleric so he could give his mother a hand.
    984: "Durkon" knows the gnome cleric knows he knows the gnome knows...someone.
    985: A neophyte priestess thwarts a vampire's plan. Wait, did I just say "vampire"?
    986: Cameo characters Veldrina and Wrecan are on a secret, dumpling-free mission.
    987: "Durkon" tricks Roy into finding out when and where the Godsmoot is.
    988: Felix the fashion-adviser got everyone winter clothing.
    989: Veldrina and Wrecan arrive on the Mechane while Mr. Scruffy shows Little Whiskers who's boss.
    990: Roy is of two guts about Durkon.

    Spoiler: (991-1030) The Godsmoot.
    Show

    991: Uncle Thirden's account of what happened to Sigdi and Tenrin Thundershield.
    992: Welcome to Zenith Peak. [Insert superlative here]!
    993: Roy and Belkar are the bodyguards for "Durkon", joining the Godsmoot.
    994: "Durkon" reveals himself in secret to gain entry to the Godsmoot.
    995: Belkar sees "Durkon" vampirizing the exarch of the Creed of Stone.
    996: Belkar's plan to warn Roy goes out the window...literally.
    997: Today's ballot: Yea or Nay on destroying the world.
    998: Roy: Please give mortals a chance.
    999: 9-8 don't destroy the world. Next up: Hel votes.
    1000: Hel reveals her plan; Roy goes after "Durkon".
    1001: Roy multitasks. He can talk and fight "Durkon" simultaneously.
    1002: The high priests must let the Roy-"Durkon" fight play out without intervening.
    1003: Roy uses his spell-breaking feat effectively, but he believes Durkon converted to Evil.
    1004: "Durkon" climbs to the gallery, Roy makes a way to follow by borrowing from Odin's priestess.
    1005: "Durkon" turns to mist.
    1006: Roy Harmed.
    1007: Durkon's worst day ever.
    1008: Wrecan doesn't sneak attack; "Durkon" grows up.
    1009: Roy finally understands that "Durkon" is not Durkon.
    1010: Roy's on (green) fire against "Durkon."
    1011: "Durkon" blocks Roy with a red barrier.
    1012: The demigod vote ties with one uncounted; "Gontor" enters the airship".
    1013: Blackwing tries to fight a vampire with empathy.
    1014: Rats! "Gontor" finds a loophole, steals the Teleportation Orb.
    1015: Belkar climbs back up the mountain, only to find more vampires.
    1016: Dvalin must consult the elders. Time for the vampires to split.
    1017: There's a new High Priestess of Hel. Durkon's body can now leave.
    1018: A battle erupts between Roy and the vampires, with priests picking sides.
    1019: "Durkon" escapes, along with three thralls.
    1020: Blackwing saves the day with a catastrophic scroll misfire1021: V retrieves Little Whiskers, time to take the tiger to Veldrina
    1022: Roy decides against fighting the new High Priestess of Hel, takes revenge on Malack's staff instead.
    1023: Roy's leaving. If the vote is no, Veldrina should contact him. If yes, Send goodbye to a loved one.
    Roy learns where to go next, and that Durkon's banishment is lifted
    1025: Wrecan gives Roy his copy of Weapons of Legacy, while paying tribute to his real-life namesake.
    1026: Belkar doesn't get to gloat, or defeat even one vampire.
    1027: Roy points out Banjo would be unable to vote and is also a puppet.
    1028: Gold gets the Mechane's team on board with saving the world.
    1029: Durkon's resurrection will have to wait.
    1030: To prepare for the fight ahead, the Order attempts to give Durkon* a new name.


    Spoiler: (1043+) The Order approaches Dwarven Lands.
    Show

    1043: Belkar needs stakes to fight vampires.
    1044: This is the one with a map of Dwarven lands.
    1045: Eugene returns to find Roy playing with his sword.
    1046: Eugene's life regrets: Having spent too much time with his family.
    1047: Eugene's solution to his problem: No more world, no more Xykon.
    1048: Roy convinces Eugene to leave him alone.
    1049: Roy explains airship physics.
    1050: Roy finds out where Xykon is while Elan overlooks a Giant problem.1051: Continuing up the pass as Haley becomes pointy death incarnate.
    1052: V. and Invisible Haley vs the frost giants.
    1053: Belkar feather falls into the fray.
    1054: Haley and Belkar negotiate teamwork terms.
    1055: The crew is alarmed about the damaged ship.
    1056: Vaarsuvius and Haley discover the attacking Giants' cleric has Invisibility Purge
    1057: V's Suggestion of peaceful passage isn't inclusive enough.
    1058: V counterspells to protect the skyship.
    1059: Haley and V run away from the giant clerics.
    1060: Giants on board.
    1061: Roy takes the giants on while Bandana drives the ship forward.
    1062: Dissenting, Andi takes Bandana out.
    1063: Andi decides to turn off the pass.
    1064: Lack of direction leads the Mechane to an impasse.
    1065: Elan can't concentrate because his mind's on the clouds.
    1066: Bandana wakes up, to a useless conversation with Andi.
    1067: Roy kills one giant, but loses his sword.
    1068: V, Haley and Belkar regroup, to find they lost the ship.
    1069: Elan finally fixes the gas leak, while Roy takes a beating.
    1070: Elan heroically swings to the rescue.
    1071: Andi turns the ship back, Elan turns the giant the wrong way.
    1072: The Mechane is trapped because Andi lacks self-awareness and common sense.
    1073: Andi decides to engineer her way out of the problem; the frost giant catches and throws a rock.
    1074: Bandana captains her way out of her ropes and the mutiny.
    1075: Bandana puts Andi in her place, then teams with Roy to throw the giantess overboard.
    1076: The Mechane drops dead weights, weapons, and the matter of the mutiny
    1077: Battle over, now Roy just needs to find his sword, again.
    1078: Roy retrieves his sword.

    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2017-06-30 at 10:08 PM.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    NinjaGirl

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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    (This post reserved for potential overflow, because we have two books left)
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

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    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    thereaper's Avatar

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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Watch. This thread is going to become a race between a few of us to determine who can make a summary for new strips first.
    Wolfen Houndog - The World in Revolt (4e)
    The Mythic Warrior, a 3.5 base class that severs limbs and sunders armor
    The Nameless One, converted to 3.5 and 5e

  7. - Top - End - #7
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    NinjaGirl

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    Almost certainly.
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

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    Neat. Just quickly browsing through a couple of the spoilers, it's obvious how useful this is.

  9. - Top - End - #9
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    I've already used it.
    Wolfen Houndog - The World in Revolt (4e)
    The Mythic Warrior, a 3.5 base class that severs limbs and sunders armor
    The Nameless One, converted to 3.5 and 5e

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    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2014-01-14 at 04:48 PM.
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

  11. - Top - End - #11
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    thereaper's Avatar

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    Curses! You win this round, DaggerPen!
    Wolfen Houndog - The World in Revolt (4e)
    The Mythic Warrior, a 3.5 base class that severs limbs and sunders armor
    The Nameless One, converted to 3.5 and 5e

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    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    Curses! That's what I get for falling asleep early, I suppose. XD Good job, Gwynfrid, I'll add it to the list in 2 shakes.
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

  14. - Top - End - #14
    Firbolg in the Playground
     
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    I must say I was astonished when I got up this morning, found a new strip had been on for nearly 3 hours and no one had jumped in here yet
    Last edited by Gwynfrid; 2014-01-17 at 09:40 AM.

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    Heh. I had that with the last strip, too, though I don't think it'd been up quite as long.
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

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    you are doing it wrong
    you should be using the same pattern they used on Friend's episode names...


    The one where Elan becomes insivible
    The one with the gender bending belt
    The one with a game of go
    The one with the acid shark
    The one with the acid beetle pie
    The one with the gate which no one ever got inside despite the fanbase thinking they would

  17. - Top - End - #17
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    I tried to start them all with "in which," but that got vetoed pretty quick.
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

  18. - Top - End - #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by DaggerPen View Post
    I tried to start them all with "in which," but that got vetoed pretty quick.
    the sad moment when a joke is misunderstood for an actual suggestion XD

  19. - Top - End - #19
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    My response was meant to be read firmly tongue in cheek.
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Maybe I'm opening a +2 can of worms here...but whats the point of this thread?

    Not trying to say this thread is pointless. But would be good to know what the actual purpose is for this thread - is it for funny little observations about strips, coming up with different titles for comic strips, or to summarise key events in each strip?

    Because currently it seems like an at-random mixture of the three.

    For example (chosen at random while scrolling down the page) --
    112 is labelled "Shatter!" which didn't really help me remember what that strip was at the time.
    460 is labelled "If only the bars in Miko's jail cell weren't cracked" which doesn't really summarise what happens in the strip, but is more somebody commenting on alternative plots that could have come
    605 is labelled "A wild Shojo appears!" which is a reference-filled joke about part of the strip
    834 is labelled "Back in the Desert" which doesn't really let me know what the strip is other than one set in the main setting of that book
    902 is labelled "How does Spider-Man fight sand?" which brings new elements in to make a joking comment about a strip

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but having an index like this in the way its laid out seems to be a way for people to find a strip they had in mind quickly, or to quickly summarise strips in a way that the official titles don't.
    Current I don't really understand the central theme and use of this thread other than to try and be the first to post after each comic is uploaded with an alternative title.

    Speaking of which, how does that work with contributing? If I post straight after a new strip do I automatically get mine chosen? If not, how is it chosen? If so, do I get my name on the first post of the thread before the actual content just because I posted one strip title.

    Not trying to be a douche or anything - I think a proper summary of the strip would be quite a cool project, but it needs a clear vision, direction and implementation process. If this is meant to be a community contrib thread like the Index of Giants Comments or the MITD thread, then I personally feel there needs to be a bit of discussion round the thread itself.

    For example, I think it'd be quite cool to break strips into chunks of story (eg: the Bandit Camp plot, or something wider like the overall quest for starmetal) and have a brief blurb explaining the overall story that occurs in that chunk before listing the strips by number, with their official title and then a forum created bit that explains key points of that strip with a bit of humour where appropriate.


    Eg (there's a slight lack of wit in this example :P):
    The Hunt for Starmetal: #122 - #188
    Spoiler
    Show
    The Order are sent to find a piece of starmetal by a disguised Sabine in order to buy the Linear Guild time to enact their latest nefarious plan.
    In order to get to the starmetal, they must travel to the centre of Wooden Forest. Along the way they come across a bandit camp, a green hag (or possibly an annis) and an ancient black dragon.
    • 122 "Adventurers Are Coming! Adventurers Are Coming!" - A small town prepares for the Order's arrival.
    • 123 "Double Your Entendre, Double Your Fun" - The Order rests at an inn while Vaarsuvius inn-spects Haley's gemstones.
    • 124 "Ding!" - Everybody but Belkar levels up. Belkar hunts Elan to level the playing field.

    (etc)


    I'm not saying we have to do it that way, I'm just using it as an example of what I feel the purpose of the thread should be.
    I raise my vision for the thread not because I feel its better or worse than anybody else's, but because there doesn't seem to have been a discussion about what the overall vision and purpose of this thread is yet.

    I think the lack of a clear goal reflects in the wild differences in the nature of the summaries as you read through the initial posts and limits the thread's potential.

    Now here's a happy face to end with.


  21. - Top - End - #21
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by TDG View Post
    Maybe I'm opening a +2 can of worms here...but whats the point of this thread?

    Not trying to say this thread is pointless. But would be good to know what the actual purpose is for this thread - is it for funny little observations about strips, coming up with different titles for comic strips, or to summarise key events in each strip?

    Because currently it seems like an at-random mixture of the three.

    For example (chosen at random while scrolling down the page) --
    112 is labelled "Shatter!" which didn't really help me remember what that strip was at the time.
    460 is labelled "If only the bars in Miko's jail cell weren't cracked" which doesn't really summarise what happens in the strip, but is more somebody commenting on alternative plots that could have come
    605 is labelled "A wild Shojo appears!" which is a reference-filled joke about part of the strip
    834 is labelled "Back in the Desert" which doesn't really let me know what the strip is other than one set in the main setting of that book
    902 is labelled "How does Spider-Man fight sand?" which brings new elements in to make a joking comment about a strip

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but having an index like this in the way its laid out seems to be a way for people to find a strip they had in mind quickly, or to quickly summarise strips in a way that the official titles don't.
    Current I don't really understand the central theme and use of this thread other than to try and be the first to post after each comic is uploaded with an alternative title.

    Speaking of which, how does that work with contributing? If I post straight after a new strip do I automatically get mine chosen? If not, how is it chosen? If so, do I get my name on the first post of the thread before the actual content just because I posted one strip title.

    Not trying to be a douche or anything - I think a proper summary of the strip would be quite a cool project, but it needs a clear vision, direction and implementation process. If this is meant to be a community contrib thread like the Index of Giants Comments or the MITD thread, then I personally feel there needs to be a bit of discussion round the thread itself.

    For example, I think it'd be quite cool to break strips into chunks of story (eg: the Bandit Camp plot, or something wider like the overall quest for starmetal) and have a brief blurb explaining the overall story that occurs in that chunk before listing the strips by number, with their official title and then a forum created bit that explains key points of that strip with a bit of humour where appropriate.


    Eg (there's a slight lack of wit in this example :P):
    The Hunt for Starmetal: #122 - #188
    Spoiler
    Show
    The Order are sent to find a piece of starmetal by a disguised Sabine in order to buy the Linear Guild time to enact their latest nefarious plan.
    In order to get to the starmetal, they must travel to the centre of Wooden Forest. Along the way they come across a bandit camp, a green hag (or possibly an annis) and an ancient black dragon.
    • 122 "Adventurers Are Coming! Adventurers Are Coming!" - A small town prepares for the Order's arrival.
    • 123 "Double Your Entendre, Double Your Fun" - The Order rests at an inn while Vaarsuvius inn-spects Haley's gemstones.
    • 124 "Ding!" - Everybody but Belkar levels up. Belkar hunts Elan to level the playing field.

    (etc)


    I'm not saying we have to do it that way, I'm just using it as an example of what I feel the purpose of the thread should be.
    I raise my vision for the thread not because I feel its better or worse than anybody else's, but because there doesn't seem to have been a discussion about what the overall vision and purpose of this thread is yet.

    I think the lack of a clear goal reflects in the wild differences in the nature of the summaries as you read through the initial posts and limits the thread's potential.

    Now here's a happy face to end with.

    This is some pretty good criticism.

    Right now, the main purpose of this thread is to help you when you're trying to find a specific moment, but can't for the life of you remember what strip it was in.

    Breaking it up by plot arc is definitely a good idea - if we want to claim certain strip chunks and writing up the plot arc blurbs, I'm totally up for redoing the sectioning.

    The current summaries are meant to be one-line/sentence reminders of the general content of the strip. The general idea is to use a memorable moment if possible and just summarize the broad strokes if not. They are to some extent meant to be read with the first five strips before and after them, but some of them are probably a little vague, as this is a compilation of a group effort from another strip, and there was not a proofreading process.

    As for crediting - right now, it's first come, first serve, but if someone is dissatisfied with someone else's summary, then as thread maintainer I'd say that they can post their own and we can put it to a vote. And yes, you get your name in the credits if you submit at least one title. If the contributors section starts getting out of hand for even a spoiler, then I'll revise the system, but at the moment I'd like to try to recognize everyone's work.

    Basically, while wit is fun, the summary is definitely meant to help find strips, and any changes towards improving that goal are fine by me. I welcome community input, and if there's any serious disagreement, I will abide by a vote.

    I will say, I do definitely like the idea of breaking things down by story arc. The only question is - how should the strips be split?
    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2014-01-18 at 12:11 AM. Reason: Misread your post, sorry
    I am: Neutral Good: -2 chaos, -21 evil and 15 balance!

    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

  22. - Top - End - #22
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by TDG View Post
    Not trying to say this thread is pointless. But would be good to know what the actual purpose is for this thread - is it for funny little observations about strips, coming up with different titles for comic strips, or to summarise key events in each strip?

    Because currently it seems like an at-random mixture of the three.

    For example (chosen at random while scrolling down the page) --
    112 is labelled "Shatter!" which didn't really help me remember what that strip was at the time.
    460 is labelled "If only the bars in Miko's jail cell weren't cracked" which doesn't really summarise what happens in the strip, but is more somebody commenting on alternative plots that could have come
    605 is labelled "A wild Shojo appears!" which is a reference-filled joke about part of the strip
    834 is labelled "Back in the Desert" which doesn't really let me know what the strip is other than one set in the main setting of that book
    902 is labelled "How does Spider-Man fight sand?" which brings new elements in to make a joking comment about a strip

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but having an index like this in the way its laid out seems to be a way for people to find a strip they had in mind quickly, or to quickly summarise strips in a way that the official titles don't.
    Current I don't really understand the central theme and use of this thread other than to try and be the first to post after each comic is uploaded with an alternative title.

    Speaking of which, how does that work with contributing? If I post straight after a new strip do I automatically get mine chosen? If not, how is it chosen? If so, do I get my name on the first post of the thread before the actual content just because I posted one strip title.

    Not trying to be a douche or anything - I think a proper summary of the strip would be quite a cool project, but it needs a clear vision, direction and implementation process. If this is meant to be a community contrib thread like the Index of Giants Comments or the MITD thread, then I personally feel there needs to be a bit of discussion round the thread itself.

    For example, I think it'd be quite cool to break strips into chunks of story (eg: the Bandit Camp plot, or something wider like the overall quest for starmetal) and have a brief blurb explaining the overall story that occurs in that chunk before listing the strips by number, with their official title and then a forum created bit that explains key points of that strip with a bit of humour where appropriate.


    Eg (there's a slight lack of wit in this example :P):
    The Hunt for Starmetal: #122 - #188
    Spoiler
    Show
    The Order are sent to find a piece of starmetal by a disguised Sabine in order to buy the Linear Guild time to enact their latest nefarious plan.
    In order to get to the starmetal, they must travel to the centre of Wooden Forest. Along the way they come across a bandit camp, a green hag (or possibly an annis) and an ancient black dragon.
    • 122 "Adventurers Are Coming! Adventurers Are Coming!" - A small town prepares for the Order's arrival.
    • 123 "Double Your Entendre, Double Your Fun" - The Order rests at an inn while Vaarsuvius inn-spects Haley's gemstones.
    • 124 "Ding!" - Everybody but Belkar levels up. Belkar hunts Elan to level the playing field.

    (etc)


    I'm not saying we have to do it that way, I'm just using it as an example of what I feel the purpose of the thread should be.
    I raise my vision for the thread not because I feel its better or worse than anybody else's, but because there doesn't seem to have been a discussion about what the overall vision and purpose of this thread is yet.

    I think the lack of a clear goal reflects in the wild differences in the nature of the summaries as you read through the initial posts and limits the thread's potential.

    Now here's a happy face to end with.

    Why can't it be all three? The overall purpose is to help people find a given strip (and if one can make it humorous, all the better). The best way to do that is to note the most memorable parts of it. The most memorable part of 112 is the shattering of Roy's sword. 460 is the only strip where the bars on Miko's cell are cracked, so any reference whatsoever to them being cracked tells the reader what strip it is. 605 is literally just Shojo's appearance to Belkar. 834 has a weak title, but that's because the strip doesn't really have anything happen except show our heroes back in the desert. 902 references a question which could only be relevant to one specific strip.
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  23. - Top - End - #23
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by TDG View Post
    Maybe I'm opening a +2 can of worms here...but whats the point of this thread?

    Not trying to say this thread is pointless. But would be good to know what the actual purpose is for this thread - is it for funny little observations about strips, coming up with different titles for comic strips, or to summarise key events in each strip?

    Because currently it seems like an at-random mixture of the three.

    For example (chosen at random while scrolling down the page) --
    112 is labelled "Shatter!" which didn't really help me remember what that strip was at the time.
    460 is labelled "If only the bars in Miko's jail cell weren't cracked" which doesn't really summarise what happens in the strip, but is more somebody commenting on alternative plots that could have come
    605 is labelled "A wild Shojo appears!" which is a reference-filled joke about part of the strip
    834 is labelled "Back in the Desert" which doesn't really let me know what the strip is other than one set in the main setting of that book
    902 is labelled "How does Spider-Man fight sand?" which brings new elements in to make a joking comment about a strip

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but having an index like this in the way its laid out seems to be a way for people to find a strip they had in mind quickly, or to quickly summarise strips in a way that the official titles don't.
    Current I don't really understand the central theme and use of this thread other than to try and be the first to post after each comic is uploaded with an alternative title.

    Speaking of which, how does that work with contributing? If I post straight after a new strip do I automatically get mine chosen? If not, how is it chosen? If so, do I get my name on the first post of the thread before the actual content just because I posted one strip title.

    Not trying to be a douche or anything - I think a proper summary of the strip would be quite a cool project, but it needs a clear vision, direction and implementation process. If this is meant to be a community contrib thread like the Index of Giants Comments or the MITD thread, then I personally feel there needs to be a bit of discussion round the thread itself.

    For example, I think it'd be quite cool to break strips into chunks of story (eg: the Bandit Camp plot, or something wider like the overall quest for starmetal) and have a brief blurb explaining the overall story that occurs in that chunk before listing the strips by number, with their official title and then a forum created bit that explains key points of that strip with a bit of humour where appropriate.


    Eg (there's a slight lack of wit in this example :P):
    The Hunt for Starmetal: #122 - #188
    Spoiler
    Show
    The Order are sent to find a piece of starmetal by a disguised Sabine in order to buy the Linear Guild time to enact their latest nefarious plan.
    In order to get to the starmetal, they must travel to the centre of Wooden Forest. Along the way they come across a bandit camp, a green hag (or possibly an annis) and an ancient black dragon.
    • 122 "Adventurers Are Coming! Adventurers Are Coming!" - A small town prepares for the Order's arrival.
    • 123 "Double Your Entendre, Double Your Fun" - The Order rests at an inn while Vaarsuvius inn-spects Haley's gemstones.
    • 124 "Ding!" - Everybody but Belkar levels up. Belkar hunts Elan to level the playing field.

    (etc)


    I'm not saying we have to do it that way, I'm just using it as an example of what I feel the purpose of the thread should be.
    I raise my vision for the thread not because I feel its better or worse than anybody else's, but because there doesn't seem to have been a discussion about what the overall vision and purpose of this thread is yet.

    I think the lack of a clear goal reflects in the wild differences in the nature of the summaries as you read through the initial posts and limits the thread's potential.

    Now here's a happy face to end with.

    This is solid and constructive feedback, thanks.

    As DaggerPen already explained, the somewhat inconsistent style of the summaries is due to the way the contributions were originally gathered: There was a lot of work to be done, so anybody was welcome to contribute and their inputs were taken in the order that they arrived, or the order they called dibs on a section of the comic (check out the original thread if you want to witness the very lightweight, spontaneous process). The point you made was raised in a slightly different form: Somebody criticized my own summaries for being too cryptic and unhelpful as a summary. I thought the point was valid, so I edited my work to make it more straightforward.

    Now, I agree with you and with DaggerPen. Now that the initial groundwork has been done, it is useful and fair to establish a more rigorous process so that this continues to be a collaborative work from the forum. The Giant's comments thread is an excellent example of such a thing, and that's what makes it helpful. We can and should emulate that spirit over here.

    Quote Originally Posted by thereaper View Post
    Why can't it be all three?
    Yes it can. However, I think we need to agree on priorities. In my view, the practical aspect trumps the humor or the creativity. The primary goal is to make it easy to find a given strip, for as many users as possible. If the summary can be hilarious as well, that's a bonus, but this shouldn't be at the expense of usefulness. If we agree on that, then we will be able to find a consensus as to what the best wording ought to be.

    Since DaggerPen is volunteering to modify the OP with proposed improvements, and even to referee any disagreement by way of a vote (thanks!), I propose that we begin to think of an editing process. Some initial thoughts:

    1) We first establish a consensus on the summary's goals and priorities (I think we're close to that already) and that is written down in the OP. By the way, I think the OP should make it clear that the entire thread is a giant spoiler for the OOTS storyline, and is intended for use only by people who have already read the whole comic.

    2) Anybody can propose a rewording of a summary.

    3) If the proposal is seconded by a X number of posters, it is up for consideration as a replacement summary.

    4) If nobody shows up in opposition, the rewording is accepted. We should allow for a decent minimum amount of time (a week?) before the change is made.

    5) If there is a disagreement, a vote is in order.

    6) I would recommend we skew the process in favor of conservatism, ie we should err in favor of keeping summaries as they are. This is in order to a) respect the initial contributors' work, b) avoid back and forth changes and c) contain DaggerPen's editing workload to as low a level as possible. So, I suggest a change would require a minimal number of opinions in favor, as well as a sort of supermajority (for example at least 5 Ayes, and a 60% majority).

    Finally: I like the idea of sorting the strips by story chunks, as opposed to blocks of 100s. It makes a ton of sense.

  24. - Top - End - #24
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by Gwynfrid View Post
    1) We first establish a consensus on the summary's goals and priorities (I think we're close to that already) and that is written down in the OP. By the way, I think the OP should make it clear that the entire thread is a giant spoiler for the OOTS storyline, and is intended for use only by people who have already read the whole comic.
    Good idea - I think the spoiler bit is probably reasonably evident, but I'll add it just in case.

    2) Anybody can propose a rewording of a summary.

    3) If the proposal is seconded by a X number of posters, it is up for consideration as a replacement summary.

    4) If nobody shows up in opposition, the rewording is accepted. We should allow for a decent minimum amount of time (a week?) before the change is made.

    5) If there is a disagreement, a vote is in order.

    6) I would recommend we skew the process in favor of conservatism, ie we should err in favor of keeping summaries as they are. This is in order to a) respect the initial contributors' work, b) avoid back and forth changes and c) contain DaggerPen's editing workload to as low a level as possible. So, I suggest a change would require a minimal number of opinions in favor, as well as a sort of supermajority (for example at least 5 Ayes, and a 60% majority).
    I'm good with the rest of these rules. If there's no major disagreements, I'll add these voting rules to the summary. (I think thread contributors are technically agreed to just decide on their own voting rules anyway, but while the thread's still small I may as well see if we can get a consensus.)

    Finally: I like the idea of sorting the strips by story chunks, as opposed to blocks of 100s. It makes a ton of sense.
    I think the first key here is to identify the different storylines. I know The Giant breaks the dead tree form compilations down into rounds, which may be a good place to start, but unless we have all the books between us and are willing to wait on the final one, that's not going to be the be-all, end-all.

    In that vein, I suggest first tackling it book by book. Ipropose the following breakdown for the first book (sans summaries for now):

    1-42: Gag a day era
    43-71: Linear Guild meetup and fight
    72-85: Durkon and Hilgya team-up, Church of Banjo
    86-104: Tracking Xykon with the help of rebellious teenagers
    105-115: The Xykon Fight
    116-120: Escaping from the Castle of Dorukan
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dalek Kommander View Post
    Heartless? Those flaming letters spelled ELAN! How many sons can honestly say their father has murdered dozens of human beings just to show how much they care?

    Tarquin's fatherly love is truly unique... or at least I hope it is!
    Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
    First, I'm impressed that this topic went so far off topic that it ended up back at The Order of the Stick.
    Can't find the strip you're looking for? Head on over to OOTS Strip Summaries!

  25. - Top - End - #25
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by Gwynfrid View Post
    1) We first establish a consensus on the summary's goals and priorities (I think we're close to that already) and that is written down in the OP. By the way, I think the OP should make it clear that the entire thread is a giant spoiler for the OOTS storyline, and is intended for use only by people who have already read the whole comic.

    2) Anybody can propose a rewording of a summary.

    3) If the proposal is seconded by a X number of posters, it is up for consideration as a replacement summary.

    4) If nobody shows up in opposition, the rewording is accepted. We should allow for a decent minimum amount of time (a week?) before the change is made.

    5) If there is a disagreement, a vote is in order.

    6) I would recommend we skew the process in favor of conservatism, ie we should err in favor of keeping summaries as they are. This is in order to a) respect the initial contributors' work, b) avoid back and forth changes and c) contain DaggerPen's editing workload to as low a level as possible. So, I suggest a change would require a minimal number of opinions in favor, as well as a sort of supermajority (for example at least 5 Ayes, and a 60% majority).

    Finally: I like the idea of sorting the strips by story chunks, as opposed to blocks of 100s. It makes a ton of sense.
    I agree that this project should keep a focus - this was somewhat addressed in the old thread, too, but TDG illustrated it much better than it was done there.

    The idea of your proposals is good imo. But I think I would like to cut any needed initiated voting to a minimum. For this I would to it that way:

    1. Every one can propose a rewording. A "voting process" is automatically started by this (without anyone needing to say anything).
    2. Every forumite can just say which one they prefer.
    3. After "end" of voting the winner will get in. If we want to favor the old one, than I would say the challenger needs to win the vote at least with X votes more than the champion. I would use X=2 for this [so that if someone proposes, someone agrees, nobody opposes the new vote is in. It should make maintaining easier, too - since if no one else had said something on it, DaggerPan can just do what she wants (vote yes to add it, vote no to stay with the old).]
    4. Figuring out when to "end" the vote is probably the hardest part. I see three possibilities right now, which can be combined if needed:
      • After proposing a quote, there is a fixed time window. For example after 1 week after proposing the result is fixed.
      • After some amount of inactivity the vote is closed. For example if in three days nobody has voted, the vote is done.
      • If the challenger or champions have a certain number of votes more than the other. For example if a quote has 5 more supporters than the other, the vote is finished early.

      I'm not sure which numbers/method is best suited. For easy of usage I would probably just use "one week after suggesting a new quote, the vote for it is closed".


    In the end it should do basically the same thing you want, but when we establish this, there is no need for anyone to say "A vote is in order, lets start it now". We would just have a passive mechanic that clearly outlines which summary gets added [we could certainly make special exceptions if needed, too].

    For chunking the strips in other batches than x01-Y00:
    I like the idea. I would personally just use the Rounds used for the books (they collect around 10-50 strips each). I would do this, because there is no need to argue about them - only disadvantage is we need to improvise for the current book, since without the book we don't know how the Rounds are finalized. [I can also post that if we agree on it]

    Edit: To the crediting system: I personally would just list all contributors (I would do alphabetically. Another easy system would be just appending each new contributor ad the end of that list), without saying who did which summary. It makes maintaining easier, and it would be possible to credit someone who did somehow managed to get all his summaries replaced [or you have credits going from one strip number to multiple persons, which is imo strange]
    Last edited by ChristianSt; 2014-01-18 at 02:05 PM. Reason: typos/small restructuring

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  26. - Top - End - #26
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by ChristianSt View Post
    The idea of your proposals is good imo. But I think I would like to cut any needed initiated voting to a minimum. For this I would to it that way:

    1. Every one can propose a rewording. A "voting process" is automatically started by this (without anyone needing to say anything).
    2. Every forumite can just say which one they prefer.
    3. After "end" of voting the winner will get in. If we want to favor the old one, than I would say the challenger needs to win the vote at least with X votes more than the champion. I would use X=2 for this [so that if someone proposes, someone agrees, nobody opposes the new vote is in. It should make maintaining easier, too - since if no one else had said something on it, DaggerPan can just do what she wants (vote yes to add it, vote no to stay with the old).]
    4. Figuring out when to "end" the vote is probably the hardest part. I see three possibilities right now, which can be combined if needed:
      • After proposing a quote, there is a fixed time window. For example after 1 week after proposing the result is fixed.
      • After some amount of inactivity the vote is closed. For example if in three days nobody has voted, the vote is done.
      • If the challenger or champions have a certain number of votes more than the other. For example if a quote has 5 more supporters than the other, the vote is finished early.

      I'm not sure which numbers/method is best suited. For easy of usage I would probably just use "one week after suggesting a new quote, the vote for it is closed".


    In the end it should do basically the same thing you want, but when we establish this, there is no need for anyone to say "A vote is in order, lets start it now". We would just have a passive mechanic that clearly outlines which summary gets added [we could certainly make special exceptions if needed, too].
    I understand the intent, and I agree it makes it lighter. However I think it makes it way too easy to enact changes. You just need 1 person to propose, 1 to approve and no reaction by others for a week, then it's done. If folks start proposing a lot of things while not reacting strongly to others' proposals then it will quickly become overwhelming. I suggest tweaking your mechanic so it becomes a little more difficult to change. Also, I figure people will not always just vote Aye or Nay:

    1) Every one can propose a rewording. A voting period is automatically started by this.
    2) The vote lasts 1 week starting from the moment the initial proposal was made.
    3) During the voting period, every forumite can make other proposals to reword, or just say which one they prefer.
    4) At the end of the voting period, if one proposal has gathered a minimum of 5 votes AND 60% of all votes, it is adopted. Otherwise the wording remains unchanged.
    5) People can change their votes during the process (this allows for a consensus to form around a new idea).
    6) DaggerPen is in charge of declaring the voting period closed, counting the votes, and updating the summary. She can extend the voting period as she sees fit (this may be needed if fresh proposals appear close to the end of the voting period, for example).

    EDIT about grouping of strips: I have all books, so I could, if that's your preference, just copy the Giant's organization into rounds over here (I don't think Jones & Rodriguez would go after me for that). But I think this isn't the best solution. For one thing, the rounds' titles are pretty much like the strips' titles: Not always very explicit. I'd rather recommend we come up with our own chapters.
    Last edited by Gwynfrid; 2014-01-18 at 03:08 PM.

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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by Gwynfrid View Post
    1) Every one can propose a rewording. A voting period is automatically started by this.
    2) The vote lasts 1 week starting from the moment the initial proposal was made.
    3) During the voting period, every forumite can make other proposals to reword, or just say which one they prefer.
    4) At the end of the voting period, if one proposal has gathered a minimum of 5 votes AND 60% of all votes, it is adopted. Otherwise the wording remains unchanged.
    5) People can change their votes during the process (this allows for a consensus to form around a new idea).
    6) DaggerPen is in charge of declaring the voting period closed, counting the votes, and updating the summary. She can extend the voting period as she sees fit (this may be needed if fresh proposals appear close to the end of the voting period, for example).
    Good point about possible multiple suggestions coming up. If we do get multiple rival suggestions, I think I'll take a page out of Grey_Wolf's book and go for the alternate vote system, since that isn't too complicated and allows for instant runoffs.

    EDIT about grouping of strips: I have all books, so I could, if that's your preference, just copy the Giant's organization into rounds over here (I don't think Jones & Rodriguez would go after me for that). But I think this isn't the best solution. For one thing, the rounds' titles are pretty much like the strips' titles: Not always very explicit. I'd rather recommend we come up with our own chapters.
    I would be very interested in the rounds breakdown! We can come up with our own names for description, but it's just a good grouping strategy. We can just wing it re: the newest book and adjust once it's actually released.
    Last edited by DaggerPen; 2014-01-18 at 03:15 PM.
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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by DaggerPen View Post
    I would be very interested in the rounds breakdown! We can come up with our own names for description, but it's just a good grouping strategy. We can just wing it re: the newest book and adjust once it's actually released.
    OK, I'll post that asap (ie in the evening), unless someone does it first.

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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    Quote Originally Posted by Gwynfrid View Post
    I understand the intent, and I agree it makes it lighter. However I think it makes it way too easy to enact changes. You just need 1 person to propose, 1 to approve and no reaction by others for a week, then it's done. If folks start proposing a lot of things while not reacting strongly to others' proposals then it will quickly become overwhelming. I suggest tweaking your mechanic so it becomes a little more difficult to change. Also, I figure people will not always just vote Aye or Nay:

    1) Every one can propose a rewording. A voting period is automatically started by this.
    2) The vote lasts 1 week starting from the moment the initial proposal was made.
    3) During the voting period, every forumite can make other proposals to reword, or just say which one they prefer.
    4) At the end of the voting period, if one proposal has gathered a minimum of 5 votes AND 60% of all votes, it is adopted. Otherwise the wording remains unchanged.
    5) People can change their votes during the process (this allows for a consensus to form around a new idea).
    6) DaggerPen is in charge of declaring the voting period closed, counting the votes, and updating the summary. She can extend the voting period as she sees fit (this may be needed if fresh proposals appear close to the end of the voting period, for example).
    I personally don't see a problem that a change is easy done, especially when nobody opposes it (It might be that 1 week is to short [which I don't think so] - but in that case I would rather change the duration, maybe 10 days or even 2 weeks?).
    And even with the numbers I suggested, even 2 "yes" and 0 "no" can be turned down by DaggerPen - since she should have a normal vote like everyone else (but I think she isn't required to post it in the thread if she doesn't want to, just to reduce the clutter).
    And if this really turns out to be problematic, we can change it later to require more. I personally don't want to cement the list as it is, because I think if we can improve it, we should allow it to get improved.

    I like the addendum of additional proposals during the first.

    But I wouldn't allow additional proposals and requiring 5 votes and 60% votes. It would favoring the current summary way too much - especially if there are multiple proposals (and I'm not sure if 5 minimum votes is way to high).
    For example, currently the Summary is 'A'. Someone proposes 'B'. Another one dislikes the wording a bit and wants 'b'. Yet another forumite likes 'C'. After the vote is finished and tallied up 1 vote are for 'A', 10 for 'B', 3 for 'b', and 5 for 'C'. Personally I think clearly that vote shows we should replace 'A' with 'B', yet it has only achieved around 52% (also I needed a calculator to check what the exact result is! (I was confident it is <60%, but not sure enough to not check it)). Yes I now that is an extreme case, but if there are more proposals than it is pretty easy to not get a majority.

    Needing only more votes than another proposal makes it much easier to avoid such situation (and if we want to favor old summaries, than it is easy to say "a new summary needs X more votes than the old"). And we only need to count the vote - no need to calculate some numbers. (Ok, normally it should be rather easy to judge whether it is greater or less than 60% - but since we need to count it either way, way just don't use the count directly?)

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    Default Re: OOTS Strip Summaries

    ChristianSt: My proposition might be too skewed against change, but yours is, in my opinion, going a little too far in the other direction. Before I debate you further, however, I will let others chime in.

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