May 14, 2013 - Ganging Up

[Bad At Jokes]

Gem Kins will distract psimax enough for someone to win the maze.

[ForgetsOldName]

Those Kins are geniuses. Four of them working together will be able to think up a way to restore the tail.

[Aegis J Hyena]

I LOVE the expressions on the Kins, especially Onyx in panel 4 and Ruby going "Really." --- makes me think of an amazon who despises all men. I can't wait to see where this goes.

Dunno if I've mentioned it but my new pet theory is "Kin dies, Minmax takes up her quest, the leader of the Silkscales becomes his 'prey', and it drives a rift between Forgath and Minmax because unlike Kin, other Yuan-Ti ARE evil monsters... like the Marilith summoners in my current Civilization game over in the Games forum...

[Mithcoriel]

As powerful as Psimax is, I am not sure he can stop attacks from three different areas at once. The Kins are very intelligent, and will probably not all go for a frontal attack, especially after Kin 156 tells them about his abilities. I forsee a coordinated attack...oh my I just thought of something. Something truly awesome and terrifying but don't know how to do the spoiler bit. So I will just give a hint. MM and his alts are not the brightest in the world, but most of them probably like their Kins.. he has an 'awesome charisma'... think on that for a moment....

Just type in [ spoiler ] bla [ /spoiler ] without the spaces. And I don't know what you're getting at with those hints. Maybe that our Minmax will start a Minmax-army?

[stevedj]

Love this update! But I think as someone said, it is likely that PsiMax will already be off to the Tower Room to talk to (or retrieve) our MinMax. So, perhaps these Kin's, with their own magical powers, and intelligence, quickly determine a minor tweak to make to the machine to cause the effect they desire. ...something that when PsiMax returns, he doesn't notice. So, he thinks Oblivion is on its way, when something else happens entirely...??

I guess this maze isn't dimensionally locked. But for the moment assume it is, or that most groups have no way to teleport or dimension door.

If all groups hit the spike trap wall and the door that is opened by confusion, how do you ever get past that door when you know how it works?

No, you don't have to be confused about the room -- just confused about anything to open the door.

[RJJ7]

I don't think these Kin's are evil. Evil wouldn't help a new Kin out... well maybe but I don't think they would in this situation.

But it took a special kind of MinMax to really bond with Kin. Maybe the other groups are more just adventuring partners, and she never got to celebrate her "Berfday", and she never bonded with Forgath over the philosophy of Minmax. There's been a lot of key moments in our group to allow that bonding, and without that, they're just a group (and human's and dwarves don't necessarily get along with Kin). So the alternative of grouping with like minded, friendly Kin's is ideal.

Counter example intended to illustrate that they could be evil: White supremacists would probably be considered evil by most people, and yet would have no problem helping 'their own kind'. This could be a similar situation. Even if they are just part of an adventuring party, it isn't usually a good act to just abandon your group in favor of a different one in the middle of dangerous territory. Nor do they have any apparent concern over what happens to their former teammates. It can't just be that their teammates are dead, because they are going to try and reset the maze a few times.

I don't know whether these kins are evil or not; we don't have enough information to go on, and hasty judgments will just get one in trouble. All I'm saying is that they could be evil.

[rwstyles]

My guess:
PsiMax goes to top of tower before the Kin group goes into that room. He splishes everyone there but our MinMax, talks to him.
This gives Kins time to do something.
PsiMax than Brings our MinMax back.

But I don't see any way to get into the treasure room, except for having PsiMax open the door (right).

Unless one of the treasures will regenerate her tail, or her species can do that naturally, I don't see any way other than a reset to get her tail back.

Even if they destroy all four counters, I doubt if MM will keep his sword. Pity. But he would keep his memory, so if the maze resets but does not fix oblivion damage, he could make a new one.

And PsiMax would be back, and angry, unless he is thown into an oblivion hole, and stuff that goes into an oblivion hole is truly gone.

[friedkitty]

I don't see it so much that THEy are evil, but that their realities are. I'm thinking Kins across the multiverse are generally good (with a few exceptions...kinslayer coming to mind) but as the multiverse is mostly evil, they have no problem abandoning their evil FM's and trying to make a better existence for themselves. We saw Sapphire helping her MM, but he did seem pretty demanding. Since most are wearing leashes and collars, they are still used to playing the subserviant role, and were just biding their time until they could find a way to get totally free. Now they have that chance.

So...3K helps FMK defeat Psimax and decides to stay in the maze after figuring out how to destroy the counters then allowing FMK to win.

[Never Finishes Anyth]

Uh, what's that yellow stuff on Onyx's tail, in the first panel? Don't tell me she got bitten by a zombie and only hasn't discovered it yet?

It looks like spider egg sacs...

[friedkitty]

I find their plan a bit hard to believe
EDIT: Uh, what's that yellow stuff on Onyx's tail, in the first panel? Don't tell me she got bitten by a zombie and only hasn't discovered it yet?

Last panel here: http://www.goblinscomic.com/02052013/

Seems like it

Covered already. Youngsters these days. Don't even like to read a three page thread.

J/K...If you look carefully, you can see forgath's handprint.

[sunbeam]

Hmmmm I wonder if it would be possible to make a d20 module for the Maze of Many? Maybe random tables to generate alts based on character classes and table of alternate quirks?

[ThroughTheWell]

Date should the the 14th, no?

It was not up as of 11 pm EST on the 15th. I don't know when after that it did go up. It definiately was NOT up on the 14th. But it seems to me to be repeated lies to date the comic by the intended day it as opposed to the actual day it goes up. I'm with the OP.

I'm a long time reader and have long since adjusted to late comics, comics that I like and get for free, and I understand THunt has other irons in the fire and real life to deal with too. So, I don't care that a comic is late. I do care being asked to lie about it.

Back on topic: 4 Kins is cool. I wonder what if anything they can do to stop Psimax, other than 3 actions to 1. It seems to me that Psimax only has to survive a few 'hits' as he splishes each one in turn. But maybe I'll be suprised.

[Mytical]

And I don't know what you're getting at with those hints. Maybe that our Minmax will start a Minmax-army?

Now..would I do that? *tries and fails to look innocent*

► Show Spoiler

Yes, yes I would. However not JUST a MM Army. I don't care how evil they are, if he can explain that Psimax is wanting to destroy ALL of them, Evil still has a self preservation instinct most of the time. I am talking a MM, Forgath, Kin army. Even Psimax couldn't take ALL of them.

[CelineSSauve]

Date should the the 14th, no?

It was not up as of 11 pm EST on the 15th. I don't know when after that it did go up. It definiately was NOT up on the 14th. But it seems to me to be repeated lies to date the comic by the intended day it as opposed to the actual day it goes up. I'm with the OP.

I'm a long time reader and have long since adjusted to late comics, comics that I like and get for free, and I understand THunt has other irons in the fire and real life to deal with too. So, I don't care that a comic is late. I do care being asked to lie about it.

Back on topic: 4 Kins is cool. I wonder what if anything they can do to stop Psimax, other than 3 actions to 1. It seems to me that Psimax only has to survive a few 'hits' as he splishes each one in turn. But maybe I'll be suprised.

The terms related to creating a thread about a new comic states quite clearly what the date should be, though.

Meanwhile, there is a rather active, correctly dated thread for this comic already. So perhaps the mods will just merge them.

[Kroottastic]

I now dub them, the Fellowship of the Kin.

[Baeronvonbleat]

Side note: Forgath and Kin were able to figure out how Oblivious works, if Psimax figures it out, explains it to Minmax, it would lose it's power.

[friedkitty]

A: Psimax wasn't there when it was created, Kin was, so since Psimax doesn't know about the swords original ability, it may take him too long to figure it out as MM is swinging it at his head.

B: Even if he does recognize it from one of his previous runs through the maze, the chances of MM even understanding anything dinkface says are astromically low.

So no worries about MM understanding Oblivious anytime soon.

Remember, this guy had to have it dumbed down to "penis go boom". You really think he's going to grasp quantum mechanics??

[Linkcharge]

Forgath and Kin were able to figure out how Oblivious works, if Psimax figures it out, explains it to Minmax...

Yeah. Good luck with that.
Actually, that might be a way to defeat PsiMax; he'll be unable to handle the fact that his superior intellect can't find a way to explain it so that MinMax can understand. Finally, after hours of explanations and diagrams, he collapses in a heap of exhaustion. Victory!

[Jochi]

I think Kin 156 should be "Jade", but we'll see if they even give her a nickname.
None of the 3K have gift necklaces, so yes, it's unlikely they bonded with their FKs.
For the life of me, I don't see how Kin COULD have specified the Forgath from her reality and party faster or smoother than saying "my Forgath".
I have to point out again that, just as we don't know for sure whether the Maze CAN reset itself after being damaged by Oblivion holes, we don't know for sure that anyone and anything that goes into an Oblivion hole won't be restored if the Maze resets and eliminates them. They're not "true Oblivion" and we don't know which is more powerful, the Maze or PsiMax's machine. All we know is that PsiMax THINKS that if he completes his plan, everyone in the Maze will be gifted with True Oblivion. He may also believe that self Obliviation by jumping in a hole would only last until the Maze resets. That hasn't been addressed that I remember.
IF Kin or Forgath tell the Three Kinmigos how PsiMax has avoided memory loss (not proven whether he avoided loot loss, since he cares nothing for loot), and SINCE they are planning on a few resets anyway, they MIGHT decide to trigger this reset by letting 156 win, IF Kin can convince them to let F&M live as a favor to her, in payment for the information, or just because they deserve it more than their OWN teammates did.

[friedkitty]

IF Kin or Forgath tell the Three Kinmigos how PsiMax has avoided memory loss (not proven whether he avoided loot loss, since he cares nothing for loot), and SINCE they are planning on a few resets anyway, they MIGHT decide to trigger this reset by letting 156 win, IF Kin can convince them to let F&M live as a favor to her, in payment for the information, or just because they deserve it more than their OWN teammates did.

The thing about this is that I don't know if they even know how he did it. The only person I remember him telling was His own Kin, and her head got splishked shortly afterward. I'm sure they can figure it our or get him to tell them in a monologue. But did he tell it to our FMK and I just don't remember it?

(Edited to add): Also, once they figure it out, they will have to go back to their start point and destroy their counter BEFORE they let FMK win, or they'll forget it all anyway.

[Kamos]

Man Ruby is very serious. At least one eyebrow is always scowling.

[Krulle]

As powerful as Psimax is, I am not sure he can stop attacks from three different areas at once. The Kins are very intelligent, and will probably not all go for a frontal attack, especially after Kin 156 tells them about his abilities. I forsee a coordinated attack...oh my I just thought of something. Something truly awesome and terrifying but don't know how to do the spoiler bit. So I will just give a hint. MM and his alts are not the brightest in the world, but most of them probably like their Kins.. he has an 'awesome charisma'... think on that for a moment....

Just type in [ spoiler ] bla [ /spoiler ] without the spaces. And I don't know what you're getting at with those hints. :P Maybe that our Minmax will start a Minmax-army?

or

► Show Spoiler

or [spo iler=spoiler title]and the corresponding [/spoile] tag...

► Show Spoiler

He believes that the Kins will seduce PsiMax, as at least our Minmax 165 has an awesome charisma and believes in himself....
The weapons of the women often need a weapons license....

[Godbot]

Don't do it! Don't let your precious character designs go to waste!

[Rogbull]

So what's up with Ruby's right eye?

[Unlucky-for-Some]

I'm kind of expecting PsiMax to appear on the top of the tower, grab MinMax and just blow everyone else off the tower ... a rain of alts ensues while the boys have a chat (and by chat I mean MM calls PM semi-insulting names mostly )