Book 2 – Page 91

[balder]

New One is up.

[No one in particular]

Tramennis looks HILARIOUS.

[Kalak]

A really good way to trap him would be to switch capitals to Jetstone before he gets through. At the rate Parson moves through MK, that might be pretty feasable.

[Chit Rule Railroad]

A really good way to trap him would be to switch capitals to Jetstone before he gets through. At the rate Parson moves through MK, that might be pretty feasable.

Parson's stack is probably tough enough to survive walking into Jetstone's portal room and then out again, and there presumably is no way to arrange for a Jetstone Ruler be sitting on the throne at Jetstone to switch the capital/portal back to Spacerock to trap Parson in Jetstone. (The throne under Slately will presumably cease to be operable when the capital switches.)

Jetstone is going to be a very tempting target for Charlie, Haggar, etc...

[Chernobyl]

AWesome sauce!

[No one in particular]

A really good way to trap him would be to switch capitals to Jetstone before he gets through. At the rate Parson moves through MK, that might be pretty feasable.

Nah, that would only leave Parson in the MK.

Where there's a portal to take him back to GK.

Which is what everyone who's not in on the conspiracies wants anyway.

And no way for Charlie or Jetstone to attack him.

[joosy]

A really good way to trap him would be to switch capitals to Jetstone before he gets through. At the rate Parson moves through MK, that might be pretty feasable.

Yes, but then Parson will probably just go back to GK. He has the support of the Predictamancers and the Thinkamancers who want him alive. It is now in Charlie's interest to have Parson go through which tells me that Jefftichew is not completely in league/contact with Charlie and has his own agenda.
I wonder if Jefftichew's gaffe will throw a monkey wrench in Charlie's plan..

So Charlie finally has his battleplan being laid out - get Slately II into the throne room to switch capitals. However, once GK controls Jetstone, Stanley can switch capitols as well, send Sizemore through to build the city, then send all casters and Parson back through, switch capitols back and have them return to GK. I would guess that it costs very little as Jetstone is about to do it with their meager treasury.. perhaps they will be reimbursed the cost of popping the heir and that will cover any cost associated?

EDIT: Ah - Stanley would have to be at Jetstone to switch it back, I think - he has to sit on the throne. So switching it back and forth like that from one capitol site to another is not possible and the dwagon relay may be too risky for Stanley to use once, let alone twice. Also, Parson has to know that capturing JetStone will close the portal and trap him there regardless so this big plan by Charlie seems a little.. lackluster. Hopefully there is more to it. Perhaps it includes some sharks with lasers mounted on their heads or something.

[sheepfly]

So it STILL hasn't occurred to Slately or Tramennis to offer surrender in exchange for leniency from the new chief warlord of GK? Not surprising, given their outrage at Parson's lack of "honor" and failure to recognize how easily he can defeat linear thinkers, but kind of sad.

Also, it's hard to see how changing the capital would change ANYTHING. Sure, the portal closes. If GK takes the garrison, the exact same thing would happen. Win or win slowly, Parson is trapped in Spacerock for the turn. Charlie's suggested strategy doesn't actually change anything for Jetstone or Parson, unless Tramennis was indeed correct that Charlie fears not a continuation of hostilities, but an alliance between Jetstone & GK.

And given Slately's predictable inability to seek a diplomatic solution, that fear would be totally unjustified.

[chefsotero]

And hewill come with Wanda, so resuplying his entourage won't be that much of a challenge.

But now we will have a open conflict betwin Parson and Charlie. Boop just got real

[Sharik]

Sure, the portal closes. If GK takes the garrison, the exact same thing would happen. Win or win slowly, Parson is trapped in Spacerock for the turn. Charlie's suggested strategy doesn't actually change anything for Jetstone or Parson

The truth of your statement rather depends on how many archons Charlie has quietly stashed somewhere within a turn or two's move of Spacerock...

[MOD]

The pacing of this page seems off. I think too little story was stretched into a full page. It appears that the closing the portal behind Parson needed to be at the end of the page for the end of page climax and a good six or so panels could have been eliminated by compressing the dialogue.

[sheepfly]

The truth of your statement rather depends on how many archons Charlie has quietly stashed somewhere within a turn or two's move of Spacerock...

If Charlie has yet another secret weapon, it will need to be deployed this turn, during Jetstone's (the RCC2's) turn for the portal closure to matter. Jetstone can't end turn with GK holding most of the garrison (and the battle will continue when Slately leads the charge).

It strains credulity to think that Jetstone would have allowed the RCC2 to hold back any available resources at this point, given that Jetstone's existence literally hangs by the thread of one incapacitated unit buried under a pile of rubble. The Haggar trick has already been played. I hope that isn't the "surprise".

[No one in particular]

Also, it's hard to see how changing the capital would change ANYTHING. Sure, the portal closes. If GK takes the garrison, the exact same thing would happen. Win or win slowly, Parson is trapped in Spacerock for the turn. Charlie's suggested strategy doesn't actually change anything for Jetstone or Parson, unless Tramennis was indeed correct that Charlie fears not a continuation of hostilities, but an alliance between Jetstone & GK.

The point isn't that Parson would be trapped in Spacerock. The point is that Parson would be trapped in a Spacerock he didn't control, and surrounded by people who want to croak him. And still could! Capturing the city would put all enemy units in shackles, and unable to do anything.

The pacing of this page seems off. I think too little story was stretched into a full page. It appears that the closing the portal behind Parson needed to be at the end of the page for the end of page climax and a good six or so panels could have been eliminated by compressing the dialogue.

You seem to be assuming that Charlie and Slately's plan will WORK. When has ANY plan in LIAB worked for more than the first half?

[bladestorm]

Maybe trapping Parson in Spacerock was a part of Jojo's gaffe, which puts him back in alignment with Charlie's plans. He did switch from "We're telling everyone in the Magick Kingdom to stop you from getting through that portal" to "Meh, maybe we won't get him" kinda quickly.

[tiercel]

You seem to be assuming that Charlie and Slately's plan will WORK. When has ANY plan in LIAB worked for more than the first half?

A plan that has been revealed in advance of its execution has basically NO chance of working, at least as-is, by the laws of dramatic convention. The exception is, of course, if a key element of the plan has not been revealed in advance

From Charlie's point of view though -- he gets a nonzero chance at croaking his archrival, without (presumably) using any of his units or giving away to Parson that it's him pulling the trigger. If it were to succeed, money well spent; if the gambit fails, he's still recovered an uncroaked Archon and financed Jetstone to not only stay in existence opposing Parson/GK but also with a more capable and intelligent leader than it had in Slately.

[DoctorJest]

So it STILL hasn't occurred to Slately or Tramennis to offer surrender in exchange for leniency from the new chief warlord of GK? Not surprising, given their outrage at Parson's lack of "honor" and failure to recognize how easily he can defeat linear thinkers, but kind of sad.

Also, it's hard to see how changing the capital would change ANYTHING. Sure, the portal closes. If GK takes the garrison, the exact same thing would happen. Win or win slowly, Parson is trapped in Spacerock for the turn. Charlie's suggested strategy doesn't actually change anything for Jetstone or Parson, unless Tramennis was indeed correct that Charlie fears not a continuation of hostilities, but an alliance between Jetstone & GK.

As we saw in Book One, alliances all share the same turn, and making/breaking alliances mid-turn DOES work. We saw a group break alliance in order to get an extra turn.

The key thing is that if Parson takes the city, Jetstone's turn ends. However, if Slately uses the throne to change the capital, then Jetstone's ally, Charlie, can still act on their turn.

[DoctorJest]

Sure, the portal closes. If GK takes the garrison, the exact same thing would happen. Win or win slowly, Parson is trapped in Spacerock for the turn. Charlie's suggested strategy doesn't actually change anything for Jetstone or Parson

The truth of your statement rather depends on how many archons Charlie has quietly stashed somewhere within a turn or two's move of Spacerock...

Enough to decapitate Haggar, as we learned earlier.

[ftl]

Man, I hope charlie doesn't just appear with more archons out of nowhere.

[MOD]

The pacing of this page seems off. I think too little story was stretched into a full page. It appears that the closing the portal behind Parson needed to be at the end of the page for the end of page climax and a good six or so panels could have been eliminated by compressing the dialogue.

You seem to be assuming that Charlie and Slately's plan will WORK. When has ANY plan in LIAB worked for more than the first half?

I believe you misunderstand. I'm not speaking to any speculations on plot. I think from the standpoint of this particular page of comic the writing was made so that the final panel could have a denouement. Some of the writing in the panels in-between are either unnecessary or could have been combined with other panels. It is my opinion that this was not done only to have the final panel appear at the end of the page rather than somewhere else and different panels with further plot advancement could have been used.

[Whispri]

Why are they so sure this unpopped Prince wasn't an unpopped Princess?

And they still don't get that Parson of Hamster is trying to preserve his army.

Does Charlie know Wanda was designated by her father? He might not, they used hats exclusively at Goodminton. He may nt even know she came from there. Charlie might well be in for a rude surprise.

Is Charlie simply trying to make sure Parson doesn't get a chance to talk with Isaaac any time soon? I mean, the Portal would have gone down anyway, but this way he can be certain that Parson won't be back the Magic Kingdom for weeks. Well, unless Wanda refounds Goodminton, but like I said, Charlie may not know about that.