Line #27 Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/newoots_thread.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Left to right: [[TheBerserker Belkar]], [[SquishyWizard Vaarsuvius]], [[QuirkyBard Elan]], [[LovableRogue Haley]], [[ReligiousBruiser Durkon]], and [[TheLeader Roy]][[note]]Also pictured: [[{{Familiar}} Blackwing]] and [[MoralityPet Mr. Scruffy]].[[/note]]]]
3
4	->'''Roy Greenhilt:''' The rogue is ambitious and greedy, the ranger is a complete psychopath, the wizard is trigger-happy and never stops talking, and the bard is as dumb as a box of moldy carrots!\
5	'''Durkon Thundershield:''' As I recall, ye called me "surly and unpleasant" shortly after ye met me. [...] Maybe all these folks need is a good strong leader like ye ta whip 'em inta shape.
6	-->-- ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickOnTheOriginOfPCs The Order of the Stick 0: On the Origin of PCs]]''
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8	%% One quote is enough. Please put any new one in the Quotes tab.
9
10	''[[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots.html The Order of the Stick]]'' is a webcomic by Rich "The Giant" Burlew set in [[RPGMechanicsVerse a world based]] on ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsThirdEdition 3.5 Edition rules]] (an original world, rather than an established setting) centering on the adventures of the eponymous party. The comic is well-loved for its complex plot (with storylines planned years in advance by Burlew), its well-executed MoodWhiplash moments, and its own unique brand of humor, often relying on witty banter, sarcastic pop culture references, and LeaningOnTheFourthWall.
11
12	The main cast consists of:
13	* Roy Greenhilt, the fighter, leader, and OnlySaneMan;
14	* Haley Starshine, an ActionGirl rogue who's [[GoldFever obsessed with treasure]];
15	* Vaarsuvius, a [[InsufferableGenius condescending]] [[SquishyWizard elf wizard]] whose AmbiguousGender is a minor RunningGag;
16	* Durkon Thundershield, a [[StraightMan straitlaced]] [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarf]] cleric of Thor;
17	* Elan, a [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} strange]] and [[TheFool none-too-bright]] [[QuirkyBard bard]] with a [[GenreSavvy flair for]] [[LargeHam the dramatic]];
18	* Belkar Bitterleaf, a [[HairTriggerTemper hot-headed]] halfling ranger/barbarian [[HeroicComedicSociopath who kills and/or threatens people at the slightest provocation]].
19
20	The comic started off as a gag-a-day strip, often mocking ''D&D'' rules, but things quickly took [[CerebusSyndrome a turn for the dramatic]]: their journey to defeat the evil Xykon entangled them in the lich's plot to harness the power of The Snarl, a [[EldritchAbomination sinister reality-eating]]... [[NegativeSpaceWedgie thing formed at the dawn of creation]] from literal [[ContinuitySnarl tangles in the fabric of reality]]. Along the way, they butted heads with [[{{Mooks}} hordes of monsters]], plot complications, [[KnightTemplar an overzealous paladin]] or two, and the Linear Guild, a group of {{Evil Counterpart}}s led by Elan's EvilTwin brother, [[SdrawkcabName Nale]].
21
22	Of course, even with all that going on, it's still covered with plenty of humor. Also notable is the fact that ''all'' of the main characters and quite a few of the minor characters are extremely GenreSavvy, not just about the ''D&D'' rules and gameplay mechanics [[RPGMechanicsVerse by which their world operates]], but [[MediumAwareness general storytelling tropes]] as well. This tends to lead to a ''lot'' of LampshadeHanging (including, at one point, [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0546.html lampshading the act of lampshading]] -- [[VisualPun with a literal lampshade]]).
23
24	''The Order of the Stick'' was one of the original reasons for the "[[http://www.giantitp.com Giant in the Playground]]" gaming site, which also hosted the first volume of ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}''. The [=GitP=] forums are almost an unofficial troper forum, thanks in part to the webcomic's distinct appeal to tropers.
25
26	The webcomic pages are also sold in hardcopy in the following books:
27
28	# ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickDungeonCrawlinFools Dungeon Crawlin' Fools]]'' (1-121)
29	# ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickNoCureForThePaladinBlues No Cure for the Paladin Blues]]'' (122-301)
30	# ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickWarAndXPs War and XPs]]'' (302-484)
31	# ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickDontSplitTheParty Don't Split the Party]]'' (485-672)
32	# ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickBloodRunsInTheFamily Blood Runs in the Family]]'' (673-946)
33	# ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickUtterlyDwarfed Utterly Dwarfed]]'' (947-1189)
34	# As-yet-unnamed seventh and final book (1190-)
35
36	The physical volumes of the main comic also contain extra sideplots and gag-strips as incentives for readers to buy them. As is typical of the comic, these books are [[NoFourthWall referenced in the story]], usually when a character wonders if a particular sideplot will be expanded there.
37
38	There are also several print-only books that are tied into the comic:
39
40	* ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickOnTheOriginOfPCs On the Origin of PCs]]'' (a prequel to ''Dungeon Crawlin' Fools'' which focuses on how Roy and Durkon founded the Order of the Stick)
41	* ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickStartOfDarkness Start of Darkness]]'' (a prequel focusing on Xykon and Redcloak)
42	* ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickGoodDeedsGoneUnpunished Good Deeds Gone Unpunished]]'' (a prequel/sidequel with five stories from Azure City, including the O-Chul and Therkla stories below)
43	* ''[[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStickSnipsSnailsAndDragonTales Snips, Snails, and Dragon Tales]]'' (a collection of strips published in ''Magazine/{{Dragon}}'' magazine and about eighty pages of other humorous fluff).
44	* ''The Order of the Stick Coloring Book'' (a Kickstarter-exclusive featuring the Order and several other characters in monochrome lineart scenes waiting to be coloured in)
45	* The Kickstarter rewards also include a number of exclusive digital comics, mostly focused on minor characters or reimagined settings, which may be collated into books at some point in the future. Stories released to date:
46	** "Uncivil Servant" (Belkar's introduction to the adventuring life)
47	** "Haleo and Julelan" (a retelling of ''[[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Romeo and Juliet]]'', starring Haley and Elan)
48	** "Spoiler Alert" (Therkla is sent on a mission by Daimyo Kubota; later collected in ''Good Deeds Gone Unpunished'')
49	** "How the Paladin Got His Scar" (a prequel telling how O-Chul joined the Sapphire Guard; later collected in ''Good Deeds Gone Unpunished'')
50
51	The print-only books are not necessary for following the main plot of the comic. In fact, it's usually lampshaded whenever material from a print-only book is recapped (sometimes with a character [[ProductPlacement checking an actual copy of the book]] just to make sure they got everything).
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53	In December 2019, Burlew announced that the next volume of the comic would be the last as he wrapped the story up, but reassured his readers that since both previous volumes had taken around five years each to be published, there is still a lot to look forward to.
54
55	A board game based on the comic called ''The Order of the Stick Adventure Game: The Dungeon of Dorukan'' was published in partnership with APE Games. Another game called ''The Order of the Stick Adventure Game: The Linear Guild'' was announced but has been stuck in DevelopmentHell.
56
57	Has multiple [[Characters/TheOrderOfTheStick character sheets]]. [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Fittingly]].
58	----
59	%%
60	%% Trope Namer is Trivia. It goes in the Trivia tab, certainly not on top of an article, no matter how often it happens on other pages.
61	%%
62	!!''The Order of the Stick'' subpages:
63	[[index]]
64	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesAToC
65	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesDToF
66	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesGToI
67	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesJToL
68	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesMToO
69	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesPToR
70	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesSToU
71	* TheOrderOfTheStick/TropesVToZ
72	* [[Recap/TheOrderOfTheStick Recap Page]]
73	* [[CallBack/TheOrderOfTheStick Call-Backs]]
74	* [[ReferencedBy/TheOrderOfTheStick Referenced by...]]
75	* [[ShoutOut/TheOrderOfTheStick Shout-Outs]]
76	* [[WhamEpisode/TheOrderOfTheStick Wham Episodes]]
77	[[/index]]

Context Webcomic / TheOrderOfTheStick