Okay, I just realized I have no effing clue what's happening in this comic. Seriously. It's not like I just started reading it; I've been a subscriber for over a year. Can someone PLEASE explain to me who these people are and what they're fighting about? And why did Downer spit out that chicken?
Not sure I can explain it very well, having missed fifteen of the first sixteen episodes. My downer book is on the way as soon as it's printed, so maybe I can elucidate then. The cartoonist is art director here, so maybe he should give the synopsis, though.
(Remember me, Kyle? I rescued you by inventing a deity for your homebrew one day while I was supposed to be grading papers. I know there's probably all kinds of spoilers and stuff, but you might be able to give a succinct summary of what's going on for all of us who dig your cartoon but missed half of the plot.)
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Ha ha. You think the first strips are relevant. ;-)
The first 15 steps introduced Downer. He fought an adventuring party which included Loops and killed him. He made his way to his boss, a beholder. The adventurers arrived, melee broke out, he killed his boss, made up with his brother, and took the chicken thing back. All of the adventurers except the elf were killed. Downer lost his foot.
Sebastian, are you telling me that I've been reading a Derridean gaming comic for two years and didn't even realize it? ;) Oh well, I'm an academic, I'm supposed to enjoy this sort of thing, and then tell you pompously that once you employ a post-colonial deconstructionist Lacanian framework to analyze the strip, that by creating a simulacrum of a simulacrum, Downer is actually a metaphor for suburban youth alienation in the age of ersatz satisfaction of consumer desire. ;)
Yeah man, what Peruhain said.
SPOILERS BELOW: Much of this was revealed to Lord Mayor Garriok by Shkiv, mount of the Slaad lord Yugorhl (sp?) A cabal of epic level players including the infernal patron of cheaters, Queen Wench, an Autarch named Goalkeeper, the Copper Dragon Kroiph, the rakshasa crimelord Kalro and a Chronotyrin competed for the post God of the Game. Each had a pawn who was tasked with transporting a token to Sigil. The token was the Uolok, the legendary offspring of a Slaad and a Modron. At the culmination of the competition, the one who feasted on the Ulolok would ascend.
Once Downer and Ba'Roosha arrived in Sigil, Ba'Roosha was revealed to be the Cuprilarch pawn of Goalkeeper. She snaked the Ulolok (aka Piglet), and set summoned Ferrumachs on our hero, Downer. Once he escaped, a strange airship in the sky led him to the contest's climax, on the rolling inn, the Funicular. The ship belonged to the rabidly aetheistic Ethergaunts. Kalro secretly summoned the Gaunts to disrupt the contest, and curry their aid in his struggle in the Underdark with the worshippers of Lolth. Kalro also betrayed his ally, Queen Wench, leaving Kalro to assume control of her armies in the Underdark. Goalkeeper, confronted by the Ethergaunts, who subdued Kroiph, and Benzinger Kalro, grudgingly accepted a draw. The Ulolok's power was to be shared between the survivors. Enter Downer, with his usual swagger, who proceeded to take a big bite of what he didn't realize was his beloved pet (sort of.)
BTW I'm putting up some Downer original art on Ebay this weekend. I'll keep you posted.
Cool. Thanks Kyle. Glad you understand what I said, cause I sure as heck didn't.
So, since Downer took a bite out of the roasted Ulolok, does that mean he ascends to become God of the Game? Or is the sacrifice not consummated if you spit it out?
Perhaps this has been addressed elsewhere, but:
What's going to happen with the Downer strip after Dungeon #150?
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Sebastian, are you telling me that I've been reading a Derridean gaming comic for two years and didn't even realize it? ;) Oh well, I'm an academic, I'm supposed to enjoy this sort of thing, and then tell you pompously that once you employ a post-colonial deconstructionist Lacanian framework to analyze the strip, that by creating a simulacrum of a simulacrum, Downer is actually a metaphor for suburban youth alienation in the age of ersatz satisfaction of consumer desire. ;)
I thought it was obvious, but I guess not to everyone. ;-)
My impression of Downer is that it has taken a sharp turn towards resolution ever since the fight with the chronotryn. I could be wrong, but it seemed like the stop in the pirate city was going to cover a handful of strips and involve the neogi conspiracy, the pit fights, and raising the gnome guy from the dead. It seemed like the whole thing was thrown into no-time-for-that-mode when the Needleman arrived and Downer was rushed off to Sigil. There are a lot of hanging threads that were left back on the prime material (the devil impersonating the illithid, Downer's bro's transformation into a drider, Downer's prior relationship with a medusa). I could be totally wrong, and maybe we are barreling towards a to-be-continued with no continuation, but my sense is that at least the main storyline is being ushered to a conclusion post-haste.
Sebastian, are you telling me that I've been reading a Derridean gaming comic for two years and didn't even realize it? ;) Oh well, I'm an academic, I'm supposed to enjoy this sort of thing, and then tell you pompously that once you employ a post-colonial deconstructionist Lacanian framework to analyze the strip, that by creating a simulacrum of a simulacrum, Downer is actually a metaphor for suburban youth alienation in the age of ersatz satisfaction of consumer desire. ;)I thought it was obvious, but I guess not to everyone. ;-)
My impression of Downer is that it has taken a sharp turn towards resolution ever since the fight with the chronotryn. I could be wrong, but it seemed like the stop in the pirate city was going to cover a handful of strips and involve the neogi conspiracy, the pit fights, and raising the gnome guy from the dead. It seemed like the whole thing was thrown into no-time-for-that-mode when the Needleman arrived and Downer was rushed off to Sigil. There are a lot of hanging threads that were left back on the prime material (the devil impersonating the illithid, Downer's bro's transformation into a drider, Downer's prior relationship with a medusa). I could be totally wrong, and maybe we are barreling towards a to-be-continued with no continuation, but my sense is that at least the main storyline is being ushered to a conclusion post-haste.
Hmmmm! Surprise surprise. It all fits now. Truncated plot--foreknowledge of the impending demise of Dungeon. Should we be hoping for some of the interesting side-plots to be taken up in the book (which I've ordered), or a future one? I guess I somehow got hooked on Downer after not liking it much initially, and now I want to know the whole story!
Why is Downer even helping Kalro? He's spent the last couple of comics talking about how much he hates him. I mean, I understand that the comic needs to be wrapped up in six more pages, but it seems kind of out of place. Did I miss something?
That's actually explained in the Downer Critical Threat write up in #138. Kalro has raised Downer from the dead 2-3 times, and Downer owes him for it. Kalro also runs an Underdark thieves' guild, and the business keeps Downer living reasonably comfortably.
My impression of Downer is that it has taken a sharp turn towards resolution ever since the fight with the chronotryn. I could be wrong, but it seemed like the stop in the pirate city was going to cover a handful of strips and involve the neogi conspiracy, the pit fights, and raising the gnome guy from the dead. It seemed like the whole thing was thrown into no-time-for-that-mode when the Needleman arrived and Downer was rushed off to Sigil. There are a lot of hanging threads that were left back on the prime material (the devil impersonating the illithid, Downer's bro's transformation into a drider, Downer's prior relationship with a medusa). I could be totally wrong, and maybe we are barreling towards a to-be-continued with no continuation, but my sense is that at least the main storyline is being ushered to a conclusion post-haste.
If that is the case, then Kyle gets two points from me for not "winding up like Lloyd," as I feared he might some time ago.
Admitted, the sudden rush to a conclusion is kind of dissapointing, but since Downer and his friends are all returning to their original owners, best to have some kind of conclusion, even a hurried one.
And I'm STILL going to use some of the charachters in a campaign. Someday...
And I'm STILL going to use some of the charachters in a campaign. Someday...
You'll be pleased to hear that Downer: Wandering Monster includes a detailed map of Oubliette, with adventure hooks a-plenty.
There are no solid plans for Downer beyond Dungeon #150. On one hand, I'm a little burned out, and the unstructured nature of Downer's multiple plots makes it a pain in the butt. I've painted myself into a couple of corners. Without Dungeon's WotC license, I'm not as free to fling poo in the "real" D&D universe. On the other hand, Downer kind of becomes my default fantasy license. It could get A LOT weirder. You would get to see a lot more of Downer with a six shooter and an umbrella, riding a magic bicycle through the underdark, collecting bounties on mushroom people. Maybe its just like a planet in some science fiction universe, or like a microverse in an atom, man ...
But seriously, it will be a money thing. It's too much work to do for the heck of it. I'm on good terms with Paizo, so we'll see how the first Downer collection sells. I've got some time to plan a project with the lessons of Downer. I'm interested in revisiting my old "speed racer in space" comic from the mid-nineties Swerve. I dunno. We'll see.