My Review
The first book in the Order of the Stick series - On the Origin of PCs is exactly what it say. The origin stories of the main characters. This black and white book is only available in print and well worth reading (also cheaper than the full colour versions). I bought this and the other prequel book Start of Darkness for my brother's Christmas presents last year, and they've been well read... and frequently stolen.
The Order of the Stick is the very well known, well loved webcomic that manages to combine humour, Dungeons and Dragons and perspective in a stick-figure webcomic. Highly recommended to anyone, ever, who has even a passing knowledge of RPG games, the injokes only deepen with increased exposure. From dice rolls, to character archetypes (or stereotypes) such as androgynous elves, halfling thieves and moralistic paladins, turn-based gaming, evil goblins, dread undead, terrible puns, betrayal, loyalty and love, this comic satirizes it all. I would buy this for any gamer, comic-book afficionado, Pratchett fan or fantasy reader!
As GITP says...
"Ever wonder how the Order of the Stick met? Or why on earth Roy would ever hire Elan? Or whether any of the OOTSers ever knew each other before the team formed? All of these questions and many others have been left annoyingly unanswered in the online edition of the Order of the Stick. But wait! Now you can know! Now your burning curiosity that borders on unhealthy obsession can at last be sated, with this original prequel story. Yes, travel back with Rich Burlew, creator of the popular gaming comic The Order of the Stick, as he unearths the secret origins of your favorite adventurers in the first all-new never-posted-on-the-internet version of OOTS. In The Order of the Stick: On the Origin of PCs, you'll discover the answers to all of the following questions:
- How did Haley leave the employ of the Thieves' Guild?
- Why was Durkon sent into human lands by the high priest of Thor?
- Why did Eugene Greenhilt swear revenge on Xykon?
- What was Roy like in Fighter College?
- What ever happened to Elan's last employer?
- What does Belkar really think of the Monk class?
- Why DO they call themselves the "Order of the Stick"? (No, for real this time.)
The Order of the Stick: On the Origin of PCs is a must for any fan of the comic series. Well, any fan who doesn't want to be kept up nights worrying about the horrible, horrible truth about their favorite characters. Trust us—your sanity practically DEMANDS you own this book!"
The introduction itself is almost worth buying the book for, with prefaces from the author and from Redcloak the Goblin Cleric (aka mister not appearing in this book). Even better, On the Origin of PCs is printed on 50% recycled paper (approved by the Forest Stewardship Council).
"Never before has a collection of stick figures reduced so many to such helpless laughter."
On The Origin Of PCs
The Prequel to the Order of the Stick
Like all great stories in the history of the universe, this one begins in a tavern. The Order of the Stick: On the Origin of PCs reveals the secret character backgrounds of your favorite band of webcomic adventurers, the Order of the Stick. Spinning out of the popular online comic (and subsequent book collections), On the Origin of PCs presents 72 pages of all-new, never-seen- before-or-since OOTS action and comedy that detail what each of the six members of the Order were doing with their lonely and pathetic lives before they joined forces to become a less lonely (but no less pathetic) team. Presented in nostalgic greyscale that we like to call "Past-O-Vision", On the Origin of PCs is a vital part of your Order of the Stick collection.
The Order of the Stick, Volume 0: On the Origin of PCs (v. 0)
Amazon Price: (as of 12/07/2009)
List Price: $13.95
I'm not much of a comic book or manga fan. But the Order of the Stick is different, different, different! I must admit that a reader who has never played D&D might not catch every innuendo, but there are enough laughs for even the most uninitiated. The jokes and twists are hilarious and yet, with each comic, the story moves forward.
Origin of the PCs tells how the player characters (PC's) got their start and formed the infamous Order of the Stick. As Burlew's online strip starts with the party already together, it was fun to go back in time and see the characters before they knew each other. After all, how did a psychotic halfling, dwarven cleric, bumbling bard, androgynous mage, and opportunistic rogue all team up with a college-grad fighter on quest to avenge his father's death? Overall, a very fun read with plenty of chuckles. Now, I'm looking forward to 'Start of Darkness' for a similar look at the 'origin of the NPCs'. How did Xykon become a litch? What is the creature in the darkness? And how long will it take for SOD to reach Amazon, so we can order it here?
Amazon review
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Who Are the Order of the Stick?
The party members: Tinker, Tailor, Halfling, Sailor, Paladin, Dwarf, Mage, Thief ...
Roy Greenhilt:Lawful Good.
In charge. An intelligent fighter, honourable, sensible... and on a quest to do with his ancestral sword, his dissapointed father, and the evil lich Xykon.
Durkon Thundershield: Lawful Good
Probably the person who best gets on with Roy, Durkon is a dwarf and a cleric of Thor, far from his homeland.
Belkar Bitterleaf: Chaotic Evil
Originally a halfling Ranger, swiftly advancing up the ranks of Barbarian. Psychotic and murderous are two words that spring to mind.
Alternate name: The SEXY SHOELESS GOD OF WAR!
Elan: Chaotic Good
...the less said about the bard, the better for Roy's sanity, methinks. See the video below for a sampling.
Vaarsuuvius: True Neutral
The (androgynous) high-elf mage who is androgynous. Also power hungry and ambitious. And centuries old (elf). And did we mention noone knows zir gender? Really doesn't get on with Belkar, and the murderous pranking is mutual.
Haley Starshine: Chaotic Good
The thief. She likes gold. Also is skilled with the bow and finding treasure and sneaking... basically the standard rogue character. With red hair. Oh, and she likes gold.
The Order of the Stick: The Members
How did a dwarf and an elf start working in the same party as a paladin and a thief?
The Diverse Team of Heroes from halfling thief, to hammer-wielding dawrf, to mysterious and androgynous elf, to noble warrrior, ranging from chaotic to lawful, evil to good, is practically a stereotype of its own in role playing games. It makes sense, after all, to have a nice balance of abilites and temperaments - that, and everyone wants to be a different character!But how much sense does it make in a 'real' world setting? Why would such a conflicting group start working together - much less stay together? Where did the members of the Order of the Stick come from? Why is Roy in charge? (is Roy in charge?) Who named them? What are they really up to? Who stole the colour? Is this all just a flashback?
Musical Bards
...not always so great.
Which to Buy?
The Prequels or the Comic?
More books by Rich Burlew
Vote for your favorites, or add any I missed.
The Order of the Stick, Volume -1: Start of Darkness by Rich Burlew
From the depths of time comes a story of wicked vi more...0 points
The Order of the Stick, Volume 0: On the Origin of PCs (v. 0) by Rich Burlew
Like all great stories in the history of the unive more...0 points
The Order of the Stick, Volume 2: No Cure for the Paladin Blues by Rich Burlew
The Order of the Stick: Dungeon Crawlin' Fools fol more...0 points
Order of The Stick: War and XPs by Richard Burlew
The epic battle between good and evil becomes more more...0 points
Your Favourite Quotes?
Add the best from the book!
Crystal: It's like the old saying goes! There's no 'I' in Thieves' Guild!
Haley: ...you're an idiot.
Durkon: Thor's beard! These humans be like giants! *pause* Well, I guess at long last I know why we're called 'dwarves.'
(more - better - quotes to come when I actually find my copy)
Do You Read Order of the Stick?
Rich Burlew on Wikipedia
Rich Burlew (born September 1, 1974) is an author, game designer, and graphic designer best known for his webcomic The Order of the Stick. He has also written several works for Wizards of the Coast's game Dungeons and Dragons. He owns and operates Giant in the Playground, a small press publishing company formed to publish his comic work and named after his frequent forum screen name.
For his work on The Order of the Stick and his assistance in launching Erfworld from obscurity to critical acclaim, Rich Burlew was named #5 on ComixTalk's list of the Top 25 People in Webcomics for 2007."[http://comixtalk.com/comixtalks_people_of_webcomics_list_for_2007 ComixTalk's People of Webcomics List For 2007]". ComixTalk, December 20, 2007. Retrieved on December 31, 2007
Giant In the Playground Games
Read the Original Webcomic
Rich Burlew's official site - and the homepage of the original Order of the Stick webcomic, which starts up where On the Origin of PCs and its prequel/parallel, Start of Darkness leave off.
- Giant In the Playground Games
- The official webcomic and gaming site for Rich Burlew and his works.
Sword Swinging Paladins
A bit more about the comic...
The Order of the Stick (OOTS) is a comedic webcomic that celebrates and satirizes tabletop roleplaying games and medieval fantasy through the ongoing tale of the eponymous fellowship of heroes. The comic is written and illustrated by Rich Burlew, who creates the comic in a colorful stick figure style.
Taking place in a magical world that loosely operates by the rules of 3.5 edition Dungeons and Dragons, the comic follows the farcical exploits of six flawed adventurers as they strive to save the world from an evil lich. Much of the comic's humor stems from these characters either being aware of the game rules that affect their lives or having anachronistic knowledge of modern culture, which in turn is often used by the author to parody various aspects of roleplaying games and fantasy fiction. While primarily comedic in nature, The Order of the Stick features a continuing storyline serialized in one- to four-page episodes, with over 690 such episodes released so far.
The award-winning comic is both a critical and popular success, having received strong praise from reviewers in the comic and roleplaying press on the basis of its plotting and character development while maintaining a place as one of the most widely-read of all webcomics. Although it is principally distributed online at the website Giant in the Playground,http://www.giantitp.com/ five book collections have been published, including two print-only stories (On the Origin of PCs and Start of Darkness). An alternate version of the strip also appeared monthly in Dragon Magazine for 22 issues.
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Reader Feedback
What Did You Think?
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Reply
- Kokanee_joe Kokanee_joe Nov 11, 2009 @ 5:01 am
- Haha Awesome Flynn! Order of the Stick" is Hilarious! It was a great read i also lens rolled yours through my D&D and D&D miniatures pages, and they were soooo well placed with OOTS! (just learned how...remember just started a day or so ago). Thanks again for the comments!
Kokanee_joe
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Reply
- mysticmama mysticmama Nov 6, 2009 @ 5:41 pm
- Very interesting, never seen these before... seems a lot like the rudimentary cartoon work from South Park.
People Talking...
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- UnofficialSpice
- SpiceCorps Of Houston next meeting is Dec 17 2009, 7:00 pm - http://oots.be/m3
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- ksolaris
- has found a new delight. OOTS OOTS + DA = haepi. XDDDD http://plurk.com/p/2wfyfs
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- ScoutHelp
- Chief Scout parascends into Who’s Who list (http://oots.be/m2)
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- Alejou
- @caballoradio Mancha Yunaita? oots, deja le pregunto a Gerry jajaja
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- akp982
- Friday night is coming back to me... Calling @Spiceworks in Texas at to get Jays number... http://oots.be/m1 #Spiceworld2009
About Me
Lensmaster Flynn_the_Cat has been a member since October 12 2008, has rated 588 lenses, favorited 210, and has created 37 lenses from scratch. Flynn the Cat donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund and ASPCA. This member's top-ranked page is "ArtRage 3 - Digital Painting With Watercolours!". See all my lenses
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