# Order of the Stick - Book 6 Discussion Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755 "2014-03-03T16:07:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 59
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1161 "2015-06-23T23:41:45Z")
He casts it twice. Once on the dark skinned elf with the rapier-looking sword and once on the light skinned elf archer. Edit: Whoops,[the spell says](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/implosion.htm) that you can implode one creature per round of concentration. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1162 "2015-06-24T08:30:10Z")
> [@vislor](#): > > I like Durkon just fine and so I don’t need his specific arc because I feel like we already got it in terms of how he acts in the other’s arcs. Now, Rich has surprised me before and maybe this will also be good and I will enjoy it. At the moment, I’m ready for the ending of this story, and then let something else fill in the backstory. But that’s me. Well, given that we’ve only just started Book 6 and there’s the whole of Book 7 to go, I suspect you will be waiting a long, long time for the ending. We’re not even close to getting to Kraagor’s Gate (let alone defeating Xykon), we don’t know what the fiends are up to or what they have plannned for V, Tarquin is still in power with a growing resistance movement (and Sabine) conspiring against him, Durkon is fated to bring death and destruction to his home when he returns (which is likely on track for this book), Belkar’s going to die, and of course there’s the whole Redcloak and the Snarl thing. And I’ve probably forgotten a few loose ends. You may be ready for the ending but there’s a long way to go and a lot of ground to cover before we get there. ---
**Author:** ![vislor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vislor/32/5933_2.png) [@vislor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vislor)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2015, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1163 "2015-06-24T11:25:08Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Well, given that we’ve only just started Book 6 and there’s the whole of Book 7 to go, I suspect you will be waiting a long, long time for the ending. > > We’re not even close to getting to Kraagor’s Gate (let alone defeating Xykon), we don’t know what the fiends are up to or what they have plannned for V, Tarquin is still in power with a growing resistance movement (and Sabine) conspiring against him, Durkon is fated to bring death and destruction to his home when he returns (which is likely on track for this book), Belkar’s going to die, and of course there’s the whole Redcloak and the Snarl thing. And I’ve probably forgotten a few loose ends. > > You may be ready for the ending but there’s a long way to go and a lot of ground to cover before we get there. Well, darn. And good points, I forgot about them. I think the slow updates finally got to me. The quick slew of them before stopping reminded me how fast we used to get the story, so having it slow down was a bummer. Okay. I will prepare for the ride. As Cracked said in reference to Song of Fire and Ice: [QUOTE=Cracked] We’re sure we’ll get a definitive answer when A Dream of Spring is released in 2047 by the son of Brandon Sanderson. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1164 "2015-06-25T01:43:14Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I think it’s more _“he acts however he thinks his current love interest wants him to”_. I think it’s more _“he acts however the writers want him to act to fit the narrative.”_ Consistency wasn’t a major strength of the Buffy writers. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1165 "2015-06-25T01:47:52Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I think it’s more _“he acts however the writers want him to act to fit the narrative.”_ I think that’s more _every_ fictional character. > [@](#): > > Consistency wasn’t a major strength of the Buffy writers. _“I may be love’s bitch, but at least I’m man enough to admit it”_ seems consistent to me. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1166 "2015-06-25T03:57:50Z")
> [@vislor](#): > > Well, darn. And good points, I forgot about them. I think the slow updates finally got to me. The quick slew of them before stopping reminded me how fast we used to get the story, so having it slow down was a bummer. Okay. I will prepare for the ride. > > As Cracked said in reference to Song of Fire and Ice: I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. George R.R. Martin began _A Song of Ice and Fire_ in 1991 (when he was 43). Rich Burlew began _The Order of the Stick_ in 2003 (when he was 29). Coincidentally, both authors have completed five of the seven volumes they’re planning for their series. At their current rate, Martin will complete his series in 2024 (when he’ll be 76) and Burlew will complete his series in 2019 (when he’ll be 45). ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1167 "2015-06-25T04:34:40Z")
Mmmm… friend fungus. Is that my deep friend’s fungus, or my deep friend: the fungus? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1168 "2015-06-25T04:56:08Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I think it’s more _“he acts however the writers want him to act to fit the narrative.”_ Consistency wasn’t a major strength of the Buffy writers. There’s a difference between inconsistent writing and character growth. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1169 "2015-06-25T05:12:16Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > At their current rate, Martin will complete his series in 2024 (when he’ll be 76) and Burlew will complete his series in 2019 (when he’ll be 45). Book 5 took four and a half years. (Aug 2009-Feb 2014) And with the art upgrade Burlew’s going slower than ever. I think 2019 is highly optimistic. 2025 is optimistic. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1170 "2015-06-25T07:09:39Z")
From what I can tell, the art upgrade didn’t slow his drawing down that much. He just has a bunch of other stuff going on. For example, he’s still doing stuff he promised for the Kickstarter. I just hope he gets it done before most of us advance another age category… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1171 "2015-06-25T10:56:00Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > Book 5 took four and a half years. (Aug 2009-Feb 2014) And with the art upgrade Burlew’s going slower than ever. I think 2019 is highly optimistic. 2025 is optimistic. Yes, but he had his accident mid-Book 5 which meant no updates at all for several months and slow progress for several months after that. Plus the Kickstarter drive and subsequent reward delivery, which is progressing well. Unless Books 6 and 7 are significantly longer I don’t think we can extrapolate from the delivery timeframe of Book 5. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1172 "2015-06-25T15:37:35Z")
But I like extrapolating. 🙂 Book 6 so far has 45 comics in 449 days. Basically 1 per 10 days. Book 5 had 274 pages. Let’s be extremely conservative and assume books 6 and 7 average 200 pages each. That’s 4000 days. Minus the 449 so far, it’s still just shy of 10 years. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1173 "2015-06-25T16:03:09Z")
It’s not quite that bad, actually. We’ve been getting a lot of double and triple pages lately. Plus a wallpaper. It’s more like 1 page per week. That’s not including work he’s doing on the kickstarter books. I think they’ll be done in a year or so, after which the online output will increase. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1174 "2015-06-25T20:48:35Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. George R.R. Martin began _A Song of Ice and Fire_ in 1991 (when he was 43). Rich Burlew began _The Order of the Stick_ in 2003 (when he was 29). Coincidentally, both authors have completed five of the seven volumes they’re planning for their series. > > At their current rate, Martin will complete his series in 2024 (when he’ll be 76) and Burlew will complete his series in 2019 (when he’ll be 45). “Current rate” is a funny thing. The first three books came out in 1996, 1998, and 2000. At that rate, he’d have finished the series in 2008. Even if you start the clock back in 1991, that’s 9 years for the first three books. So he’d have finished the series in approximately 2012. And if we’re to account for his current rate of the last two books “forthcoming” as is listed on Wikipedia and factor in that it took him 6 years to come out with A Dance of Dragons - a book he claimed he was about 70% done with in 2004 when he had to split it off from A Feast of Crows - well…I guess his current rate would put the publication of books 6 and 7 at…let me put it in the calculator… hmm, it comes up with “ERROR” ---
**Author:** ![W0X0F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b77776/32.png) [@W0X0F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/W0X0F)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1175 "2015-06-29T18:22:10Z")
[992](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0992.html) is up. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1176 "2015-06-29T20:02:41Z")
I like how you can see everyones breath except for Durkons. ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1177 "2015-06-29T20:47:10Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I like how you can see everyones breath except for Durkons. Curses! That’s what I wanted to comment on! Then I will have to content myself by saying that I’m glad this is a relatively short strip; hopefully it means seeing the next one soon. Not that I’m complaining about the pace, I just like seeing that a new one is up. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1178 "2015-06-29T20:48:47Z")
That’s quite a nice “temporary” building. Makes me wonder if we’re going to see more than just clerics there. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1179 "2015-06-29T21:32:45Z")
Wall of Stone for the win! ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755/1180 "2015-06-29T21:50:39Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Wall of Stone for the win! Yes, [Stone Shape](http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/stoneShape.htm) only allows crude shaping. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755.md?page=58) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/order-of-the-stick-book-6-discussion-thread/682755.md?page=60)