Yeah, especially in the beginning strips, but, like Oots, you really don’t have to be a D&D player to follow along. It’s a great story he’s got developing. The updates are just very, very, very slow.
I’m kinda wondering what’s happening with Dies Horribly right now, but there hasn’t been an opportune time to switch tracks in the story.
I never played paper-and-pencil D&D, but I’ve played the shit out some D&D video games. I get most of the subject matter, but I think I feel the same way about this comic as I do, for example, with xkcd, although I’d clearly rank xkcd higher.
In any case, I’m not attempting to threadshit. I just wanted a little more clarity, so I’ll bow out.
The jokes are pretty lame, yeah, but it’s not a “joke” strip.
Quoth Lynn:
I can’t remember the score… Did I ever get back at you for that, or was that you getting back at me for something?
I think that the real problem with Goblins is that THunt has never learned to simplify his art style for the comic medium. He puts in too much detail, and all of that detail takes time to draw, especially when you make sure that every scar and bandage winding is the same place it was last frame and last page. Nor does he seem to use re-usable templates, the way many artists do nowadays (especially in webcomics).
Goblins is one of my favorite strips, despite the slow update schedule. I feel like I actually know the characters. I also appreciate the fact that Thunt puts the date of the comic in the browser title bar so I can see immediately if it’s been updated without having to wait for the whole page to load (this is as opposed to some other erratically-updated comics that, for whatever reason, make all the ads load before the comic, making me wait and wait only to discover there’s been no update).
I like the fact that every Goblins strip has plenty of dialogue and actually advances the story, if only a little. There are some infrequently-updated strips that are clearly being done with the goal of creating a print version, and each page is done with “book-appropriate” pacing. That kind of pacing is fine if you’re actually reading it in a book and can immediately go from one page to the next. It’s terrible, however, in a webcomic that gets updated once a week at best. I just dropped Exiern for this very reason. Great art and interesting story, but so little actually happens on each “page” that I just got tired of waiting a week or more to see what happens next. I was completely losing track of what was going on. That, and offering “uncensored” versions of the artwork in exchange for donations. Meh, I can see cartoon boobies for free any time I want. Or real ones, for that matter.
I agree. I don’t complain about update schedules for Goblins or OOTS anymore because
a)Free stuff! Gift horses etc.
and
b) RSS. I open it up and they wait like little surprise presents when it’s not your birthday or Xmas.
Still, mad props to Schlock MErcenary for never missing an update ever, on his 7/365 schedule.
I’m wondering what’s happening with Complains of Names, and he’s on the current battlefield. When last seen he was at negative hitpoints and feeling demonic effects. (Elan would say: Dun, Dun, Dunnn!)
I can’t remember the score either. It could have been either. I guess we’ll have to start from scratch again and try to keep better track this time.
One of the things that first struck me about THunt’s art style is all the little squiggles in the goblin ears. Then, all of the goblins have to wear earrings, and not the same type or in the same location, either. That’s gotta take a LOT of time to draw, even if he has a reference drawing of each character in front of him.
Still, I’m willing to forgive him for quite a lot, when Tempts Fate makes that player eat his character.