Line #88 Webcomic/AnotherGamingComic


1	The webcomic that turned {{Munchkin}} into an art form. [[NaiveNewcomer Dang]] is a college student who decides to check out a local gaming group consisting of:
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3	* Steele, the group's long-suffering GameMaster, who's fond of {{Nerf}}ing the absurd things his players come up with...
4	* 'Joe Chaos', a [[MetaGame metagaming]] {{Munchkin}} with a nearly PhotographicMemory...
5	* '[[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]]' Jill Hannover, a RulesLawyer and control freak with possibly over a century of experience...
6	* 'Nuclear' Dan, a PyroManiac {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who's [[ObfuscatingStupidity smarter than he appears.]]
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8	As the series goes on, Dang ends up picking up skills of his own, partly due to the influence of Dan's LawfulEvil older brother, [[EvilMentor Stan]].
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10	The original site was hosted on has since been taken down, though the author has begun reuploading it [[https://www.demonac.com/agccomic here]]. The original site also contained ''D&D Excerpts'', describing actual games the author participated in, which was then discontinued to make way for ''WebVideo/TalesFromMyDDCampaign''.
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12	----
13	!!Provides examples of:
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15	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: An in-universe example: Dang thinks he has Nuclear Dan's [[ObfuscatingStupidity real game]] figured out.
16	-->"I think you are a lot more sane than the version of yourself you are trying to portray."
17	-->(Interestingly, Dan's response is ''not'' pure Cloudcuckoolander.)
18	* ArtEvolution: Big time. The art is almost optional, though.
19	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Subverted in the poker arc. Joe claims to have used his math skills to instantly analyze the entire game. Naturally he takes last place.
20	* BerserkButton: Everyone has one.
21	** Jill: Pizza, age references, and Stan.
22	** Joe: Nerfs and anything that spoils his perfectly-thought-out optimization strategies.
23	** Nuclear Dan: "GAY-ASSED CURSE!" Taking any fire damage whatsoever.
24	** Steele: "JOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEE!"
25	** Dang: [[Series/DoctorWho Davros]].
26	* BlandNameProduct: ''[[Franchise/TheMatrix The Index]]''. Which is odd, because later comics explicitly include or mention real games like ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', and Dan mentions ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
27	* CatchPhrase: Nuclear Dan occasionally seems to use these in place of brainpower.
28	-->I cast fireball centered on myself!
29	-->ICE NO BURN
30	-->[[AC:I AM TETSUJIN.]]
31	* ColorBlindConfusion: Everyone's hair started out shaded green due to the author being colorblind. He eventually changed it so everyone has more standard hair colors.
32	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Nuclear Dan's hat.
33	--> "If presented with a gaming system that offers no effective fire protection, such as some modern games, Dan's form of protest is to "go buddhist" as he calls it - in other words, make pyromaniacal suicide attacks. Clearly he once heard about buddhist monks immolating themselves, and utterly missed the point."
34	* CutAndPasteComic: Unabashedly so, though slightly more dynamic once the comics switch to Flash.
35	* TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons: The group's favorite game.
36	* FacePalm: "Book: when facepalm isn't enough." But there are few other possible reactions to the group chain-singing Madonna's "Like a Prayer".
37	* FlippingTheTable: Steele was already at wits' end with Joe's cheesy powergaming in the 3.5 module (including building ''everyone's'' characters), so this is the natural result when Joe completely invalidates the final encounter.
38	** Also AG/Vanessa.
39	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Dan's [[SanitySlippage sanity slips]] almost the second his character is geased to not harm innocents. It takes exactly four panels for him to start hallucinating.
40	-->"It could be worse. At least I'm not hallucinating."
41	* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Done in classic style.
42	-->'''Stan''': "Perhaps your email was hacked?"
43	-->'''Jill''': "I never said said anything about email."
44	** On the other hand, Doctor Stan is such a {{Chessmaster}} it's entirely possible this was intentional gloating.
45	** Also, upon Dan breaking the geas, getting cursed and leaving the house, a discussion about geassing party members ensues... quickly leading to Stan.
46	-->'''Dang''': "Who, Dr. Stan?"
47	-->'''Jill''': "And how do '''you''' know he has a Doctorate, Dang?"
48	* LamePunReaction: "Maybe I'm just ''dicelexic''."
49	-->'''Dang:''' From now on I'm subtracting XP for puns.
50	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Steele leaves the group when he gets a new job and Dang becomes the group's new GM.
51	** Dang's real name is [[spoiler:Davros, after the Series/DoctorWho villain]].
52	* {{Mentor}}: Doctor Stan.
53	** EvilMentor: Also Doctor Stan.
54	* {{Munchkin}}: Everyone.
55	* MadnessMantra: Joe, absolutely certain that the DM will take any opportunity to rob his character of wealth while he waits for his magic items to be delivered, ends up huddled under the table in near-catatonic paranoia, muttering, "Items... Items..."
56	* NaiveNewcomer: Dang is this for a good while. Once he graduates to being DM, Bateman takes this role.
57	--> '''Bateman:''' Is it always like this?
58	--> '''Dang:''' Pretty much.
59	* PaintingTheMedium: With the beginning of the Second Evil Campaign, roleplaying-game-traditional secret notes passed between players and the DM are represented by little notepad-objects, which display the note on mouse hover. A similar system is also used for the players' thought balloons.
60	* PhotographicMemory: Joe claims to have 'flash memory - just one step short of photographic'.
61	** Which averts PossessionImpliesMastery: Just because he remembers something (like the definition of the Riemann Hypothesis) doesn't mean he ''understands'' it.
62	* PimpedOutCar: The Danmobile is a post-market hybrid... and is old enough to be made of steel. It gets fifteen MPG highway, fifty city. And it has no power steering.
63	* PinPullingTeeth: One of Nuclear Dan's characters pulls a grenade pin with his ''tongue'', while the grenade's in his mouth. (This character has total immunity to fire and concussion, so this is not as stupid as it sounds).
64	%%* PyroManiac: This can't be emphasized enough for Nuclear Dan.
65	%%* RuleOfCool: "I'm going to allow that because it's cool."
66	%%** The entire Index campaign is basically made of RuleOfCool.
67	%%* SliceOfLife: Of gamers.
68	* SpeechBubbles: Evolve from text-on-a-stick to [[PaintingTheMedium color-coded]] true bubbles over time.
69	* TakeThat: Rarely mean except when aimed at Star Wars: Galaxies.
70	* WallOfText: The very nature of the comic justifies or at least excuses it, but even the author calls his mechanisms for cramming more text in "truly frightening".
71	* WebcomicTime: Time passage is handwaved for the most part, but Dang and Nuclear Dan went to E3 and vowed to participate in VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft's 'newly-released' expansion... a full year after said expansion had been released. This got a bit confused when the comic explicitly caught up to real life.
72	----
73
74	!!The comic metatextually references the following tropes:
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76	* BanOnMagic: Type A1. For the first few hundred strips, both players and GM were banned by the terms of an actual real-life treaty from the use of most forms of illusion.
77	** DangerousForbiddenTechnique: And then Steele violates the treaty. We soon find out exactly why they needed to write it in the first place.
78	* ChekhovsGun: The Muse's messages to the [=PCs=] in [[Franchise/TheMatrix The Index]] arc. At least, unless you ask Steele, [[MillionToOneChance who just made them up to sound cool]].
79	** [[http://agc.deskslave.org/comic_viewer.html?goNumber=507 The Count doesn't like]] how easily the Lord of Hate can poke around in his head. [[http://agc.deskslave.org/comic_viewer.html?goNumber=551 Until...]]
80	* ColdBloodedTorture: The "thing with the eyelid", while not described beyond {{Noodle Implement\|s}} levels, makes Bateman sick repeatedly. The group notes that this torture always works, not because the victim succumbs, but because the GM does.
81	* CombatMedic: Other characters constantly try to push this on the cleric, Sylvani. Dan points out that shooting ''might'' kill some zombies, but healing is guaranteed.
82	* CrazyPrepared: Joe does this best on Lothar, carrying around such oddities as a cursed necklace and a blessed crossbow bolt (which he uses to slay a Rakshasha).
83	-->Dang: Wow, lucky you had that. Why were you dragging that thing around for so long?
84	-->Joe Chaos: In case we ever ran into a Rakshasha.
85	* DisproportionateRetribution: Nuclear Dan in spades. Any NPC who commits the slightest insult against him gets fireballed. One long-running storyline has his character ''geased'' to NOT do this -- and Dan can't resist doing it anyway...
86	* DressingAsTheEnemy: Too bad for the players the villain is smart enough to have prepared for this.
87	* DumpStat: Charisma is mocked exactly four strips in, in so many words.
88	* DungeonCrawling: Steele has to promise the players treasure out of character to make them follow the adventure.
89	* EvilFeelsGood: Nuclear Dan loves the Evil campaign.
90	-->"I can suggest burning babies and nobody complains!"
91	* ExactWords: In the Old Evil Campaign, the players are forced to dethrone a king. They knock the king off his throne. The ensuing debate sidetracks everyone for some time.
92	* FlamingSword: Why does Dan's mage have [[DumpStat 16 Strength]]? He wanted to use one of these.
93	* FlavorText: Steele is determined to read the flavor text for his Northgate module in spite of Jill's protests... and then he finds [[PurpleProse it goes on another page and a half]]...
94	-->'''Joe:''' The tremendous view encapsulates the awe-inspiring simile of the gigantic metaphor built by the famous legendary faction which magnificently verbed the jewel-encrusted adjective...
95	-->'''Dang:''' Also, it's big.
96	%%* GenreSavvy: Jill and Joe abuse metaknowledge to an alarming degree.
97	%%* DeathByGenreSavvy: ...which Dan manages to use [[spoiler:to kill Jill's character in the Second Evil Campaign]].
98	* GoombaSpringboard: Jill's Index character does this with an Agent to escape the Burgermeister's building.
99	-->'''Jill:''' Learned that from the best. Franchise/{{Super Mario\|Bros}}.
100	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Tucked away on Mercutio's character sheet: Lawful Good (crossed out) Evil (crossed out) Good
101	* HouseRules: A Nerf decree. A Nerf Manifesto. You mean you hold a nerf conference and take prepared questions from Nerfweek Magazine and the Nerf York Times!
102	* InASingleBound: Most of the Index [=PCs=] have superjump powers to keep with Franchise/TheMatrix-spoof's RoofHopping theme. Jill uses hers amazingly. Dan, on the other hand, asks what the point of jumping is if [[CoolButInefficient they're never on a rooftop]]. He took [[GameBreaker sliding]] instead.
103	* KillerGameMaster: Semi-averted.
104	-->'''Joe''': Ah, but Steele is a REAL GM. A good GM is bound by his own desire for fair play. He prides himself on his ability to measure the party, and the level of threat that will challenge them, and yet still be defeatable by them. You might place diabolical traps, insidious monsters with asinine powers, or host the players with jerk [=NPCs=] and a less than ample supply of magic loot...
105	-->'''Jill''': But a good GM will always try to give the players enough chance, enough reward, enough opportunity to triumph over the challenges they face. To kill an entire party represents a monumental failure on the part of the GM. It means the end of the campaign.
106	-->'''Joe''': But to kill a player or two in an encounter that is close enough that the remaining adventurers can pull through to win or escape... that is his holy grail.
107	* MalevolentArchitecture: The Labyrinth of Jonias Thrae.
108	* MasterOfIllusion: The players force Steele to sign a treaty that forbids all of them from using illusion magic (after he breaks the first one). He only made matters worse by making illusory the one thing they never disbelieved -- air.
109	* MinMaxing: Joe Chaos is this in spades -- and then in sudden fury over removal of a particularly cheesy game mechanics, rebuilds Dan's characters into realms beyond ludicrous.
110	** The author has actually posted character sheets for the characters. Readers responded by claiming the sheets weren't minmaxed '''enough'''.
111	*** When Joe's character, a pure caster, uses a method to get a single (mediocre) ability at the loss of several caster levels[[note]]The most important rule of making a high powered caster character is "Don't lose caster levels unless you get something incredible in return"[[/note]], it's pretty obviously not a workable high level character.
112	* MontyHaul: Jill and Joe furiously work to make the campaign into this by breaking the treasure-gain curve through pre-emptive slaughter. Dang [[WhatTheHellHero is somewhat shocked]].
113	* MoreThanMindControl: '''Dominate''' Dan's character's and he'll rage - right up until you command him to start fireballing the other player characters.
114	* MuggingTheMonster: In keeping with the roleplaying theme, the [=PCs=] must fight off a random bandit encounter:
115	-->'''Dang''': ''WAIT A SECOND!'' What kind of equipment do they have?
116	-->'''Steele''': Studded leather armor, shortswords, and bows.
117	-->'''Dang''': And they are willing to attack what must appear to them to be a group of flying, flaming weaponmasters?
118	-->'''Jill''': They're bandits, not brain surgeons!
119	* NoodleIncident: Jill [[spoiler:blowing up the tower]] in the Warforged Campaign. The [[http://agc.deskslave.org/comic_viewer.html?goNumber=618 entire page]] is blacked out except for the words "massive explosion".
120	** Amazingly, it might not have been Nuclear Dan's fault this time.
121	** The words "Cheater" "Deep Sky One" "fire" and "idiot" are also visible if you look really closely.
122	* OffTheRails: Every single time a Nuclear Dan character enters a town, so much so that the entire group is shocked when he defeats a hostile bar patron ''without'' incinerating everything in sight.
123	* {{Railroading}}: "Dammit, the labyrinth is what I prepared for you this session. You're going to the bloody maze!"
124	* RequiredSecondaryPowers: As a PyroManiac, Dan builds his characters for fire-damage immunity. For a brief period, his new character lacked the damage reduction to completely ignore his own self-targeted fireballs.
125	* RulesLawyer: Jill and Joe both, with emphasis on "intentionally ignoring whatever doesn't support his own case". Another source of WhatTheHellHero for Dang:
126	-->'''Dang''': You know, there's a fine line between meta-gaming and being immense jerks, you guys.
127	-->'''Steele''': THANK YOU! So long I've waited for '''someone else''' to say it!
128	* SeriousBusiness: Jill takes her gaming very, very seriously indeed.
129	-->Jill: "Yes, it's just a game... And the RULES of the game say Fire Elementals take double from ice spells!"
130	** [[TheChessmaster Dr. Stan]] arranges a fake telemarketer call during the game for Jill, so he can take a charcoal rubbing of the tablecloth to get her email password so that he can send a fake email from her daughter telling her that she'll be arriving early, [[MoralEventHorizon to make Jill think her daughter is possibly dead]] ... all just [[EvilIsPetty so Jill will be distracted during the fight against him at the end of the campaign]].
131	** ''Everyone'' (except Dang, who is a newcomer to gaming) takes the Treaty seriously (to the point of Steele paying reparations after violating the Treaty, and the Treaty being an actual, written agreement with multiple clauses). Said Treaty being an agreement not to use certain types of illusion, as they ultimately degenerate the game into every single player disbelieving every single thing in any room they enter.
132	%%* WakeUpFighting: "I [=FireSpark=] him!"
133	* WhatTheHellHero: [[OnlySaneMan As the newcomer]], Dang's role in the group is to ask this vital question.
134	-->"You mean you've done this before? What about all the innocent lives? Aren't we supposed to be non-evil?"
135	* YouAllMeetInAnInn:
136	** Dang's halfling joins the party in the Pink Pudding Inn. Dan destroys it three panels later. It takes 463 strips for the trope to recur -- in the Second Evil Campaign, where the destruction of said inn is both expected and encouraged.
137	** And, funnily enough, doesn't happen, as Dan later remembers.
138	** Later lampshaded in the description of #490, in which the author claims this is the 47th time they've met at an inn.

Context Webcomic / AnotherGamingComic