2018/12/31 - The Only Winning Move

[TeflonCougar]

One of my player's brother used to get upset with me because I didn't give out XP, I just promoted them to the next level when I figured they had earned it. He needed those numbers!

[OrWasIt.EXE]

In other news, I wonder if, should Kitsune continue to hang out with them more, they'll ever give him some kind of proper nickname or something, or if they'll continue to call him 'new kid' the whole time.
I can kind of actually imagine the latter happening, TBH.

[fenrirblack]

That's... not how Dungeon Master works.

Heaven-powered stuff will usually reward imagination

I think it's more that this was how Lester viewed the position of the DM in-world, rather than what the position actually is.

I think Kitsune just really messed him up. Reading that speech made it seem less like a game of D&D and more like Kitsune flaunting his power for no other reason than he misses Pete and Dragon and wanted to teach Lester about playing fair. If he’s not victimizing someone than he’s not doing his job. It like if Loki quit his job as God of Mischief and started working at Starbucks.
Plus going on what Bandit said, it makes sense. Lester clearly saw the position as DM as being god-like and wanted to use that position to assert his dominance on, in this case Kitsune, who is always the one pulling the strings. The entire scenario was a metaphor. If Kitsune was trying to teach Lester a lesson ( ), it would be that absolute power means nothing if you are only going to use it to make others miserable.

I'm not sure if there's a dedicated area to mention this so I'll just say it here, but Lester is missing his dollar-tag or whatever it is in the last panel x)

I'm pretty sure his tag is suppose to look like a Yu-Gi-Oh! card back.

I’m pretty sure it Magic the gathering. They never once mentioned playing Yugioh but Lester wanted to play Magic once.

[TeflonCougar]

I really wanted a chapter with Kitsune. One day.

It could still happen. The last panel does not include an END card. So even if the story with the spa has close, the spa is only a location. The other nerdogs could want to play a session with the new kid just to see what Lester is on about.

However I think it would just read like the Tarot holodeck stories or a lesser version of Temple Crashers II. We need a proper story for him with some meat to it. Maybe Inari gives him a task and he needs some tag-a-longs. Some thing where he's the directed not the director.



(Inari is a Shinto kami that is closely associated with kitsune in general. It could be interesting to think of GK as having a boss.)

[NHWestoN]

I'm not sure, Tef, GK may be under Bahamut's authority. Just speculating.

[TOPCATDIGIANIMEFAN]

Well Since He Is The Ruler Of THE CELESTIAL PLANES It Makes Sense"

[Amazee Dayzee]

Now we move on to the next arc where Lester's parents may have to commit him because they believe he is having a mental breakdown.

[Cesco]

Oh, looks that was needed less than half hour for Great Kitsune to give you a lesson about how play D&D, Lester. Ehm, I haven't well understood what happened to him, but it's probably something that Lester won't never forget... Yeah, with Great Kitsune everything impossible is real. You say so, Great Kitsune? Ok. Now enjoy the spa!

[vulpinator]

can someone make this story into an actual comic kthx

[fenrirblack]

I'm not sure, Tef, GK may be under Bahamut's authority. Just speculating.

I would say that Bahamut is more like an overall ruler while Inari would be a direct supervisor. Like the difference between a district manager and a CEO. On a different note, I have wanted an Inari character in the story just because I think that dynamic of Kitsune having a boss or even a mother figure would be hilarious.

[Gameb18oy]

I'm not sure, Tef, GK may be under Bahamut's authority. Just speculating.

I would say that Bahamut is more like an overall ruler while Inari would be a direct supervisor. Like the difference between a district manager and a CEO. On a different note, I have wanted an Inari character in the story just because I think that dynamic of Kitsune having a boss or even a mother figure would be hilarious.

He kinda will need something to establish a few rules with interacting with mortals now that he’s the celestial doing most of the meddling now. He might not be malevolent, but he might be getting a little too into his mischievous ways

[NHWestoN]

GK seems to have an "in" with the Higher Authorities and, as long as he keeps to the "Benevolence" keel, pretty much get to do what he wants. However, as we saw with Res and The Forgotten, ol'Nine Tails does let things veer awfully close to catastrophe sometimes. But, hey, that's what tricky folks do … especially the cute ones.

[Silly Zealot]

Truest pity we did't get to see that downward spiral of an adventure! Hahaha!

Happy new year, everybody!

[CHAOKOCartoons]

I like the idea of Kitsune doing hand-to-hand combat. Truly a sight too odd to show on camera.

[Gameb18oy]

I like the idea of Kitsune doing hand-to-hand combat. Truly a sight too odd to show on camera.

I think the truly bizarre part is that a bard would fight with anything besides their instruments... also that they’d pick fight over seduce

[MrBlueSky7]

I hope we get a New Year's Strip tonight. I just wanna know if GK will try to form some kind of Friendship with the Trio or just use them for his amusement...

[fenrirblack]

I going to go with use them for his amusement. Just from their previous interactions up to this point, he has not tried to establish any level of trust and only has led them into questionable scenarios.

[Bandit1990]

And their group is so hard up for players they'll put up with him anyway.

[fenrirblack]

I can’t imagine there are that many people who would put up with Lester’s personality, Joey’s quirks, and Dallas’s...um...well I don’t know, geekiness? I mean Peanut tried, Joey tried to get a King (they both dodged a bullet there), and they tried to recruit Res. I honestly feel bad for them. It can’t be easy being the outsiders of the neighborhood.

[MrBlueSky7]

Bummer, no New Year's Strip then...

[Gameb18oy]

I can’t imagine there are that many people who would put up with Lester’s personality, Joey’s quirks, and Dallas’s...um...well I don’t know, geekiness? I mean Peanut tried, Joey tried to get a King (they both dodged a bullet there), and they tried to recruit Res. I honestly feel bad for them. It can’t be easy being the outsiders of the neighborhood.

That was back during their creepier days that Peanut considered trying... it might actually go well if Rick had him try again. Heck, he and Joey don’t seem to get along half bad, despite Peanut ignoring all the stuff he’s doing to get him to learn art

[SeanWolf]

I'm going to be honest: Am I the only one who gets a little worried every time Kitsune shows up in an arc? I know that Pete and Dragon aren't really around any more, but I just get a bit uneasy whenever I see Kitsune (Guess I still worry for King, Bailey, and their kids ever since the whole Heaven's Not Enough arc...which almost killed my love for the series).

[TeflonCougar]

I think the truly bizarre part is that a bard would fight with anything besides their instruments... also that they’d pick fight over seduce

In AD&D the Bard class is considered a jack of all trades. They have some thief skill, a bit of mage magic, a touch of fighter and of course their own bardic skills of music, charm, story telling, and so forth. Bards lack the level of commitment required to master a warrior's weapon such as a sword. Hand to hand seems more along the more passive fighting style that would fit well with a bard. Something they may have picked up while travelling in the far off east....

[Argent]

I think the truly bizarre part is that a bard would fight with anything besides their instruments...

OW. STOP. HITTING. ME. WITH. THAT.

"Come on, haven't you ever had a party that did nothing but luting before?"

[NHWestoN]

There's a part of me that would love to see the puppies have an adventure with their "Uncle Kitsune" … and theennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…………………..not so much.

[Gameb18oy]

I'm going to be honest: Am I the only one who gets a little worried every time Kitsune shows up in an arc? I know that Pete and Dragon aren't really around any more, but I just get a bit uneasy whenever I see Kitsune (Guess I still worry for King, Bailey, and their kids ever since the whole Heaven's Not Enough arc...which almost killed my love for the series).

Kitsune is the most... reasonable of the three nerdy celestials, but I get what you’re saying. He’s not exactly what I’d call harmless, but unless provoked he’s fine letting mortals live their lives without interference, the main problem is it doesn’t take a very big thing to provoke his mischievous nature. I am curious if Rick is planning to do some stuff with him in the future though, as it appears he’s setting him up to become friends with the D&D group. Wonder if he’ll pick a mortal name like Pete did, even if someone else picked out the name, considering he has told us before he likes mortals, maybe Rick is realizing it be better to show that rather than only tell us that

[NHWestoN]

Oh, it may be a while, but I'm confident we haven't seen the last of GK … He's fun and he kind of embodies that sense of life's "funny" (or alarming) little upsets that Rick seems to appreciate so much.

[Argent]

His mortal name is "New Kid".

[Amazee Dayzee]

I just wish he would go back to wearing the cargo jeans and plaid shirt he had on before. He was totes adorb dressed like that.

[fenrirblack]

I just wish he would go back to wearing the cargo jeans and plaid shirt he had on before. He was totes adorb dressed like that.

I’m glad someone agrees.

[NHWestoN]

`n somebody else, too.

[Amazee Dayzee]

First time I have a small group of people agree with my opinion.

[furrygamer793]

I've wanted to play D&D, and guess what day this comic was posted on, My birthday, weird…

[Champion Wallace]

GK is STILL in King's closet ... and everywhere else! "Demis" get to do that! Wonder what toppings they're having? (Spa and pizza ... wow.)

They're not having any toppings because they're not having pizza. You were the one who made that up the idea they were getting pizza in the first place.

I'm not sure if there's a dedicated area to mention this so I'll just say it here, but Lester is missing his dollar-tag or whatever it is in the last panel x)

I'm pretty sure his tag is suppose to look like a Yu-Gi-Oh! card back.

I’m pretty sure it Magic the gathering. They never once mentioned playing Yugioh but Lester wanted to play Magic once.

MTG, YuGiOh, and Pokémon card backs can all be abstracted to a circle/oval on a rectangle. I agree that of the three Magic makes the most sense because of the strip you linked, but on those the oval is tall enough to nearly touch the border and is light-on-dark instead of dark-on-light. Pokémon has the closest to a circle design, but I don't think Lester would touch a Pokémon card with a 10-foot pole (no offense) and the design has other aspects that would show (like the word "Pokémon"). That just leaves Yu-Gi-Oh!. It's sufficiently nerdy in a general sense and the the circle on his tag is close enough to YuGiOh's oval.

I just wish he would go back to wearing the cargo jeans and plaid shirt he had on before. He was totes adorb dressed like that.

This is just personal opinion, but I like this look over his Heaven's Not Enough, part 3 garb.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I agree that the cards are supposed to look like "Yu-Gi-Oh!" cards simply because that game is so complicated and to know every single little minute and unimportant detail like Lester probably would you would have to be a nerd.

[tych]

Bard OP, plz nrf.

The Bard is unnerfable it will always find a way to OP

[NHWestoN]

No pizza, huh? How regrettable...……….