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Thread: Interview Questions For Rich
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2015-04-25, 01:50 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Yes, I have, but only really for spell lists.
No, not at all. I've never read the Discworld novels, so I don't even know how it would be. Further, that is not an intentional theme of OOTS; Malack certainly learned and changed over the course of his undeath, or else he would never have been able to manage the complex scheme that he started with Tarquin. Arguably, if Malack were incapable of learning, he would never have "learned" to underestimate Nale, thus negating the impact of his demise. Heck, Crystal just "learned" that Bozzok was bad for her and turned on him, something she never managed to do in her entire mortal life. Some of the characters may believe that only living things can learn, but it's not a thematic statement, or even especially accurate.Rich Burlew
Now Available: 2023 OOTS Holiday Ornament plus a big pile of new t-shirt designs (that you can also get on mugs and stuff)!
~~You can also support The Order of the Stick and the GITP forum at Patreon.~~
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2015-04-25, 01:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2004
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Orth Plays: Currently Baldur's Gate II
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2015-04-25, 02:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2011
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- Wisconsin, USA
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Spoiler
So the song runs on, with shift and change,
Through the years that have no name,
And the late notes soar to a higher range,
But the theme is still the same.
Man's battle-cry and the guns' reply
Blend in with the old, old rhyme
That was traced in the score of the strata marks
While millenniums winked like campfire sparks
Down the winds of unguessed time. -- 4th Stanza, The Bad Lands, Badger Clark
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2015-04-25, 04:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2010
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- California
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Something I've been wondering about for years...
In the Introduction to On the Origin of PCs, you said "And in at least one case, I wasn't ready to reveal a history that will, in part, be integral to the main plot of Order of the Stick, so I chose a different scene from that character's previous life."
Given that we're now many hundreds of strips later, maybe that reveal has already happened. If so, would you tell us what reveal it was and what scene you decided to cut from On the Origin of PCs? My guess for the past year or two is that it was something related to Elan/Tarquin...
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2015-04-25, 05:22 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2003
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
If you asked a broad open-ended question, keep in mind that I am juggling several tasks at the moment and I am favoring questions that I can answer quickly and off the top of my head. I may circle back for some of the more "essay" style questions later.
I'm not really one for picking an all-around favorite of anything; I'm more of a "right tool for the right job" sort of person. Every edition is the best edition if it's the one that serves my particular needs at the moment. That said, the needs I tend to have are best served by the Second and Third Editions, depending on the group and the goal—with extensive house rules either way, if I'm not playtesting anything at the time. I'm only just starting to get a handle on Fifth, though, and I do like what I see so far.
Well, I pretty much need to know what I'm looking for before I do any research. Most of the time, I come up with the joke or reference on my own and then search the internet to confirm that I'm not misremembering or otherwise getting it wrong. Sometimes, a reference has to be stricken from the script because my research reveals that I have it all wrong. In the particular case of #560, oddly enough, the research provided the punchline: I assumed that the two uses of foil were related until I researched it.
No, anything involving Elan and Tarquin would have been when Elan was a baby, which was not what I was interested in depicting. I'm pretty sure I was referring to Vaarsuvius' spouse and children, since the existence of the children were kind of a shock reveal during the black dragon scenes. But I could be wrong.Rich Burlew
Now Available: 2023 OOTS Holiday Ornament plus a big pile of new t-shirt designs (that you can also get on mugs and stuff)!
~~You can also support The Order of the Stick and the GITP forum at Patreon.~~
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2015-04-25, 05:32 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2009
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Rich, I wanted to thank you for those answers. I'll definitely be using Start of Darkness in my future syllabus.
I had a few other questions come to mind, that I hope you don't mind answering.
Three of the most visually striking strips prior to the new art style are 443, 750, and 887.
I'm a huge fan of 443 for its composition. The page falls with Roy, and I was thinking particularly of this strip when I asked you the question about the webcomic format. The format on the web is substantially different, and I think better, than it is in print. Did you consider other options for print format, such as a sort of fold-out page? Perhaps that would have increased overhead costs on War & XPs, though. Did the process of transforming that strip into a print layout influence the shape of later strips?
750 feels really innovative in terms of panel layout, and does an amazing job in telling several stories concurrently. I was wondering how you hit on that particular panel layout.
With 887, it seems to me that this strip might not really be possible if you had done it pen and paper rather than by digital means. I couldn't say for sure, but I imagine being able to zoom, for instance, made it easier to get to the level of detail happening here. Could you tell us anything about how you designed this strip?
In that vein, from an artistic/narrative standpoint, what are your top five strips? And if you had to say what strip you were most proud to produce, which would it be?
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2015-04-25, 05:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2013
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Im faintly amused that you cant remember. Anyway...
Are there any scenes where you really wish you could go back and add more details to them? Or add an entire new scene if its really bugging you? I seem to recall you mentioning that you wished you had included the raid on the Grubwiggler's castle in the online comics in retrospect, are there any other areas like that?“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-04-25, 05:43 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2010
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
You've mentioned Babylon 5 as an inspiration in multiple places.
1. Have any favorite characters?
2. Was
SpoilerElan's exclaimation in On the Origin of the PCs that he and Sir Francois had been "their last, best hope for peace" an intentional reference to the intros of the first 3 seasons?Last edited by Procyonpi; 2015-04-25 at 05:45 PM.
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2015-04-25, 06:02 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2003
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- Philadelphia, PA
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
OK, a lot of folks are asking about regrets and do-overs and what I would change, so I'm going to basically answer this all at once.
Generally speaking, I do not spend a lot of time stressing out about my past work. It is what it is, and I prefer to spend my time moving forward. As a result, I don't devote a lot of mental energy to thinking about what I don't like in the existing strips. To be totally honest, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about the existing strips at all. Once they're done, they're done. I get one more chance to consider them when I compile the book, since I can tweak a scene by adding new material, but once that happens I barely ever think about them as individual strips ever again. I think in terms of plot points and character arcs. I'll go reference a point of continuity when I need it, but I don't really reread my old stuff in bulk. If I did, I would probably be plagued by a constant desire to revise—which is why I don't do it.
That said, I have four basic regrets:
1.) That cold open with an in media res joke about D&D 3.5. Ugh. Hate it. Fixed it in the book.
2.) The overly crappy art style at the start of the comic (as previously addressed on this thread). Have made many upgrades since then.
3.) Unintentional sexism and/or insensitivity to gender issues. Doing my best to fix it going forward.
4.) Representation issues. Doing my best to fix it going forward.
That's it. I'm not going to go back and analyze one joke or plot point that didn't work as well as I would have liked it to. Those happen. There's always something to learn from them. The things that bother me are the things that could substantially damage how people engage with my work as a whole, such as the people who think I'm the guy who can't draw at all or the people who think I'm a closet misogynist. Those are the things that get under my skin, because I know I can do better than that.Rich Burlew
Now Available: 2023 OOTS Holiday Ornament plus a big pile of new t-shirt designs (that you can also get on mugs and stuff)!
~~You can also support The Order of the Stick and the GITP forum at Patreon.~~
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2015-04-25, 06:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2013
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Ok, radically different track then. Do you find yourself with any bad habits when writing? besides any unintentional sexism/lack of representation, since you already covered that pretty thoroughly.
“Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”
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2015-04-25, 06:08 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2004
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Haley said to Elan in cryptogramspeak, "It turns out I may not be exactly what you would call a--"
Is there a yet-unrevealed secret at the end of that sentence, or was it a reference to her self-loathing or something less specifically decided?
Is Aarindarius indeed an epic-level wizard who could kill an ancient black dragon without bothering to look at her, or was that the fiends deceiving Vaarsuvius?Last edited by Kish; 2015-04-25 at 06:10 PM.
Orth Plays: Currently Baldur's Gate II
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2015-04-25, 06:19 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2003
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Rich Burlew
Now Available: 2023 OOTS Holiday Ornament plus a big pile of new t-shirt designs (that you can also get on mugs and stuff)!
~~You can also support The Order of the Stick and the GITP forum at Patreon.~~
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2015-04-25, 06:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2004
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Could he actually have interceded in any meaningful way, or was that just something the fiends counted on Vaarsuvius not questioning, like Durkon being at the fleet and having a scroll of Sending?
Orth Plays: Currently Baldur's Gate II
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2015-04-25, 06:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2003
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Rich Burlew
Now Available: 2023 OOTS Holiday Ornament plus a big pile of new t-shirt designs (that you can also get on mugs and stuff)!
~~You can also support The Order of the Stick and the GITP forum at Patreon.~~
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2015-04-25, 06:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Oct 2009
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
First of all I just wanted to thank you. Order of the Stick and this forum have turned out to be a very important part of my life the past few years and I'm pretty sure I would be a different person without them.
Okay, my question for the moment is: When you created the main and important secondary characters, did you think of their personalities first and roles second, or vice versa? Or did each feed the other? Or was it individual for each character?My webcomic!
Currently DMing:
Tales of Aequar: Runite's Rise IC
OOC Map
Playing Natalia Bolts,Jadeite Nocrius, and Soren Lowell
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2015-04-25, 06:39 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2015
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
How many of the Nine Sides have we met?
Can the MITD cause rain?Last edited by woweedd; 2015-04-25 at 06:39 PM.
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2015-04-25, 06:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2009
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Are there any little personality details (akin to V being a vegetarian) that other characters have? If so, what are they?
Cuthalion's art is the prettiest art of all the art. Like my avatar.
Number of times Roland St. Jude has sworn revenge upon me: 2
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2015-04-25, 06:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Sep 2011
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2015-04-25, 06:56 PM (ISO 8601)
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- May 2008
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
When you began the strip, did you have any intention of the Order ever leaving the Dungeon of Dorukan to have adventures elsewhere and at at what point did you make the decision that the comic would have a long complicated story rather than being just a gag a day strip for D&D fans?
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2015-04-25, 07:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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2015-04-25, 07:34 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2009
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
And I'm glad you did. Dungeonscape is one of my favorite D&D splatbooks (I still mainly play and run 3.5), but Start of Darkness is one of my favorite books period. I'm glad I got more OOTS than anything you hypothetically would have written for D&D.
Anyways, I have three questions:
1. Are bugbears viewed negatively by other goblinoids in the same way Redcloak was prejudiced against hobgoblins?
2. In SoD,
SpoilerThree of the evil gods sided with the Dark One. In the time since, have they remained on friendly(ish) terms with TDO, or was their alliance temporary?
3. On a less serious note, do you have a favorite of the 'silly forum conjectures' about OOTS? (E.g., predictions that various characters are Redcloak's niece, Haley being half-celestial, Durkon secretly being Trigak polymorphed, the entire comic being a dream of the Sleeping Goblin from strip 1, panel 1, Laurin being the spiked devil called by HPoH, etc.)
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2015-04-25, 08:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2013
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
1. Where'd you get the inspiration for Tarquin?
2. Did Malack name the vampire "Brother Thundershield"?
3. Has Xykon yet to perform his greatest act of evil?
4. To me, the vampire and Hel seem like underdogs; are they going to be sympathetic characters?
5. Have you watched Steven Universe?Last edited by CaDzilla; 2015-04-25 at 08:08 PM.
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2015-04-25, 08:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2009
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions.
One of your answers (see below) left me with a question though:
I recently re-read that arc after remembering how awesome it was. And it still made me giggle a lot. Would you care to explain why you think you blew that Girdle of Feminity/Masculinity story?
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2015-04-25, 08:18 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2013
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- Los Angeles, CA
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Is there any character you wrote that you wound up actively disliking as you developed him/her?
If so, did that dislike lead to you changing the way you treated/wrote the character?
Also, thanks for making yourself available for these questions, it is greatly appreciated.
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2015-04-25, 08:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2010
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- Turkey
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
What is the reason of the Dark One's purple skin colour?
V's line in the first panel: Was s/he sarcastic? Or honest?Spoiler
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2015-04-25, 08:27 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2009
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0484.html
In Haley and Belkar's panel, what is the intended flow of dialogue:
Durkon knows the plan. He'll contact us magically--and Vaarsuvius, too--as soon as he's able.
Wait, hold on: You're saying the boat ACTUALLY left us behind?!?
Keep your voice down!
or
*off-panel dialogue*
Wait, hold on: You're saying the boat ACTUALLY left us behind?!?
Keep your voice down! Durkon knows the plan. He'll contact us magically--and Vaarsuvius, too--as soon as he's able.
?
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2015-04-25, 08:35 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2008
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Re: Interview Questions For Rich
Does Haley know V's gender and sexual preference?
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-.____________________
./___________________()-------Ron Miel
|...___________________--------sits down
|..| |_________________()-------and starts
|..|/__________________--------singing
| ___________________()-------about gold
.
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2015-04-25, 08:41 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2007
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- Oregon, USA
Re: Interview Questions For Rich
I might be able to help on this one:
FeytouchedBanana eldritch disciple avatar by...me!
The Index of the Giant's Comments VI―Making Dogma from Zapped Bananas
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2015-04-25, 08:45 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2013
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2015-04-26, 01:54 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2009
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- Right here, duh
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