Freefall 3: Death Ray Byproducts

[Willie the Duck]

Sam's society is not like ours. They're back at the point where stock raiding was considered a game to show off how awesome you are. We're past that now, and probably even moreso in comic.

They don't have government, rules, ownership, theft, or war? Because that's the point I made. Regardless, I'm really not sure we're 'past' something like stock raiding as an act of performative magnitude, we just have different methods of sending the same signals, just ones you can do in a boardroom while wearing a suit.

[sihnfahl]

Why do I get the feeling that Mark used the kender as a template for the sqid?

[Fyraltari]

Wait, how unequal is society in this comic (assuming Sam wasn't talking about human/A.I. inequalities), also does Sam's species have C.E.O.s or is he just making an analogy.

Why do I get the feeling that Mark used the kender as a template for the sqid?

What's a kender?

[Kantaki]

What's a kender?

Kleptomaniac hobbits with zero self-preservation instincts.

[sihnfahl]

What's a kender?

Ah, a fictional race from the Dragonlance series by Weis and Hickman.

Most other races see them as thieves. They're really just a race of kleptomaniacs with a loose sense of personal possessions, and a wanderlust that tends to lead a lot of them into trouble.

And by 'trouble', anything goes. Everything from wandering into a dragon's lair, to ending up at a dark summoning to an evil god.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Basically, they exist to ruin everybody else's fun. And you turn Evil if you do anything but smile and praise them for stealing or losing your stuff.

[Fyraltari]

Kleptomaniac hobbits with zero self-preservation instincts.

Ah, a fictional race from the Dragonlance series by Weis and Hickman.

Most other races see them as thieves. They're really just a race of kleptomaniacs with a loose sense of personal possessions, and a wanderlust that tends to lead a lot of them into trouble.

And by 'trouble', anything goes. Everything from wandering into a dragon's lair, to ending up at a dark summoning to an evil god.

Thank you.

Basically, they exist to ruin everybody else's fun. And you turn Evil if you do anything but smile and praise them for stealing or losing your stuff.

Wut?

[sihnfahl]

Wut?

Ah, it's the Bad Kender Player reference.

Since they have no concept of personal property, and are prone to somehow 'acquiring' things, even from other party members...

"We found your party mate in possession of the Elven Lord's signet ring..."

"Uh, who moved the shiny macguffin that the questgiver said shouldn't be moved?"

"Did you use my spell components for cooking spices again..."

As for the second part, it's part of the bad design. They're effectively children in adult's bodies, so some folks try to use that as a justification that you can't really be mad at them for their actions - cause they don't know any better! (Course, even the dumbest dog knows not to chew on the furniture after a few baps on the nose...)

[Rogar Demonblud]

The rules for the Dragonlance setting say that only Evil people punish kender for what they do. Kender decides to take up bugle playing when you're trying to sneak past a patrol of ogres? You just smile and nod. Kender decides to shoot off all your arrows to see which one goes furthest? You just smile and nod. Kender decides to learn magic by reading every scroll your wizard has? First you heal them, and then you smile and nod.

Frankly, I would rather have someone be a Malkavian in a Vampire game. At least there you can stake them out for the sun.

[Lord Raziere]

Why do I get the feeling that Mark used the kender as a template for the sqid?

Well, the Sqid are clearly more intelligent: Sam says to look out for the group, and take advantage of those who aren't IN your group. Keep as much as you can without causing your group to attack you.

an adventuring party is apart of your group, you don't steal from that, that might cause them to attack you.

[sihnfahl]

Well, the Sqid are clearly more intelligent: Sam says to look out for the group, and take advantage of those who aren't IN your group. Keep as much as you can without causing your group to attack you.

Personally, it would appear to me that Sam doesn't seem to get along with many humans there, to the point they held a raffle as to whom had the rights to push the button that got him off planet, and few sympathetic to him.

With as much trouble as he's apparently caused, in humans and robots, it's amazing he had no fatal 'accidents' just to stop his antics...

[Rockphed]

Personally, it would appear to me that Sam doesn't seem to get along with many humans there, to the point they held a raffle as to whom had the rights to push the button that got him off planet, and few sympathetic to him.

With as much trouble as he's apparently caused, in humans and robots, it's amazing he had no fatal 'accidents' just to stop his antics...

Sam is significantly smarter than he lets on. He also is fairly hard to kill (excepting by disabling his environmental suit). I imagine that a significant number of attempts at "fatal accident" were either ignored or turned out really bad for his attacker (as in Sam got away with a significant item they wanted). Also he figured out that if he owes people money then they have a vested interest in his continued existence.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Which only works as long as somebody cares more about the money than removing the rotten thorn from the septic wound in their side. Until Florence came around the odds of getting a copper chip back from Sam were effectively nil, and it's surprising he wasn't killed so they could sell the Chicken for scrap to use to pay off his debts.

[Rockphed]

Which only works as long as somebody cares more about the money than removing the rotten thorn from the septic wound in their side. Until Florence came around the odds of getting a copper chip back from Sam were effectively nil, and it's surprising he wasn't killed so they could sell the Chicken for scrap to use to pay off his debts.

He also provided the service of depriving rude people who talk on their phones during movies of their phones.

[Rogar Demonblud]

Given the population of Jean is less than some small towns, I'm not sure who was actually being inconvenienced there.

[sihnfahl]

Sam is significantly smarter than he lets on. He also is fairly hard to kill (excepting by disabling his environmental suit). I imagine that a significant number of attempts at "fatal accident" were either ignored or turned out really bad for his attacker (as in Sam got away with a significant item they wanted). Also he figured out that if he owes people money then they have a vested interest in his continued existence.

Given his suit was his weak point, hitting it at range in his life support would have killed him. The status of the filters was very bad when Florence looked at them. He didn't know how to maintain the suit that kept him alive.

And even the most intelligent and cunning of individuals can't respond if someone puts a .50 through them from a half mile.

it's surprising he wasn't killed so they could sell the Chicken for scrap to use to pay off his debts.

The entire reason why they let him have the Chicken was that they expected he'd kill himself doing something stupid while trying to repair it. Helix was a lifter robot and didn't know a thing about starship repair. Sam from a pre-industrial society, thrust into an advanced one, and he doesn't really know how things work.

To continue the RPG analogy, the DM set it up so that players could steal from one another, but player killing was forbidden. Sure, stealing could end you up in jail ... until a character comes along that'll literally steal the doors in the jail...

[Rockphed]

The entire reason why they let him have the Chicken was that they expected he'd kill himself doing something stupid while trying to repair it. Helix was a lifter robot and didn't know a thing about starship repair. Sam from a pre-industrial society, thrust into an advanced one, and he doesn't really know how things work.

To continue the RPG analogy, the DM set it up so that players could steal from one another, but player killing was forbidden. Sure, stealing could end you up in jail ... until a character comes along that'll literally steal the doors in the jail...

Yet Sam swears that he doesn't know what happened to the doors and that the other prisoners kept throwing him over the wall.

[memnarch]

Given his suit was his weak point, hitting it at range in his life support would have killed him. The status of the filters was very bad when Florence looked at them. He didn't know how to maintain the suit that kept him alive.

And even the most intelligent and cunning of individuals can't respond if someone puts a .50 through them from a half mile.
...

Or some rock salt.


I think that the biggest reason Sam hasn't been offed yet is that the colonists are pretty bored and killing Sam would remove an entertainment source in the long run. Took a bit, but I found the comment that said it best.

When did you read them (how old were you at the time)?



The way that Sam runs around in society, clearly as a member of society (the store clerk might keep themselves between him and the register, but he's not treated like a wild animal had just entered the premises, much less like a serious threat), indicate to me that he's widely regarded as a nuisance character more than anything else. The ease at which angry mobs form indicate to me that the citizens of Jean are profoundly bored people. The whole comic has a bit of a Mayberry feel to it -- all the stakes are small and the crooks are no real threat and everyone ends up with ice cream... right up until the wolf engineer reminds everyone that they are using nuclear power and trusting a few millimeters of metal to protect them from the pitiless deadliness of space or the incompetent CEO tries attempts AI genocide.

[sihnfahl]

I think that the biggest reason Sam hasn't been offed yet is that the colonists are pretty bored and killing Sam would remove an entertainment source in the long run. Took a bit, but I found the comment that said it best.

Counterpoint. They may have even had a pool as to how he managed.

[Drascin]

Or some rock salt.


I think that the biggest reason Sam hasn't been offed yet is that the colonists are pretty bored and killing Sam would remove an entertainment source in the long run. Took a bit, but I found the comment that said it best.

Also, you know. Most people in civilized countries aren't the kind of psychopaths that would murder a dude just because he's a nuisance?

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Also, you know. Most people in civilized countries aren't the kind of psychopaths that would murder a dude just because he's a nuisance?

Yeah there's a very big difference between a (possibly joking) "Maybe he'll just get killed working on this ship, and the problem will solve itself!" and going "Welp, time to hire a hitman!". One of those is the kind of griping everyone does when irritated. The other is insane. I'll leave it to you to decide which is which.

[Anarchic Fox]

Also, we've seen that Sam views imprisonment as a fun challenge, not a punishment, so that avenue is closed too.

[Rockphed]

Also, we've seen that Sam views imprisonment as a fun challenge, not a punishment, so that avenue is closed too.

And the police have a hard time capturing him.

[Gez]

Sam is clearly a Looney Toon character; and the nature of his relationship with the other colonists clearly follows Looney Toons logic. He annoys everyone but things stay good natured. It helps that he's mostly doing petty theft and they basically live in a post-scarcity economy, what with all the robot labor.

[HandofShadows]

And sometimes he puts stuff back just to mess with people. He also has ice cream for everyone after the chases.

[Fyraltari]

Dodged a pretty big bullet, there.

[Kornaki]

I realize this is just being played for a joke, but didn't sam already conclude that contact now between his species and humanity would be very bad for his species? I thought at one point it was a plot point that he couldn't send anything home because an invasive bacteria would potentially wipe out his whole planet

[Lord Raziere]

I realize this is just being played for a joke, but didn't sam already conclude that contact now between his species and humanity would be very bad for his species? I thought at one point it was a plot point that he couldn't send anything home because an invasive bacteria would potentially wipe out his whole planet

Yes he did. though I think technically I think it was either ants or ducks that could wipe his planet out, not bacteria. but that is probably also a concern.

though given that he only asked the question, it can be played ambiguously: in one interpretation he is asking because is greedy and could be leveraged to get help for his species in some manner. in another interpretation it might be concern because if another Sqid gets this question asked and they answer in the affirmative so they can get money thinking they can scam the humans big time, that could screw everything up. remember his society is pre-industrial and likes to keep information secret, so in theory he is the only one who even knows such bacteria or invasive species even EXIST if there isn't a clan of Sqids who somehow discovered germ theory and microscopes.

[sihnfahl]

Yes he did. though I think technically I think it was either ants or ducks that could wipe his planet out, not bacteria. but that is probably also a concern.

Sam brought up ducks as an example, just talking about evolutionary advantages. But then expanded on all the other organisms that found him tasty. Including things that are normally herbivorous.

It was expanded by Winston as to the other things that could survive the trip, even in hard vacuum, and be harder for the sqids to stop due to them being micro rather than macro.

[Kantaki]

„When it comes to heartbeats and breathing I like repetitive.“
And once more the comic speaks great wisdom.