The curious case of Erfworld

Yes, it has been a while since I posted, and I feel I should explain why. In short, every post I've attempted to write, be it about City of Heroes, about Adventure Crossing, about Gamenikki, about video games, or whatever, has degenerated into rants against the Obama administration and the delusions that are being wiped away as harsh reality sets in. Things like Obama's staff picking RIAA lawyers with strong ties to Microsoft, long histories of courtroom screwups, and anti Open-Source positions to the top spots in the Department of Justice. Right off hand though, I doubt the majority of the people who bookmark and read through this blog are really interested in reading yet another I was right, you were wrong series of posts.

So I've scrapped most of what I've been trying to write. In attempt to move the focus away from the current political scene, I'd rather write about Erfworld: http://www.giantitp.com/comics/erf.html

Erfworld is yet another Role Playing Game inspired comic, much like Adventures, RPGWorld, OOTS, or Nodwick, only it isn't. In most comics about RPG's, the hero's of the comic are truly heroes. In the case of Erfworld, the Hero of the comic isn't a hero. He's a dungeon master nicknamed Hamster, summoned to the cause of the Stanly the Tool, who just happens to be a villain, and shenanigans ensue. Stanly is currently at war against a genuine Hero named Ansom, and the Erfworld story so far pits Ansom and his coalition against Stanly whose holed up in a fortress that appears to be a cross of Helms Deep and Minas Tirith, called Gobwin Knob.

The story bounces back and forth between Ansom and his coalition, Hamster and the defense of Gobwin Knob, and the various backgrounds and actions of the sub-captains for each side. The result so far has been surprising. There is no doubt that Stanly is an evil little monster who is quite deserving of being croaked, and you want Ansom and his coalition to kick the slimy little villain right where it counts. At the same time, Erfworld creates sympathy for Hamster and his sub captains. I really don't want Hamster and his side to lose, even though that is the side that is well, evil.

The writing and positioning of Erfworld characters is a unique standout from most other webcomics, or print comics for that matter. It's a curious case of why I would care about the bad guys anyways...