Hello,

Well, the li'l strip engine seems to be working fine, and the second-week strip of the first story is in place. I'm thinking, too, that each story might be archived at the respective artist's website once it's scrolled through at my site. That way, you guys (and new people) can get the whole story, and the artists get promotion, and you know, the whole deal is happier for everyone.

All this is pending the artists' agreement, so don't get too, too hyped about it yet. Might end up different in a detail or two, but something like this is what I'm after.

The current six-week story is "Sex and Death, with Music," illustrated by James V. West. The next one will be "The Green Goo Feud," illustrated by Rod Anderson, and it's a real honker, weighing in at ten weeks' worth.

Best,
Ron

Hi there,

Strip #3 of "Death and Sex, with Music" is up! This is the last week you'll be able to see Everything So Far at the site; next Monday, only #2-4 can be seen, and a week after that, only #3-5 will be posted, etc.

When all six are posted for that story, though, James will put the story up on his website (pending his agreement).

No cries of agony now, I trust?

Best,
Ron

Not from me. I'm loving the strip so far. It's giving me ideas for my own Trollbabe run, in fact.

Wha-ha! The fifth strip of the six-strip story is now up at the site. Anyone wanna comment on how they think the story "Death and Sex, with Music," is going to turn out?

Best,
Ron

Well if it MY comic, I'd have the dead crew of the ship come back as zombies and Rhetta make her escape by feeding them the bard's brains while she jumps overboard, to be washed up on the shore of a nearby island where she's captured by a race of pigmy cannibals who want to sacrifice her to their volcano...but that might be hard to fit in only 3 remaining panels... ;-)

Hello!

Well, the first story's all through. Any comments?

The next story is called "The Green Goo Feud," written by me, illustrated by Rod Anderson, and composed of ten whole strips.

Best,
Ron

The ending wasn't really what I was expecting. In one sense, it was a bit of an anti-climax, as nothing was really explained. In another sense, that was the point & I liked it. Very moody, without getting too dark & wallowing. Good stuff.

I liked it. I thought leaving questions unanswered was a good touch. Now how about that example of play you were talking about posting? Hmmm?

Looking forward to the next comic. Also, I don't think you should limit to showing only the three last comics. By doing this, you'll lose the interest of people who miss the first episodes.

Hi Roger,

Check out the first post of this thread ... it turns out that James will post the whole story on his website sometime, oh, about now, if he remembers. And when Rod's story is done, it'll be posted in full as well.

Best,
Ron

Having just read the game yesterday, I think the first comic story actually illuminates a couple interesting things about the game.

1. It's okay to lose the Stakes. You can have a good story even if the crew gets killed and nobody finds anything out. Or if the baby gets eaten, or the trolls won't listen to reason, or what have you.

2. What would the Stakes be for that story? "Do ee find out what's up with Eskindar or not"? "Does the boat's crew survive"? In reference to the second one, can the stakes be something that nobody (in-game) knew was an issue at the beginning?

Hi Henry,

I played the basic framework for that story twice, with different players. In each case, the Stakes are defined as Eskindar's life. It's kind of interesting that in each case, the player defined the conflict as Fighting; apparently the bard's mooniness prompted the players to want to kill him. Obviously, things could go very differently - after Eskindar announces that he's seen the Ancient Enemy in Retta, the player could decide on any sort of conflict to resolve things.

As a general rule, the stories for the comics aren't transcriptions of actual play in any way, and in this case, both my characterization of the bard and the events of the story don't parallel anything that happened in play. When that does happen, I'll put a reference in to give credit.

Oh, yeah. The Gordon R. Dickson reference in this story is his short story, "Ancient, My Enemy."

Best,
Ron

Hi Henry,

You wrote,
" It's okay to lose the Stakes. You can have a good story even if the crew gets killed and nobody finds anything out. Or if the baby gets eaten, or the trolls won't listen to reason, or what have you."

And that's exactly right. I cannot say enough that Trollbabe is never, ever about what "she has to do." The only constraint is that she can't leave the situation until the Stakes have come to some fate or another. The Stakes are defined as important to one or more NPCs, not as important to her or even to the player.

I'd really hate for people to be playing Trollbabe as an (a) figure out the Stakes and (b) rescue the victim kind of programmed-adventure structure. All they gotta do is have her make some decisions and work through whatever Conflicts seem right at the time.

Best,
Ron

Ron Edwards wrote:
I'd really hate for people to be playing Trollbabe as an (a) figure out the Stakes and (b) rescue the victim kind of programmed-adventure structure.

Hi Jesse,

Well, they're Stakes to the NPCs who care about them. And they are definitely "at stake" based on whatever happens during the Conflicts the trollbabe engages in, and on nothing else.

As a general rule, I'm not too concerned about what anyone thinks based on a cursory/casual read. That someone isn't whom I'm writing for, in game texts.

Oh, and demons are demons, in-game, in Sorcerer (unless you're being reeeeal pervy). No one has to think any differently; I only explained it because Jack asked me directly.

Best,
Ron

Ron Edwards wrote: As a general rule, I'm not too concerned about what anyone thinks based on a cursory/casual read. That someone isn't whom I'm writing for, in game texts.

Hi Jesse,

Hellzapoppin', that shit ain't shit, I guess.

I'm thinking about five alpha-male tenured science faculty ripping eight years of your work apart, with your degree on the line ... After real critical review and analysis, comments based on cursory inspection just don't make me flicker an eyelid.

Or now that I think about it, after being scarred and lamed by inappropriate martial arts training ten years ago, nowadays, if a well-meaning partner thwacks me a good one harder than intended, it just doesn't bother me either.

Hmm, this reads like "poor me," which really isn't what I'm after. Let's take it to Trollbabe.

1) The game is meant for people who really want to role-play this stuff about the Trollbabes. As such, it has to be read. Compared to most game-books, it's damn short and written, I think, in a reasonably accessible style. Looking over it, and granted that it's an unusual RPG design, I don't see how someone who "glances" at it can expect their judgment to be attended to. It's like someone shouting at me in a house far across the country. To get me to listen, they have to look up my number and call it (i.e. read the book and think).

2) The comic is just itself - to be read, as is, and reacted to. Thinking of it as role-playing material is off the beam, as is thinking of it as a grand expression of my values or whatever. In fact, I'd even say that talking to me about its content or thinking of it as "something I'm saying" is a bit off too. I love people's reactions to it, which in some ways act as a Rorschach test.

Best,
Ron

Jesse,

Have you (or your girlfriend) considered that the word "Stakes" does not entail the character's Stakes? That in real life, your own Stakes can be won, lost or ignored as you -- or more appropriately, the "Trollbabe" in each of your life's personal drama -- wish?