March 26 2013: Altsplanations 3

[Jibjib]

Craaaazy stupid

[Alvarin]

Not much to those realities.

[willpell]

I have a sad suspicion that we're not going to see as much of reality 20's Nudiekin as I would prefer.

As for Reality 3...shiver! Horrific in an entirely different way from the Cthulhuverse in Alts 2 (really, I suspect I wouldn't find that one all that horrible, aside from the lack of ice cream - on the plus side I guess I'd be safe playing Truenamers). I'm guessing that this Minmax is one of the evil ones, or at least on the creepy side of neutral, for willfully exploiting a bunch of heads like that. (Do the heads still need to eat to stay alive? How does that work if they have no stomachs?)

As for the horrible multi-headed Kin...I'm eager to see it, but more to the point, =http://www.goblinsforum.com/viewtopic. ... called it.

It would stand to reason if at least one of the Kins was more deeply traumatized and is now painfully shy (rogue levels?), going to great lengths to stay out of sight lest she be captured again. Would be interesting to learn how F&M managed to earn her trust if she's that skittish.

Not exactly how it turned out, but the chances are she was indeed more traumatized than most, and it would still be interesting to learn how F&M managed to win her over, rather than just becoming victims of her mad rampage after they freed her from Dellyn.

[boneguard]

As for the horrible multi-headed Kin...I'm eager to see it, but more to the point, I sorta called it.

Fix the link.

Love those reality...wierd and disturbing but cool!!!

[Mithcoriel]

Noticed a mistake ^^. In the prison image, Forgath's helmet is missing a horn as usual, but in the blurry image of them inside the maze of many, the helmet has both horns.

Can't wait to see Kin 3! Do you think anyone from that reality is in view fighting our Minmax yet?

[LoneStarNorth]

Noticed a mistake ^^. In the prison image, Forgath's helmet is missing a horn as usual, but in the blurry image of them inside the maze of many, the helmet has both horns.

The first series of images are our Forgath and Minmax, from a canonical bonus story that was in the print books. They're there to demonstrate going to elven prison, as mentioned in the altsplanation.

[Marnath]

Noticed a mistake ^^. In the prison image, Forgath's helmet is missing a horn as usual, but in the blurry image of them inside the maze of many, the helmet has both horns.

The first series of images are our Forgath and Minmax, from a canonical bonus story that was in the print books. They're there to demonstrate going to elven prison, as mentioned in the altsplanation.

For further clarification, those images were used so that Tarol wouldn't need to waste valuable time drawing the alt team since there's already artwork that looks kind of like them.

[willpell]

We know Thunt wrote the overall plot of the comic long ago, but did he really write ALL these details? So contrived are some of these tales, with #3 being a particular example, that I can't help but wonder if he originally just drew the little picture of Minmax holding severed goblin heads, and then later decided that was too grisly and not interesting enough, so he came up with the head-lining idea. Similar stories might surround BlueMax, HelmetMax with Baldgath, and others...they might originally just have been cute doodles, and now Thunt feels compelled to outdo himself each week by giving them ALL crazy-awesome backstories. I don't want to complain too hard, it is still cool for now, but I want to make sure he knows it's okay to just have some of the realities be exactly what they appear - the ones who died in the spike room, for instance, can just be random evil alts and don't have to have a terribly highfalutin' story behind them.

Rereading the comic, I was more impressed with the backstory of #3; the Spinning Fear sounds like an absolutely awesome name for a dungeon and I find myself wanting to stat it out. Also, Lethar the Leather makes me think of how some guys describe something awesome as "totally metal"; perhaps in some cultures leather is considered a more impressive substance but for similar reasons? Also, it's sort of touching, in a skin-crawly way, that Thaco and his son Complains are together in bodiless enslavement to Minmax. Can someone remind me, did we ever see Climbs-Trees in the main comic?

It would be funny if Reality 20 weren't just stupid by coincidence, but if Minmax's dumbness was actually contagious somehow in that universe. That's about all I have to say about this part, aside from that I loved the "Product placement!" crack.

Can't wait to see Kin 3! Do you think anyone from that reality is in view fighting our Minmax yet?

Yes...yes, I do.

Fix the link.

It works fine for me...

[Daughter Of Yahweh]

Actually, willspell, I'm pretty sure Thunt had all these crazy details in mind from the get-go. He tweeted about it. At some point when developing The Maze of Many, he jotted down a lot of notes and figured it all out. Now he's just providing us with the final draft.

[willpell]

Well if that's so, it just proves how awesome, crazy, and crazy-awesome he is.



(I think I am addicted to these smileys...)

[I'mBob]

I really want to see that Kin.

[Jibjib]

Anybody care to take a guess at what heads we'll see on the alt Kin? I'm hoping/not hoping to see the MAP make an appearance myself

[Aegis J Hyena]

I wonder what it would take for Thunt to draw (a) Kin topless in full color, not like that sketch he did of GothKin from earlier. We are adults, we are mature, we want boobies can appreciate fine artwork...

[nightarix]

I wonder what it would take for Thunt to draw (a) Kin topless in full color, not like that sketch he did of GothKin from earlier. We are adults, we are mature, we want boobies can appreciate fine artwork...

i think that would depend on weather(not sure if that's the right spelling for this context...) or not he does commissions and allows explicit content in them. if he doesn't you could probably get another artist to do it for you though you'll probably need thunts permission for that i believe since the character belongs to him.

[Aegis J Hyena]

Heh. That was a rhetorical question, since A) he doesn't do commissions and B) if there was going to be explicit stuff we would have seen it already.

[T-RexWithTourettes]

Willpell, no, there was no ClimbsTrees. But geez. Being a head forever...that would suck. Did he say using them as a weapon? That would TRIPLE suck.
And I was wondering where those prison panels came from...the laser part made me chuckle. Goddammit, now I feel I have to buy the printed versions for the canonical stories! I didn't know there was extra content in them. I mean, I probably would've bought them EVENTUALLY, but now it feels urgent...

[Liesmith]

I let loose such a squee of delight when I saw today's bonus page. My hardcover copy of Book 2, and my paperback copy of Book 1 both arrived just yesterday, and I actually read that bonus story a few hours before seeing this altsplanation. The bonus story is great...I highly recommend everyone buy the book.

I love these alternate timelines. The "headlining" one, in particular, is great. It reminds me of one of my more favoriter Donna episodes from Doctor Who.

I really want to see that Kin.

Here you go (NSFW):

► Show Spoiler

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[zennyrpg]

I must be the only one who isn't loving the alsplanations. I feel like the stories are TOO ridiculous. I like the way that goblins is fantastical and grounded- it strikes a good balance. The altsplanations, meh.

[Liesmith]

I must be the only one who isn't loving the alsplanations. I feel like the stories are TOO ridiculous. I like the way that goblins is fantastical and grounded- it strikes a good balance. The altsplanations, meh.

What I like about them is that the outlandish stories all branch from single changes (except for the Hulk group, as far as we know). A god wins a battle instead of losing, Forgath and Kin aren't the voices of reason in the group and they all wind up being as impulsive as Minmax, a background character spikes a drink instead of clubbing a goblin, a man hundreds of years in the past turns right instead of left.

I love time travel stories, so I love seeing these unpredictable little vignettes imagining the results of little (or sometimes major) changes here and there. I hope he winds up compiling all of them into the next book.

[Xavier78]

Umm seeing Kin naked is not something I ever want to see. She's part snake, eww. I would hope Thunt wouldn't stoop that low any how. This comic is plenty "adult" and good enough without boobs.

[CelineSSauve]

I'm hoping/not hoping to see the MAP make an appearance myself

That is... Monster Adventuring Party? The Brassmoon escapees?

My hardcover copy of Book 2, and my paperback copy of Book 1 both arrived just yesterday

That's what I don't want with my collection, if I can help it. Hardcover beside softcover.
I'd prefer to just have softcovers to go with my softcovers, but I enjoy the comic not to support it, even if the newer books come out in hardcover only. (Hey... If there really are noticeable revisions I might repurchase the "new" Book 1 and Book 2 hardcovers so I can compare things. [Not to say the extra work is a good thing, just that it would give me an excuse to have a shiny, unified, hardcover collection. ])

I must be the only one who isn't loving the alsplanations. I feel like the stories are TOO ridiculous. I like the way that goblins is fantastical and grounded- it strikes a good balance. The altsplanations, meh.

What I like about them is that the outlandish stories all branch from single changes (except for the Hulk group, as far as we know). A god wins a battle instead of losing, Forgath and Kin aren't the voices of reason in the group and they all wind up being as impulsive as Minmax, a background character spikes a drink instead of clubbing a goblin, a man hundreds of years in the past turns right instead of left.

I also enjoy how that alternate realities rightfully spring from a single change that can then naturally snowball.

I wonder what "our" reality's change was from the Alpha. Is ours the only party populated by PCs? {That might explain the fact that only one Kin/MinMax pair love each other. Because a GM trying to flesh out an actual relationship for that many realities would be too much work.}

[I'mBob]

I really want to see that Kin.

Here you go (NSFW):

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I meant the kin with heads on her. But that's fine, too.

[LooksAndSmiles]

I also enjoy how that alternate realities rightfully spring from a single change that can then naturally snowball.

I wonder what "our" reality's change was from the Alpha. Is ours the only party populated by PCs? {That might explain the fact that only one Kin/MinMax pair love each other. Because a GM trying to flesh out an actual relationship for that many realities would be too much work.}

Yes, the whole amount of differences rolling out just from a single change is indeed entertaining. At least much better than the typical movie-versions where the main point of time travel is killing/prohibiting to kill someone, and then everything else stays the same. I know we don't have time travel here, but kind of...

Celine's question brings an interesting point to ponder on: Is there an "alpha" world? Is there a set order of things how events should happen? Or there are only parallel universes, of infinite (or finite) numbers? (And yes, are they parallelly DM'ed universes, or are they NPC universes, folding into this DM'ed game/universe?)

Btw, a multi-headed Kin should be called a hydra, no? (Or a chimarea?)

[Generic]

I wonder what it would take for Thunt to draw (a) Kin topless in full color, not like that sketch he did of GothKin from earlier. We are adults, we are mature, we want boobies can appreciate fine artwork...

Saves a fox has been providing most areas of her breasts already. Failing that, there is always the honey-mud-covered dreamgirls, or Kin in an incredible push-up-top.
http://www.goblinscomic.com/08242008/

I think we're set in the boobies apartment. What I am wondering is when we're going to see more of Min-Maxes purple worm.

[Rorrik]

I wonder what it would take for Thunt to draw (a) Kin topless in full color, not like that sketch he did of GothKin from earlier. We are adults, we are mature, we want boobies can appreciate fine artwork...

Saves a fox has been providing most areas of her breasts already. Failing that, there is always the honey-mud-covered dreamgirls, or Kin in an incredible push-up-top.
http://www.goblinscomic.com/08242008/

I think we're set in the boobies apartment. What I am wondering is when we're going to see more of Min-Maxes purple worm.

Some people can never be set in the boobies department.

What I want to know is what other people force heads to do for them. I mean people who know how to read. I guess they could read you a bed time story, but I don't see that helping me get to sleep. :shudders: Any ideas on what a head can do for you without it's body? Maybe a study companion, or a lookout? And what kind of rewards besides food can they really be interested in? And as has been asked, what happens to the food?