I've been archive diving through Erfworld [link] the past couple of days at work. The concept is simple: Like Order of the Stick it's a fantasy story set in a world using rules mechanics that the characters are aware of (a computer turned based fantasy war game in this case, not a tabletop RPG.) Unlike OOTS it plays the concept mostly straight.

"I won't be a game piece. You hear me? I'm a player! FUCK YOU!"

Anyway, Parson Gotti (an anagram of "Protagonist") is an overweight, twenty-something gaming obsessed geek out of college and stuck with a car that's half dead and a lousy job at Kinkos. Until he gets pulled into Erfworld and is made "Lord Hamster", after being summoned by Overlord Stanley's minions who were seeking the Perfect Warlord to defend their city. It would seem they're really short on troops and hope, since the Royal Crown Coalition, led by Prince Ansom, is on the verge of taking their last city.

Mild problem: They also happen to be the bad guys.

Review: This is a story that digs its claws into you. It's easy to sympathize with Gotti. He might be (bluntly) overweight and unattractive, but he's smart and he does his research as he tries to figure out the world's rules, compelled by the loyalty spell that Stanley slapped on him as part of the summoning ritual. And it's a real war being fought, with real casualties, and real horrors. Which are made all the worse by the damned cutesy names and creatures (you don't die, you "croak", dragons are "dwagons", Ansom's main flying steeds are dried out Peeps, and his second in command is a cross between a vampire and The Fonz) It isn't long before Lord Hamster starts to figure out that maybe gaming the system isn't going to be as fun as he wants it to be.

It also didn't help that I heard about Micheal Jackson dying just before I got to this page. [link]