Goblins FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions in the Ustream Channel #Drawing-Goblins Chat Room

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/drawing-goblins

Broadcast and Drawing Stuff

   What does that mug say that Complains is holding when not broadcasting?

It says "Who Gets Humperdink". It's a reference from The Princess Bride.

   Do you use a template for the strip, etc?

   Text Bubbles.

   Do you use paper to make a rough draft?

Yes, paper for a rough draft. The comic however is done completely on the tablet now.

   Why does Thunt ring a bell every once in a while in the Live UStream Feed?

It indicates that a particular panel has passed the stage of drawing that Thunt is at; ie. penciling, inking, shading. It also indicates a level up of drawing skill.

   What software are you using?

For drawing, she uses Photoshop CS5. She upgraded from CS3 after the tablet purchase.

For broadcasting, she uses Webcam Max, in addition to the standard UStream tools.

   What drawing tablet do you use?

It is a Cintiq 21UX. She likes it and has named it Tabby.

   How often does Thunt broadcast? How can I know when he's broadcasting?

Thunt broadcasts almost every day. She generally either Tweets or posts on her blog when she's going to broadcast. Another option would be to be on Thunt's IRC channel nonstop like some of us.

   Who are the mods?

• KidOfBurden

• KittiHello

• See_a_Moose

• Trathnona (inactive)
• Darkian95403
• Grifs_
• DragonTurtle (Danielle)
• HyperHalfling (...also Danielle)

   What should I do if I need help in the chat?

It depends on the issue, unless it's a problem with another chatter the best option is normally to just ask the chat. See_a_Moose is currently working on adding a FAQ autoresponse script to the Bot, but until that is functional the regulars will normally be happy to answer questions.

If you are having a problem with another chatter, or if you think there's a really big problem in the chat (spammer, troll, etc...) there is a command you can use to get the mods' attention. If you pm !mod or !summon mod to the Bot, all moderators in the room will be immediately notified. What this does is send them each a pm, which in most cases also means pop-ups on their screen, a flashing taskbar, and for some an annoying beep.

The mods get enough false alarms from other alert settings, so needlessly summoning them WILL make them very cranky. DO NOT abuse this command, you will be kicked and possibly even permanently banned for using it for trivial reasons. Using it just to see what happens WILL get you banned.

   Are there any rules in the chat?

• The chat is a PG-13 chat, so please don't curse.
• Respect the other chatters.
• No trolling (unless you're thunt).
• No spamming.
• Please observe basic netiquette (don't post in ALL CAPS and other such things)
• Keep in mind that this is not 4chan, people actually do treat each other with respect here, and the kind of behavior that is acceptable elsewhere on the internet is not necessarily acceptable here.

   How do I get a name?

There are two ways to do this:

1. In the chat type: /nick yournickhere If it asks for a password that means that the nick is already registered.
2. Register a nick through UStream, this is the recommended option as it ensures that no one can take your name.

   Who is BotWalter?

BotWalter is an mIRC script based IRC bot. He administers the IRC room xp, gold, and level system, provides a dice roller and various silly little games such as a command for tossing other chatters.

If you want to help with the bot or have any suggestions feel free to email BotWalter@gmail.com

His name is a pun of NotWalter, a demon that appears early on in the comic.

http://www.goblinscomic.com/12052005/

How do I get xp?

Get a nick and chat, beyond that See_a_Moose isn't saying. But... if you have any suggestions for things that should be worth xp email the Bot at the address above.

   How do I use BotWalter and the Bot commands?

Before anything else you will need to get a nick in the chat as described above, unnamed ustreamers cannot use any of the Bot commands and do not recieve xp. Then use Bot commands to do fun or silly little things. In order to find out what these are, private message the bot with: !commands or !helplist . In order to do this type: /query BotWalter !commands in your chat, BotWalter will pm you a list of all commands that you have access to. You will gain access to more commands as you level up, although past level 5 there are very few new games or commands due to a lack of time on the programmer's part.

   What happened to KoreBot?

<+psyryn> what happened to korebot?
<+DPnLM> He went to go make pizza at Sergios.

The Bot name was changed from KoreBot to BotWalter. Both See_a_Moose and Thunt felt the name KoreBot was limiting. People kept expecting KoreBot to have the same kind of attitude as the Kore character in the comic. A number of names were suggested, and none of them really gave See_a_Moose much room to work with on the "personality" of the Bot, until he though of BotWalter. BotWalter was very pleased with the change, although he never did give back Kore's crossbows.

   Who is the Ustream-Bot?

A pile of steaming dingo kidneys.

   Why does Thunt ask people to tap her cola can?

It's a family tradition.

General Goblins Universe / RPG Stuff

   Is this your only form of income?

Yes.

   How far ahead do you write the story?

Thunt completely wrote the story out approximately 7 years ago, roughly when the comic started being colored. It is pretty much set in stone. Some parts of the story are totally written out blow by blow, step by step and other parts are more of a bullet point form. The guard battle in the armory of Brassmoon is an example of it being written out blow by blow.

   Do your characters have character sheets? Will you be publishing them?

Yes, they do have rough character sheets, and will probably be published after the end of the comic when they're no longer possible spoilers.

   What RPG system is the Goblins comic universe based on?

The Goblins world is based off the d20 system Dungeons and Dragons version 3.0 with added home-brew elements and the 3.5 system.

   Can characters in your world be resurrected?

Yes, but it takes quite a lot. It is very hard.

   What ever happened to that other adventuring party with Baka?

This is an open question that's not been answered. Note that it hasn't been said that it's a spoiler, just that it's a RAFO.

   How long have you been a DM? Do you DM anymore?

Ellipsis has no time to DM. She DM's at conventions, though.

Why is the comic late? Also known as: "Why is Thunt so lazy?"

Each comic page takes a surprising amount of work. Now that she has the tablet, the steps that go into each update are approximately as follows:

• Rough draft on paper, figure out general layout.
• Draw panels on the tablet.
• Pre-penciling stage - the very rough version of the comic, drawn in blue.
• Penciling - tightening things up a little bit and firming up the sketches to resemble their final form.
• Inking - going over the pencil layer with clean black lines instead of the sketchy pencil lines.
• Coloring - self explanatory, she gets some help from Danielle on this.
• Adding text - again self explanatory.
• Detailing - This is where she goes back and adds all the shiny stuff, the texture, and the shadows.

So... if you consider working 7 days a week, normally well north of 12 hours a day, skipping your own birthday and many holidays while not getting to spend much time with your family even though you work from home, lazy... well then yeah she's lazy. But that's a pretty absurd statement, don't you think? The comic will be up as soon as it Thunt can finish it, and she really does work her ass off to finish it, but she's doing 4 or 5 jobs at once.

Goblins Cast Stuff

Kore

   How can Kore be a paladin?

We don't know and Thunt ain't tellin'.

One thing the did mention in a UStream chat is that "Kore is very old". When asked for clarification if this meant old in human terms or dwarf terms, she didn't.

Minmax's cape holder in various states of undress.

MinMax

   How does his cape medal stay on?

There is a golden colored metal band that goes around his shoulder. It has been shown in the comic a few times on "our reality" Minmax and on a very similar alternate reality. See provided handy picture for reference.

Where did Minmax get that big scar on his face?: http://www.goblinscomic.com/01062006/

Can Minmax see out of his injured eye?

Answered in a blog post, here: http://www.goblinscomic.com/goblins-vs-order-of-the-stick/

“Can Minmax see out of his damaged, right eye?” The answer is yes. He suffers no penalty or impaired vision from the scar. Think about it, he complained about how the scar makes him look, but he has never complained about any kind of vision penalty. A minmaxer like him would definitely complain about a penalty to any of his abilities.

   Barbarian rules page:

http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/Extra_Rage_(3.5e_Feat)

Link *direct from Thunt*.

why does forgath's helmet only have one horn?

http://www.goblinscomic.com/01132006/

Merchandise Stuff

   Will you be making other plushies?

Yes. Please hold your horses.

   Is Goblins available in print book and e-book form?

Yes.

Physical Books: http://www.ihavethepower.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=33

Electronic Books: http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=goblins&quicksearch=1&search_filter=&filters=&search_free=&search_in_description=1&search_in_author=1&search_in_artist=1

   How much would I need to pay you for a drawing?

At this point it isn't a matter of money, it is a matter of time. Thunt spends most of her time drawing the actual comic and just doesn't have the time to draw on commission.

Personal Stuff

   What is with the nickname Thunt?

"Thunt" is how the author, Ellipses (nee Tarol) Hunt, signs her artwork. It just naturally happened that people started to call her Thunt online.

   Where does Thunt live?

In the verdant hills of Western Canukistan where the (insert something funny here)

   When are Ellipsis and Danielle getting married?

I forget exactly, there's a blog post I should look at. Also, she'd really like to go on a cruse for the honeymoon.

Update. Snje says they'd both really like to go to Britain for their honeymoon.

   Are you still buying a house? What happened to the donation money?

Best answered by Thunt's blog post on November 17th, 2011, linked here: http://www.goblinscomic.com/the-house-adventure-comes-to-an-end/

Note that Thunt just bought a house and has just moved into it.

  Who is Ember? Who is Jackie?

Ember is Thunt's Dog. Jackie is Thunt's much maligned cat.

   Do you play [insert name of video game]?

Sometimes, but she doesn't have much time to play any video games.

• GTA
• Plants Vs. Zombies
• LFD 1&2 if I remember right
• Minecraft (insert server here)
• Mass Effect
• Fallout 3
• Gears of War compilation pack

   What's your favorite [anything, pretty much]

Thunt is "terrible at favorites". She really doesn't like answering this kind of question.

However, when she does have a favorite, she's unabashed about stating it. For instance, her favorite tea is Fast Lane black tea. Note this isn't Vaseline tea, no matter how much it may sound like it when vocalized.

Adblock Plus setup: http://forums.keenspot.com/viewtopic.php?f=134&t=113731

IRC setup: http://forums.goblinscomic.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=157