Editing 393: Ultimate Game
Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
The edit can be undone.
Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision | Your text | ||
Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | {{w|Gary Gygax}} was a game designer best known for co-creating the iconic nerd pastime ''{{w|Dungeons and Dragons}}'' | + | {{w|Gary Gygax}} was a game designer best known for co-creating the iconic nerd pastime ''{{w|Dungeons and Dragons}}''; as such, he is commonly described as the "father of D&D." He died on March 4, 2008, three days before this comic was released. |
− | The idea of playing games (typically chess) with supernatural entities in exchange for one's soul is an old one and has been referenced in | + | The idea of playing games (typically chess) with supernatural entities in exchange for one's soul is an old one and has been referenced in [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChessWithDeath many works]. Here, the specific twist is that the victim can choose which game they want to play. Naturally, it is only fitting that Gary would challenge Death to ''D&D''. |
− | The problem is that ''Dungeons and Dragons'' isn't so much a game as it is a set of rules for describing stories. It requires the intervention of a | + | The problem is that ''Dungeons and Dragons'' isn't so much a game as it is a set of rules for describing stories. It requires the intervention of a Dungeon Master (or DM) to create a scenario which the players' characters must overcome. It's unclear exactly how the game between Gary and Death works, but given that ''D&D'' generally takes a long time to play due to the setup time and large amount of dice-rolling, and the fact that Gary seems to keep adding extra rulebooks (official or pseudo-official books which add new classes, items, spells, etc. for players to use), it's understandable why it would take longer than Death's boss would like. |
− | Part of the | + | Part of the humour in this comic comes from the fact that Death's boss, who would presumably be an extraordinarily powerful entity, appears to be a completely ordinary man in an ordinary office, complete with bald patch and potted plant. |
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Split screen | + | :[Split screen. Boss on office phone in upper left, Death on cell phone in bottom left.] |
− | : | + | :Boss: Death? |
:Death: Speaking. | :Death: Speaking. | ||
− | + | :[Office. Boss on office phone.] | |
− | :[ | + | :Boss: This is the boss. Where are you? You haven't been up to the office in days! |
− | : | + | :Death: I've been held up. |
− | :Death | + | :[Death on cell phone.] |
− | + | :Boss: What happened? | |
− | :[ | ||
− | : | ||
:Death: You know how when someone dies, they can challenge me to a game for their soul? | :Death: You know how when someone dies, they can challenge me to a game for their soul? | ||
− | : | + | :Boss: Sure, standard procedure. |
− | + | :[Room with table. Table has figurines and paper strewn about. Gary Gygax and Death seated at the table. Gary Gygax leaning over his briefcase. Death on cell phone.] | |
− | :[ | ||
:Death: Well, we didn't count on this guy. I might be a while. | :Death: Well, we didn't count on this guy. I might be a while. | ||
:Gary Gygax: I add the paladin to my party. | :Gary Gygax: I add the paladin to my party. | ||
:Death: Oh, Jesus. He's getting out <u>another</u> rulebook. | :Death: Oh, Jesus. He's getting out <u>another</u> rulebook. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
− | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*Although Gary is the father of ''D&D'', {{w|Dave Arneson}}'s contribution should not be ignored. Although xkcd did not cover his death in April 2009, a stick-figure tribute to the man who created the concept of role-playing games [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html does exist], courtesy {{w|The Order of the Stick}}. | *Although Gary is the father of ''D&D'', {{w|Dave Arneson}}'s contribution should not be ignored. Although xkcd did not cover his death in April 2009, a stick-figure tribute to the man who created the concept of role-playing games [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0644.html does exist], courtesy {{w|The Order of the Stick}}. | ||
− | |||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
Line 50: | Line 39: | ||
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] | [[Category:Comics featuring real people]] | ||
[[Category:Tribute]] | [[Category:Tribute]] | ||
− |