Line #44 Webcomic/TurnSignalsOnALandRaider


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tsoalr_logo_700wide_500x159.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: The Emperor's Not So Finest]]
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4	''[[http://www.tsoalr.com/ Turn Signals on a Land Raider]]'' is a ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' comic with a rather unique concept.
5
6	The story features Kren and Frep, two crewmen of a Land Raider tank for the Space Marine chapter: "The Emperor's Pointy Sticks."
7
8	Only, they're actual ''Warhammer 40,000'' gaming models, not a real army of the Emperor's finest. Even so, all the equipment actually works, so coming under a withering barrage of fire means you have to worry about getting hit by the ''dice'' as well as the bullets.
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10	Which is just as well, as the Emperor's Pointy Sticks aren't exactly the most fearsome army of [[SuperSoldier Super Soldiers]].
11
12	Unable to publish the comic due to copyright reasons and with his sponsorship having come to an end, the comic ended on Monday 3 August 2009, with the 667th strip, after six years.
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14	Which means the fact that there's 66'''9''' strips now may come as a surprise. The site got hit with a few spam and hack bots, and a couple new strips (and a few more advertising for a friend's store) got put up to commemorate the site getting fixed again. It ''is'' nice to see the boys back, though.
15
16	And then 2018 happened, when the artist suddenly got an unexpected call from Games Workshop. [[PromotedFanboy They wanted to hire him and restart it as an official W40k Comic!]] This new version can be found [[https://www.warhammer-community.com/tsoalr/ here]], on GW's official website.
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18	----
19	!!''Turn Signals on a Land Raider'' provides examples of:
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21	* [[AfterActionReport After Action Reports]] are often given of how many of the opposing units were taken out by the Emperor's Pointy Sticks by their commander. Usually, just 1.
22	* AmusingInjuries: It's impossible to count the number of times Kren and Frep had been blown up, burned, or eaten alive, only to come back at the next game.
23	* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: [[DoubleSubversion Doubly Subverted]] in one strip where Frep takes on a ''Epic 40,000'' titan model (he's the giant, but the titan is STILL a titan...) and played straight whenever a to-scale titan is featured.
24	* AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder: InUniverse, the Pointy Sticks' player has frequently acquired new armies and miniatures before he's even finished painting the old ones.
25	* ATeamFiring: Played straight by the Emperor's Pointy Sticks. They sure do seem to roll quite a few ones...combined with MoreDakka (Often through the BeamSpam route) for comedic effect many times. LampShaded almost every time.
26	* AuthorAvatar: The space marine terminator captain looks VERY similar to how the author depicts himself in the comics...
27	* AwesomeButImpractical: [[http://web.archive.org/web/20180109144441/http://tsoalr.com/?p=401 634-point Baneblade superheavy tank turns up in a 700-point battle]], starts bragging, gets pasted by a dozen lascannon blasts. One-turn win for the Pointy Sticks.
28	* AxeCrazy: Mary, arguably. The orks too.
29	* BreakingTheFourthWall: When Frep is complaining how Steven Colbert used "Freem" and should be sued for Copyright Infringement, Kren points out the whole comic revolves around the concept [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=373]]
30	* ButtMonkey: Poor Harkon...
31	* CatchPhrase: "Its LIONS!", * FREEM *
32	** Also : [[MusicAndSoundEffects KA-* insert action here* !]]
33	* TheChewToy: The entire Emperor's Pointy Sticks chapter. Especially Fren, Krep and the Land Raider Jack.
34	* CrackPairing: In 40k fluff, I think anyone knows why the pairing of a daemonette and a SM qualifies for this. [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that it actually WORKS In-Universe since they're all [[PunchClockVillain Punch Clock]] [[PunchClockHero Miniatures]].
35	* {{Doppelganger}} The Pointy Sticks of the Emperor. Of course, they're no better......
36	* DownerEnding: [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=1221 KA-DISCONTINUE!!]]
37	* DumbMuscle: Frep says Harkon is one of these [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=507 here]].
38	-->'''Frep''': ''Seven feet'' of genetically engineered killing machine; ''brain'' the size of a walnut.
39	* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: There's a character who literally is named Barkeep.
40	* EyeScream: Played for laughs (and on at least [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=151 one instance subverted]]) with Sgt. Yellow Pine's bionic eye.
41	* FloralThemeNaming: With the exception of Kren and Frep, the whole Emperor's Pointy Sticks chapter (Brother Ginkgo, Sgt. Yellow Pine...).
42	* FluffyTamer: Frep. He keeps a Chaos Boar from Warhammer Fantasy (who'd somehow [[NoodleIncident managed to destroy an]] ''[[NoodleIncident Emperor-class Battleship]]'') and a Necron Scarab for pets.
43	* FriendOrFoe: An allied Guardsman relays coordinates for an artillery battery, calling down a spotting round. [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=116 It lands directly on our protagonists, taking the land raider out of the game.]]
44	* HighClassGlass: [[spoiler:Prime minister]] Harkon sports one of these [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=473 here]].
45	* HurricaneOfPuns: [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=56 This]] strip. Frep sure needs to learn when to quit while he's [[IncrediblyLamePun "ahead."]]
46	* HyperspaceBase: [[UsefulNotes/BritishAccents Corporal Cavendish's]] WWII tank model. So much so that a squad of Terminators got LOST when they were supposed to disembark because they took a wrong turn. Leading to a squad of enemy Space Wolves getting lost too.
47	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Played hilariously straight by everyone OTHER than the Emperor's Pointy Sticks. If a shot can hit them, it will hit them. Almost never fails.
48	* IronicEcho: One of the earlier strips (dating back to the 4th edition) had Orks getting the "No new Codex blues." A few years later, after an upgrade...
49	-->'''Krep:''' Kommandos? With burnas?! ''From any side of the table!?!!?''
50	-->'''Ork:''' Who's got the "no new Codex blues" now?
51	* KillItWithFire: [[MeaningfulName Mary Napalm]] the Sister of Battle. Word of advice: stay away from her when she has her favorite toy.
52	** [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=1276 Dave's preferred solution]] [[MediumAwareness when Kren and Frep realize the site has been hacked since the comic's official discontinuation.]]
53	* MadeOfIron: DoubleSubversion; they never die (except for extras at certain points), but they are almost GUARANTEED to get "killed" in the gameplay sense of the word. Overlaps with DeathIsCheap.
54	* MadLibsCatchphrase[=/=]OhMyGods: "Emperor's [lengthy description]!"
55	* MediumAwareness: Partial, in that they are fully aware that they are models in a TT game, while not aware of being in a comic strip. In fact, one [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=126 strip]] has Kren placing an order for Krep's daemonette girlfriend.
56	** As of the post-discontinuation special strips, Kren and Frep are fully aware that they are in a comic strip.
57	* MundaneUtility: Whenever Jack or a weapon is used for something other than its intended purpose...which happens quite frequently. This can "backfire" though...
58	* NormalFishInATinyPond: During the Tavern arc, Frep and Kren, and of course, Jack, easily [[IncrediblyLamePun steamroll]] [[OneManArmy warhammer characters until they're out of ammo at least]], [[PowerCreepPowerSeep unless if the rule is adjusted where "a Dice is a dice", as a Black Orc said]].
59	* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Sister Mary, at least in the arc where the duo traded Jack and Harkon for a bar.
60	* RagingStiffie: [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=14 Here]]. Safe for work, by the way.
61	-->'''Random Marine''':"Emperor protect my ''pants''!"
62	* RecoilBoost: Kren and Frep once used an Assault Cannon as a small aircraft. Unfortunately, they challenged an Eldar hovertank that had so many saves they shot themselves down.
63	* RidiculouslyHumanRobots: How the Necrons are depicted whenever they appear.
64	** Weirdly, this is EXACTLY how many fans are seeing the 2011 Necrons Codex update.
65	* SchizoTech: Frep invokes this by fitting a [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=251 steam tank with a lascannon]].
66	* ShoutOut:
67	** To ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' in the dialogue -- and that's just for starters.
68	** To ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=333 here]].
69	** [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=515 Strip #469]] uses a line from the Music/MaryChapinCarpenter song "The Bug" as its title.
70	* SpentShellsShower: At one point, a Land Raider crew is goaded into firing their twin Assault Cannon without closing the top hatch. A second later, they're buried under a pile of shell casings that fills the tank.
71	* TeamPet: No less than three : a Chaos boar straight from TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}, a Necron Scarab, and "Onesie," a dice which only rolls ones when Kren and Frep are using it (but which roll sixes every time it's used for calculating their damages...)
72	* ThanksForTheMammary: The author, being [[BlindingCameraFlash blinded by a camera flash]], walks into the cameraman's wife [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=539 here]], complete with UnprovokedPervertPayback.
73	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Always overlaps with MoreDakka. The crew of Jack always seem to be on the receiving end of a ridiculous amount of fire. As an example: 21 Lascannons in their first match.
74	* TooDumbToLive: The crew of Jack, and especially Frep.''[[http://tsoalr.com/?p=201 Who uses turn signals in the middle of battle?!?]]''
75	* TooMuchInformation: Kren says this to Frep [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=278 here]].
76	** Again, [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=51 here]]. Same subject, same characters.
77	* TwinThreesomeFantasy: '''[[http://tsoalr.com/?p=234 TWINS THEY WERE.]]'''
78	* UnsoundEffect: Commonly used, other than [=FREEM=].
79	* UnwantedAssistance: InUniverse, generally the [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=147 situation]] that arise whenever another army co-opts Jack and crew to proxy. May have something to do with the fact that Kren and Frep misuse the [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=253 resources]] / [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=146 abilities]] of whatever army asks them to help out. Ironically, these are the only times they actually seem to WIN.
80	* WhosOnFirst: Combined with a [[Film/{{Spaceballs}} "druish princess"]]-style joke [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=159 here:]]
81	--> '''Sgt. Yew:''' I am Yew, Emperor's Pointy Sticks.\
82	'''Administratum clerk:''' You are me?\
83	'''Yew:''' No, I am Yew. First initial A.\
84	'''Clerk:''' A. Yew?\
85	'''Yew:''' ENOUGH! ''(shoots the clerk)''
86	* YourHeadAsplode: The author suffers this in this [[http://tsoalr.com/?p=494 strip]] due to illness.

Context Webcomic / TurnSignalsOnALandRaider