T w e n t y S i d e d
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Friends! I will not keep you long. I am writing this to you for a purpose. Indeed, for three purposes. First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that one year is far too short a time to write a webcomic for such excellent and admirable readers. I don’t know half of you half as well as I would like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.
Secondly, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of this strip. I should say, OUR strip, since the comments and suggestions you’ve given over the last year have been as entertaining as the strip itself. Together the strips score one hundred and forty-four. One gross, if I may use the expression.
This month is also, if I may be allowed to refer to ancient history, the two-year anniversary of the start of this site. Two years ago this site began in utter obscurity, with me posting a narrative of a D&D campaign to nobody in particular. But today the site is thriving and I can now say, “Thank you very much” to the thousands of you who read this.
Thirdly and finally, I wish to make an ANNOUNCEMENT. I regret to announce that, though, as I said, a year is for too short a time to spend on a webcomic, this is the END. It is over now. GOOD BYE.
Er, not quite. Oh dear. Bilbo seems to have painted me into a corner. Let’s start over.
This is indeed the end of DM of the Rings, but not the end as far as writing webcomics go. On this site, I have another couple of weeks of deleted strips and other bits I’ve come up with that didn’t fit into the DMotR continuity.
If you want to read more by me, then check out Stolen Pixels, a screencap comic I do for The Escapist. It’s on videogames, not D&D, but it might amuse you if you’re into that sort of thing.
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Thanks so much for reading. It’s been an honor.
Overthinking Zombies
Let's ruin everyone's fun by listing all the ways in which zombies can't work, couldn't happen, and don't make sense.
In Defense of Crunch
Crunch-mode game development isn't good, but sometimes it happens for good reasons.
Who Broke the In-Game Economy?
Why are RPG economies so bad? Why are shopkeepers so mercenary, why are the prices so crazy, and why do you always end up a gazillionaire by the end of the game? Can't we just have a sensible balanced economy?
This is Why We Can’t Have Short Criticism
Here's how this site grew from short essays to novel-length quasi-analytical retrospectives.
Spoiler Warning
A video Let's Play series I collaborated on from 2009 to 2017.
Here’s to a year of outstanding comments!
Wait, isn’t it cheating for the owner or ‘original post’ to call first post!
On a less of a whiny note, GREAT comic, I read the whole thing in two sittings, loved it! Well done!
So, if we know it will be like this, and it IS like this, for me every game has ALWAYS been like this…
Why do we keep doing it? Why are our memories of this so fond? It’s very disproportionate. The knowledge, that day, that you’re going to be running/playing a game, it’s so great, and then you leave the friend’s house so disappointed, but looking back, the game is so great.
Why?
I guess it’s just because maybe we didn’t have the best DM/PCs, and maybe we did argue constantly. Maybe we even suffered a horrible character death. But in the end, the thrill of the adventure is just amazingly cathartic.
To sum it up in a very fitting manner:
“I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the ending, because how could the ending be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it’ll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances at turning back only they didn’t. They kept going. Because they were holding onto something.”
I can’t think of a greater way to say it than that.
And what better way to do something like that than with friends? Even if you’re driving each other up the wall, you’re still friends (unless you take the game way too seriously when something bad happens). Even if you didn’t know each other prior to the game, you know everyone very well now.
Okay, this post is getting ridiculously sentimental, so I’ll cut it off after saying one more thing about the comic: I LOVED this campaign. :D
I read it in one sitting not counting bathroom breaks oh is it 10:30 already?
I discovered this comic yesterday and I just couldn’t stop reading. Only the sun shining in the sky took me out to gather some star energy, but I was back again to my PC soon. I’ve talk all my friends from Spain about this webcomic too.
It has passed much time since I didn’t laugh so hard, thank you Shamus!!
Also, I don’t want to look anxious or whatever, but I just tell you again that it would be great if you made the same work with other fantasy films. I’m sure you now got a legion of fans or whatever!
Do it! :)
I just read through it all and it was great, there were some parts that almost had me in tears with laughing so much.
Thanks for this :)
p.s. Hello from the future
This was just so immensely awesome!! Thanks for all your hard work!
Thank you Shamus. This was excellent. Now to read everything you’ve written that I can find :P
I came to this late – it’s been like a jewel hidden from me for years, but I’m uber-glad I found it. You’ve provided me with hours of laughter and enjoyment (and more than a few emails to my D&D group with quotes from your more hilarious comments). Thank you so much, man. You seriously ROCK! ~Michael E
Hi there, just came across this a few days ago, and I have now, of course, read the whole thing.
This is really great.
True old school internet when people were actually funny.
No idea how I missed you for so long.
Anyway, great work, top kek, many lels and such.
I just read through this comic. It was so very true and hilarious.
Thank you for your great work here! Read it all in a couple of days, and it’s the most I’ve laughed in a long time!
I know I didn’t show up until 14 years after it
all ended, but I just binged the whole thing in two hours and it was fantastic! Thanks for doing this!
Amazing stuff! Brings back memories. :) Been reading slowly thru this pandemic for comfort. Many Thanks, Shamus!
(Really odd, Shamrock posted just before me… First in a long time, if I ‘m correct? And now Lightning strikes twice…:)
Second time reading through this in the pandemic, it’s very nice to have
Read through it again today. For comfort, as you say.
Vale Shamus.
When can we expect the extended edition with outtakes?
First in wargames,
First in posts,
And Last of the episodes of DM of the Rings…
Loved the comic. Thanks for the entire series, Shamus!
2nd Post! WooHoo – sad to see it go!
Well top 10 anyway
May you cherish them forever…
I’ve been following this faithfully since last October, can’t believe it’s finished. Thanks for the good laughs. I have seen just about everyone I’ve ever gamed with in this strip somewhere.
Y’know, I was kind of expecting the DM to make the PCs bow to the NPC hobbits as a final humiliation…
That would have been awesome.
An excellent ending! And I think “Conan’s Well-Oiled Nipples” is by far the best epithet to come out of Gimli’s mouth.
Wait. Is it over?
What a long, strange, ride it’s been.
Thanks a million Shamus.
A good end to a good comic. Was it just me or did Legolas look seriously pissed off about being Aragorn’s gardener?
Wow, I’ve only been reading it since it got linked from User Friendly and it’s already over? Sheesh.
Seriously, it was awesome. Had some strange looks from my coworkers for laughing so hard, but it was a great way to waste time, er, I mean spend a couple of lunch hours. Yeah, that’s it.
Looking forward to Chainmail Bikini! It’s already in my iGoogle bookmark list. Woo.
Thanks Shamus.
It’s been great.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for DM of the Rings!
The imagined Gimli and Galadriel scene was one of the funniest moments in the series; a worthy way to close.
I’m really looking forward to Chainmail Bikini now.
Once again, thank you Shamus!
Here, here!
To a year’s worth of great screen captures and witty text overlays!
Cheers!
First, last and only post. Thanks for the laughs Shamus!!
Look forward to many more.
Regards.
First time posting, last time reading.
I’ll miss this website. Q.Q
To the DM of the Rings! *holds up a glass*
Thanks for the laughs, Shamus. It’s been a fun ride. I’ve introduced some other folks to this strip, and they’ve universally enjoyed it.
You’ve done something terrific here, and you should be awfully proud of it.
Indeed, it’s been lots of fun. Thanks for all the fish. Or something like that.
And I alway thought that Gimli liked the campaign. Now, he is just rubbing it in the DM’s face. Like an old, wise veteran, “Don’t worry, you’ll get better.”
Better source material ::gasp:: almost brings a tear to my eyes. Well done, it’s been amazingly fun. It does not effect my watching the movies (again and again). But the scenes are great.
First Toast = It comes in pints? Thanks for the webcomic, Shamus!
Beautiful!!
Loved the dissolve as well.
Theno
Thanks for the great effort, Shamus. I only found this comic a few weeks ago. It has made every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday since a torturous wait until the release of the strip. You have me pegged at so many angles in these strips. Good job.
And I agree about the comments. Often they made me laugh as much as the comic did.
I have found this comic only through the UF LOTD – just in time to see it end. Awesome work, Shamus, and I will definitely check out your new project!
Congratulations DM of the Rings!
I’ll miss the comic…
Thanks Shamus! You’re great!
Shamus. That was awesome. A job well done indeed.
You have one big LOL from me. :-)
Great job overall Shamus. I notice that overall, the story and comic flow really picked up after the ending of the FOTR section of DM of the Rings. And my favorite line ever: “I am altering the deal. Pray that I do not alter it any further.” *cracks up in evil laughter*
As an NWN player, someone who dabbles into RPGs and D&D, and a fan of LOTR and Star Wars, I heartily salute you!
Looking forward to the next project.
Thanks for the laughs, Shamus! Looking forward to the new strip.
Can’t wait for the next episode.
Steve.
Fitting that my first post to this site would come on the last day. Thanks for all the great work, Shamus. I’ve been reading for almost a year and it’s become part of my near-daily ritual. I might add that I’ve been impressed with the way you’ve handled the odd crackpot or agro comment. Good luck with the new comic!
Thank you for this really awesome comic. It kept funny until the very end, and it was a really nice ending.
GB
Thanks, Shamus, and I hope you do another one of these. It rocked.
I still happily throw your “Gimli, son of Groin” line into conversation with anyone I think might remotely get it.
Thanks for the laughs, this has been a fantastic strip.
Thank you for writing! I look forward to reading your next project!
As always, a fine effort full of chuckles and the occasional outright guffaw!
As a recidivist DM, I was particularly amused by the way the players complain about the game, but are willing to sign on for another one rather than get behind the screen themselves…
Thanks for all the enjoyment over the past year, Shamus!
This is the end. Sad.
Thanks for all your efforts to bring this wildly funny series to the internet, Shamus. It’s been fun. I’ll certainly be giving Chainmail Bikini a shot. In any case best wishen in ALL your future endeavors.
Thanks for a great adventure! It’s been fun. :)
Three cheers for the best Screen-Cap-Caption-Parody-Satire-Movie comic ever!
Shamus, you rock out loud :D
Wonderful comic all the way through, including the outstanding ending. You have the gift!
Thanks for the great comic!
What?! No dancing on the table, wantonly exposing your hairy, hobbitlike webcomic-writing feet? {pauses to reflect} Maybe there IS a doG.
Thank you for a great comic. It’s brought plenty of entertainment throughout the year for both me and my wife!
‘W00t. Very nice shamus. I’m looking forward to chainmail bikini.
Thanks for the great comics, kept me entertained when I needed a break from work!
Thanks Shamus – I’ve been reading this back since the thirties, and this has been one of the high points of every Mon/Thurs/Fri.
Many thanks, and I look forward to seeing what you hit us with in the new comic!
Shamus, thank you so much for such an excellent and admirable year of hilarious strips. I’ve been following the DMoTR series since a co-worker pointed it out to me when you were up to episode 10, and I’ve been reading it every M, W, and F ever since. Your humor and creativity really gave this web comic series a lot of style, and I look forward to seeing your work on your next web comic project. Thanks again, and good luck with new project!
Long time reader, first time poster. That was a great run of one of the funniest webcomics I’ve read in ages. I’m trying to incorporate a few of your one-liners into my own campaign, since I’ve gotten almost all the players hooked on DMotR.
Thanks for the awesome comic!
So long and thanks for all the fish! Erm…wait…wrong movie.
You are truly master of all geekery you survey. It’s been a fun ride.
Thank you, sir. Thank you very much. I intend to use the term “rocket horse” whenever possible.
I dunno, I think the perfect screencap is Galadriel’s speechless stare. How does she show anger or disgust without admitting how pompous and pretentious her ‘gift’ was?
Perfect ending, I only wish Gimli’s player had taken up the gauntlet.
I’ll miss this strip and this forum.
So…your next project will have the same players and DM? Or Gimli gave us false hope…?
Can’t wait to see my favorite players in action again.
I’ve followed this coming since June, and it’s been a great summer for me. Thanks Shamus, for all.
You have inspired a few d&d’ers, in my campaign they have started using your quotes from time to time. It’s quite refreshing instead of hearing monty python quotes.
Shamus good job!
Bravo!
I look forward to buying the book.
Excellent work, Shamus. And no doubt, it must have been a lot of work.
I’ll check out Chainmail Bikini, but I’m really hoping for another along this vein someday as well.
You have a gift (several, probably), for translating and interpreting well-loved scenes, characters, etc., into a new and utterly amusing context.
Thanks for all the chuckles.
~Craig
Shamus,
Thanks. Thanks for the laughs when I needed them and even when I didn’t. It may sound odd to you but… over last year my life has seen some upheaval and uncertainty and DM of the Rings has helped me maintain through it. A little bit of stable sunshine in some otherwise dark days made for a welcome respite – even if it was only for a minute or 3 a few days a week it was something to look forward to.
So again, thank-you for the laughs – they were invaluable to me.
OK, enough sap! Now onto “Chaimail Bikini”!
Cheers, Shamus! It’s been good pretending to know you. I’ll see you over at FtB.
Wow, can’t wait for Monday’s strip. Where’s the story going from here?
Thanks for a year of great comics, I look forward to seeing what you do next.
As many others this is my first and last post, just popping in to say thanks on a well-done webcomic. I also enjoyed your earlier campaign posts. Thank you.
*standing ovation*
Wonderfully done! Would be nice to see this in a graphic novel format some day ;) I imagine it’s covered under “Parody”. Regardless, thank you for the enjoyment. And at no charge no less.
Another long-time reader, and ironically first-time poster.
Thank you Thank you so much! It’s been a pleasure reading this ever since I saw a comment about it on a message board. You’ve amused me and my brother to no end.
I’m looking forward to Chainmail Bikini. Godspeed!
Thank you, Shamus. It’s been lovely. Now I have to read them all from the beginning.
I’m looking forward to Chainmail Bikini, and to yet more of your postings about whatever catches your fancy on this site.
Thank you very much.
*Standing Ovation*
Well done Shamus, though I am sad to see it finish, all good things must come to an end, especially when based on films. I’m sure your legion of fans will follow you to Chainmail Bikini, but I for one hope that someday we will get to see the next campaign they play, be it Star Wars or any other film based RP.
Bravo!
The honor was ours, sir.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Shamus. I don’t think I’ve ever commented, but I’ve been reading faithfully for months. It’s been a great time, and I’m a bit sad to see it end. I do look forward to reading the new comic, though, and I’m glad it’s there.
Thanks for the year in laughs and I look forward to the next web comic.
Thanks for the laughs, Shamus. We all appreciate the hard work.
thank you shamus!
Hail, hail!
If this wasn’t online, the next round of drinks are on me.
Amazing. Just amazing. Thanks for the good times. I’m excited to see Chainmail Bikini.
I’ve been reading your site since before DM of the Rings, so I get all sorts of “original” credibility, right?
;)
Anyway, it’s been a great run, and I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I look forward to Chainmail Bikini, and look forward to your site. Congratulations on becoming an internet star, and good luck with your future.
Thanks for all the laughs, good sir. I look forward to your future works.
been a great year reading the comic and comments, especially as i’ve seen so many aspects of the games I’ve both run and played in displayed :D
Going to miss the comic but looking forward to your next project
good times indeed :)
Thanks for this wonderfull year Shamus!
Thank you so much, sir. It’s been a hell of a pleasure.
Thanks for the laughs, Shamus. Now you should be worried. It’ll be hard for your next one to measure up. :D
I can’t believe it is over. *sniffs*
I can’t wait until we have that promised large compendium of every comic in the DMotR archive. I fondly look forward to downloading it and pasting pages all over the place. Heck, I might use it to wallpaper my house, it would sure be something enjoyable to look at! :D
Thanks for the comic. I’ll definitely be sticking around for the new one.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laughed my head off because of you Shamus. Very dangerous in a cubical environment :D
—-
What is George up to?
http://www.drunkduck.com/George_the_Dragon/
Been reading for a few months, first time posting. Loved every minute of it.
A toast, to future ventures.
So what’s this I hear about you in a chainmail bikini?
Gimli at least got a strand of air… I got nothing!!!!
I hate this campaign!
Great Comic! Thank you.
My first and last reply. What a wonderful comic. I love LoTR and this was so funny. It was a real joy, for some reason, to have the players forget the names that I revere so much (like Nazghoul). Your speech at the end was priceless.
One of the things that distances LoTR from film noir, for example, is that the heroic characters do not act selfishly and because they know they are badass – they act for personal satisfaction such as Gimili got from Galadriel’s locks of hair.
I personally hate how “gritty” RL is and work for social justice so that “hack ‘n slash” mentalities will take over RL a little less – before it kills us all.
And now on to scene 24. A smashing scene with some lovely acting…
Everybody stop thanking Shamus and BUY something, dammit!
Thanks Shamus, I’ll be coming back regularly for the blog and in the not too distant future for DMoTR Christmas presents as previously promised.
Al (John)
This has been great Shamus. Thanks for the two bright spots in my work week this past year or so. I’m looking forward to Chainmail Bikini. I see you’re from St. Louis, eh? Me too. Go Cards! Go Rams! Go Blues!
Shamus,
Thank you so much for the past year, and for producing what is, by far, one of the best webcomics ever made. Thank you for all the laughs, the sprayed drinks, the burnt sinuses, the all-too-accurate commentaries, and for providing us all with a place to share our own views and stories inspired or recalled by your excellent works.
I am not alone, as is evidenced above, in saying that I will miss this. DMotR is one of my favorite places on the Web. Thank you for bringing it to life.
And, as I also believe I am not alone in this sentiment:
I LOVED THIS CAMPAIGN!
Thank you. May whatever gods there are bless your dice to produce whatever you need on your roll.
Thanks for the ride. It kept me laughing all the way from China back here to the States. And it enticed me to dust off my Tolkien books to give them another read. Entertaining and educational–for what more can one ask?
Bravo, sir. You rock, and I’ll absolutely be tuning in to Chainmail Bikini.
good luck with the next comic, you’ve really entertained me ;)
But… but… but… what will I do at 1 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from now on?
PS: Thanks for all the laughs!!!
Fare thee well, best comic on the web!
Good luck on your future project (CmB) Shamus
I just want to say thank you for this comic. It was very entertaining – my co-workers now think I am a lunatic! (they were certainly entertained by my entertainment!)
I can’t wait to check out the new comic!
Cheers and best wishes!
I love it, because I know that, no matter how hard gamers complain, we always come back for more. Awesome!
Thanks for all the fish!
Thanks for the comic, Shamus.
I hate this campaign.
Though I’ve been reading the comic for several months now, today is, sadly, the first time I’ve posted. Figured I’d better get in on the action while it’s not too late.
I’ve enjoyed it; every strip, and I’ll definitely be hopping on the bandwagon for your new comic. If it’s half as good as this one was then I’ll soon be an “LTR” over there.
That was a great ending.
Thanks for the strip, Shamus! I think I shall celebrate the end with a marathon of all three extended LOTR movies!
I’ve never done any sort of role playing campaign in my life, however, I was still able to understand most, if not all the jokes here. Great comic. I look forward to seeing your new work. Too bad it’s blocked at my work, ; _ ; , but I’ll just read it at home.
Great job again, thanks for the many many laughs. ^_^
Hehehee! “Conan’s well-oiled nipples” indeed! I came late to the webcomic, but every curse, every sigh, and every confused look has been completely worth it. Thanks for a great adventure Shamus. Looking forward to the next endeavor.
Thank you so much for this, Shamus. Was doing 144 strips happy circumstance or awesome planning on your part?
Anyway, I’ll be following CMB in the future! Thanks again!
First post, long time reader bla bla…
Just one thing remains to be explained : Can we start quoting Monty Python again?
*ni*
Huzzah! +10 Levels of Epic Satirist for Shamus.
LOL! Perfect ending! “Just get some better source material.” [giggling facepalm]
Thanks so much for doing DM of the Rings. I’ve pimped it on my blog and recced it to my friends and it’s been a gloriously funny ride from first to last. I’m sure I’ll be pimping Chainmail Bikini too — I’m definitely looking forward to reading it. :D
Angie
It was beautiful. I’m sure I will read it again and again like I did the books!
A fine, fine series. Your experience in games has shown through all the time. I’d have enjoyed it more if it weren’t all #$%@ true! :)
I must say, your comic is so good they even declared Sept. 7th a national holiday out here in Brazil! (that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it…)
I’ve followed several webcomics in my time, and I’ve seen so many wander aimlessly and, in the end, lose that spark they had in the beginning. I’m glad to say that DMotR is as funny in Chapter CXLIV as in I. That is something very, very few can claim. Be proud of it ;)
As for Chainmail Bikini, I’m already a fan, don’t worry — if the writing’s one tenth as good as this one is, Megatokyo’s in trouble XD
Thank you, Shamus, for all the laughs!
I’ll definitely give CB a looksee!
100th post! maybe… I still say someone needs to do that Star Wars thing
Well done! “Uncertainty lich” and “decomposing of my own free will” are lines that will stay with me a long time indeed. :)
-The Gneech
Most excellent, good sir, most excellent.
NUUU ITS OOOOOOVVVVEEERRR!!!
Would definitly like to see what happened with the Star Wars game, even if it’s just a one page spoof.
This comic was awesome, and the source of much merriment at 5am in the morning waking up everyone in the house with incomprehensible babbling and obnoxious laughter.
I’m gonna miss the good ol days..
Job well done sir.
Thank you for your hard work, I hope you enjoyed as much as I have.
THAT WAS FANTASTIC AND I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEXT COMIC, this was a really GREAT run and I have to say it has me in sitches every time, truely a wonderful work of comic genues:D
THANKS FOR DOING IT!
Bex’s
xxx
Hey there Shamus,
I’ve been reading this strip since it first started out, but this is the first time I’ve posted. I just wanted to say that you did a really fantastic job. At more than one gaming session I printed up copies of your comic and passed it around and everyone chuckled and a few of your phrases have become part of our stock of jokes on demand. You should be proud of your efforts here.
Congratulations on doing such a fine job and thank you for a job well and truly done and for all the laughs,
Mike Ralls
And in the end, the players actually loved it, they just don’t want to show it!
Backtracked on my blog. Thanks for the laughs! Long live your webcartoon career.
I visted earlier and this wasn’t up, and now all of a sudden, not only is the last comic posted, but so are 110 comments… blink and the world passes by…
What a fun read, thank you so much for providing such entertainment Shamus. I will never watch LoTR’s the same again. And good luck with your next endevour.
Though I’ll miss my thrice-weekly fix of Aragoon, Leggylass, and Gimlet, this was a great ending! “I’d like to present you with some of my toenail clippings. May you treasure them forever.” ROFLMAO!
You wouldn’t believe how much of DMoTR has become part of our vernacular. “Metal walking stick”, “Tell me your name, horsef****r!”, and so many others are quoted time and again, right alongside MP, Princess Bride, and quotes from the LOTR movies themselves. I’m sure “Conan’s well-oiled nipples” will be added, too. :-)
I’d tip my hat to you, Shamus, if I was wearing one. Since I’m not, I’ll just have to raise my glass in salute to an excellent webcomic and the man who created it! Huzzah!
I don’t even play D&D, but this strip made me laugh every single time. Well done, sir. Well done indeed.
Thanks for a great comic.
Damn Shamus, this is one wonderful ending. I have hated Tuesdays and Thursdays here at work, because I was waiting for the new episodes. What sucks more is I can’t get to Chainmail Bikini because of our damn web filter here at work!!! WTF??? So now I’ll have to wait until I get home to get my dosage of Shamus humor. Oh well, a job well done my good sir and thanks for the laughs. Take the day off. You deserve it!!
Thanks for the ride, Shamus! I’m still laughing about the “or?” comment from Aragorn from three strips ago. It’s appropriate that I learned about you from Fear the Boot a few months ago, and that it’s your new home now. Love the first strip of All-Original Art and Script of Chainmail Bikini.
Bravo Shamus!
Is this the last strip?
;)
I, for one, won’t MISS the site, as I’ll still be here, constantly checking for “DM of the Rings CXLV: I was only kidding about it being over.” ;)
And then it’ll dawn on me that you weren’t, and I’ll cry. Better hope Chainmail Bikini is good ;).
I don’t mean that, I’m just goofin’ around, that’s all (Congrats to anyone who caught that obscure Canadian reference).
An excellent comic that is now over, and an interesting blog that continues. You haven’t seen the last of me!
Thank you, Shamus. Great work. I look forward to your next projects.
Thanks for all the fun!!!!! I’ll be sure to keep following your work with chainmail bikini!
Thanks Shamus! This was a great strip.
Thanks for a great run, Shamus.
How sad that the final blog post for DMotR is #1313.
Thank you Shamus! You helped fill the dreary hole left from dealing with users who can’t even comprehend complex functions such as ‘Copy’ and ‘Paste’. :D
*pours a 40 for his favorite webcomic*
It’s been great, Shamus. Thanks for the memories!
Ha ha, Legolas as yardboy!
I love the way that you dragged out the ending, just like in the movie, with viewers complaining that there were too many endings!
Have never gamed in my life, but I enjoyed your comic very much!
“May you cherish them forever.” Brilliant! I just love Galadriel’s expression.
Thanks for a wonderful run.
I was fully expecting something like “I’ll miss this campaign.” Thanks for the great comic Shamus. I’ll forward Chainmail Bikini to all who are interested.
Truely, this was a work of awesome.
Thank you so much for this strip. It was awesome!
Great comic…a true treasure that I very much enjoyed reading these past few months. Thank you for the laughs and good luck on Chainmail Bikini.
“In the words of my people, may your life be an oasis surrounded by waving palms, warm breezes, and spit-free camels.” – Klinger
Oy!
I just got into this webcomic a few weeks ago (heard about it on the oots forum) and I must say, it’s easily one of the best I’ve read.
The expressions you managed to pull from the clips were amazing and fit beautifully with the humour you used. I’m sad to see this strip coming to an end.
Good job Shamus! I’ll be sure to check in on your new project.
Two weeks of deleted scenes and outtakes?
Is there no end to the lengths you’ll go to to parody the movies?
(sigh) Yes, in two weeks.
I came in near the end of the strip but I was here for the end… and I must tell you it was great. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into it.
I’m looking forward to your next project with great enthusiasm.
-Tar
Came for the D&D writeup, stayed for the DMoTR..thank you for all of your hard work Shamus!
Long time reader, first time poster. Thank you for a wonderful comic – it has been a fantastic trip. Good luck for the next one!
Nice job!
I’ve been eagerly reading these for months now, but never troubled to post before. (If you can’t be first, why bother?) But now I just want to say thanks for all the great strips!
Awesome, Shamus. Extremely well done. :)
-Will
“And thus endeth one of the great webcomics of our age…”
Well done indeed, Mr. Shamus!
As for Chainmail Bikini – I read the first episode thing, and I like! Shawn gaston’s artwork has a rugged, darkish kinda appeal to it, and as for the quality of the writing, well I’m certainly not worried there! So more metagame humor FTW!
On a side-note: How come these players seem so… familiar? ; )
Keep up the good work, and thanks again for DMotR!
(As a member of the male species, I am unfortunately unable to properly display emotion, so this will have to suffice)
*Gives a nod of approval – deeper thatn ususal – then slowly turns around and walks away… stopping only shortly a few meters away to sneeze quickly, then disappears*
Thank you! A great comic through and through. I will miss it terribly.
Auggie Auggie Auggie!
Oy! Oy! Oy!
Congrats on wrapping up the strip with the same razor-sharp wit as you started. Great stuff.
And to Dylan Z in #123:
I’ll see your reference, and raise you one “Joe Crow” crouched by the smouldering campfire.
See you all over at CB. In one of those rare materpieces of timing, my old gaming group is gathering this weekend – we’re split over 6 different cities and towns now, and can barely get together twice a year. I’ll be proposing a toast in your honour Shamus, and definitely talking up the new strip.
A fitting End to a wonderful Comic. I throughly enjoyed it and Your insights into the world of Gaming are indeed wonderful
Peace and Fun in your future endeavors (I will probably be enjoying CB as well).
Well congradulation Shamus. It’s been fun reading this comic. I haven’t been able to check out you other comic yet (I typcially read your comic at work, which blocks the FearBoot site), but I’ll definately have too.
Best wishes,
TXKnight
Thank you very much for one hell of a run. Best of luck on Chainmail Bikini, I’m looking forward to it.
Long time reader, long time poster. Shamus, if you make it this far into these comments thank you.
This site has brought laughter to me and my family and friends for over 10 months. We have checked all the site with great joy every time a the update happens. Thanks to this my wife started reading webcomic then moved on to my comic collection and now wants me to start buying comics (she is the one who made me stop). I will keep up with the new strip and will do my best to support you in your new project.
Again, thank you for everything that you gave us, and all the brilliant comedy you handed out.
J. Adam McLaughlin
Charlotte, NC
Shamus, you’ve made my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays hilarious. I’m sad to see this great comic end but looking forward to Chainmail Bikini.
Thanks so much for making this comic. You ended it on a great note.
wow 151? that’s amazing. it was only posted a few hours ago. normally it’s in the fifties when i get here.
anyways! thanks for getting me through the summer and into the school year shamus. ^.^
Shamus! I was just introduced to your strip just yesterday. you’ll be glad to hear I’ve completely wasted two work days reading every page! absolutly awesome!! thank you for the laughs!
Well, I have to add my thanks to this huge list of comments (150+, and the strip has only been up a few hours). I found DMotR in the mid XX’s, and have been laughing ever since. Shamus: Well done, and thanks a bunch. I, too, am going to miss this campaign.
I’ve already read the first CMB strip, and had a good laugh – so things are already looking great for the new project. :)
Long time reader, 1st time poster. Thanks a lot for the laughts. Keep on the great job on your next adventure!
Dave?
Dave’s not here!
So long DM! And Shamus, thanks for a wild ride.
It’s been an honour READING it!
Thanks and I’m looking forward to your next project.
Fine, go ahead and end this webcomic. I didn’t really like it anyway, it was stupid. I just checked in three times a week to see if New Line had yet to slap the C&D order on you. And all that laughing that people heard from me wasn’t because the writing was funny or the screencaps were so great. Nope. Not one bit. So go ahead, leave us all and do your Chainmail Bikini thing.
You had wayyy too many people saying nice things and thanking you. I was worried you might get a swelled head and stop being funny, so I thought I would try to bring you back to reality.
Chainmail bikini on digg.com: http://digg.com/offbeat_news/The_Much_Anticipated_Chainmail_Bikini_Launched
I only started reading around 50 or so after finding a comic through stumble upon, since then I have read every one of them, past and pressent. I will miss it.
Thank you for the comics. I’ve never really felt like commenting before, but the end deserves it. Congratulations on doing such a great job.
Nice work, Shamus. I’ve enjoyed the comic since its inception way back when. Thanks for the laffs!
d.
Damn fine work!
Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks for the great take Shamus!
Looking forward to a Chainmail Bikini … with some sorrow.
Re comment 81, I misread part as ‘… heroic characters don’t act elfishly…’ which obviously isn’t true for lego lass.
I too will miss the enjoyment this has provided for so long. I will continue revisiting and savouring your priceless insights into RPG sociology (which ought to be a university postgrad course.)
Good luck with CB!
Nice job Shamus. I eagerly await your new comic.
After 32 years (and still counting…) of being a DM and a player, a score both in D&D (from pre-Greyhawk on), cases, not just notebooks of generated material, rulings, variations, etc. — none of which display the artistry and creativity of this webcomic.
I can claim that all I had was paper and pencil (colored, erasers) while you’ve got computer image-capture and photo-rendering; but you’ve shown the real spark in the dialogue, by Conan’s hairy, as well as well-oiled, nipples. Fantastic imagination, Shamus!
(I hope that at least some of it was imagination…there were too many ‘oh yeah, I remember _that_ idiocy’ moments to feel smug. As a GM. There’s some advantage to not having started playing until post-adolescence; the interim embarrassment moments are fewer. But even the best can slip up — Barry, Bill, Bob, Dave, John, Kevin, want to dispute that?)
“Why don’t you run the next campaign?” … fighting words, son; you’ll live to regret them!
non-gamer, but huge LOTR fan. My wife brought me here around Christmas. Your story line was great! I love all your characters – not to mention raising screen capturing to and art form.
Chainmail Bikini looks like it’s got similar attitude. Good luck!
Congrats and thanks for a fun run Shamus!
Here’s looking forward to Chainmail Bikini!
I usually don’t comment but this comic was part of my routine for a year. The comic and comments were funniest geeky thing on web for a while and source of rare D&D stories.
I’ll miss it. I hope your other project can fill the void.
I am very sad to see this go, but it will live on in my heart (and your archives) forever. This is true humor and wit, something I have only been able to ape and caracature in my own gaming experience (not that its not funny). I can’t wait for your next project. Best of luck
Victor
Thanks for the comic Shamus. Looking forward to the new comic. I’ll still come visit here to check on your rants.
thanks man, really dope comic, best ive seen with screen captures. looking forwrd to your new work, but i’d love to see you do another screen capture faux campaign soon.
Thanks for all the laughs Shamus. I’m never going to be able to look at LOTR with a straight face again.
Woo! Great run, Shamus!
Seems weird for it to end, but I’m looking forward to the new comic.
Farwell, DM of the Rings, you will be missed…except the fact that I can go back and read you again.
Great work, Shamus! I’m looking forward to Chainmail Bikini – and to your webcomic of the same name.
man, i really liked to see a quote like:
Aragorn: ‘what, no boss fight???!’
Cheers and thanks for all the laughs!
By the sacred toenail clipping of J.R.R. Tolkien*, that was one of the best webcomics I’ve ever had the please to read, and I’ll miss it dearly.
I already have Chainmail Bikini bookmarked, and can only hope it will be as well put together as this was.
Nathan
(*Apologies & credit to Carl Critchlow, natch)
Thanks for all the laughs… chainmail bikini looks like it’ll be a lot of fun, as well. Toenail clippings made me laugh out loud.
Shamus, thanks for all the laughs. I’ve been reading for a couple of months, now, and loved every minute of it. The strip was pure genious.
Wonderful. This is the best wecomic ever, and you are the undisputed master of clipping screencaps.
*SALUTE*
My dear shamus, i only joined a near the end of the comic, and only made a few comments, but i must say, the time i spent commenting on this fabulous web comic was great, and a huge laugh. I wish you all the best for you next webcomic (which i will endevour to read). Hope your funny bone can still strut its stuff in Chainmail bikini.
Bye bye DM Of The Rings! You shall be missed and rememberd!
Great comic, my first and last post, thanks for the year of excellence
:D what its over?, I’m going to miss this comic but will definetly keep an eye on your new one :D
Thank you Shamus. It’s been an absolute delight. Best of luck on CB and a link’s going up on my site!
Thanks for making a fun comic.
Galadriel’s “Oh no you didn’t!” expression to Gimli’s toenails is genius. As was this comic.
Good times, Shamus. Thanks.
Thanks for the great laughs Shamus.
Thanks for a great series
Thanks. Ending on a dozen dozens was a nice touch.
A brilliant ending to a brilliant Webcomic. Here’s hoping Chainmail Bikini lives up to it’s standards!
Ai! Laurie lantar lassi surinen
yeni unotime ve ramar aldaron!…
and so on and so forth. I can’t actually remember the rest, but the sentiment fits. I’ve been reading and enjoying this strip since roughly IX, and it has regularly been among the highlights of my week. The various Conan quotes have entered into the vocab of my gaming group, as have many other one-liners from the comic (“I have 10 levels in ‘Hating this campaign'” being one of the most notable).
Thank you for all the work you’ve put into this. It has been appreciated. I can only hope Chainmail Bikini is as much of a success.
Namarie
Thank you! Truly! Excellent job. The laughs of this campaign will be missed but dearly remembered!
Thanks, man. For everything.
I discovered this website a few days ago at 11:30 pm. At 2:30 am I finished reading the series. My apartmentmates spent the night wondering what I was on. Thanks!
First time posting.
Had to thank you for such a fantastic comic, see you over in Fear the Boot :D.
Well, what can I say… I haven’t posted much over the course of this comic, but I have certainly read it whole. I tried to spread the word, too.
This comic has been BRILLIANT, and the very last words of it are just wonderful. As if any other source material could be better… Tolkien’s work originated about 95% of the fantasy universes out there, so the irony is wonderful.
I’m only sorry about one thing : it’s over. The day I will write a book, if this day ever comes, I will never add the words of doom at the bottom of the last page…
As far as fantasy, imagination and dreamworlds are concerned, there are only two words I hate, and those words are “the end”.
Awesome ending to an amazing comic. Thank you
Congratulations on reaching “The End” (with a few pages left at the end, of course).
And thank you most profusely for the wonderful ride.
Its been a good run. Thanks, thanks.
Thanks so much, this was a great thing that you did for all of us. I hope you have enough server space to leave it up for a long time!
All the best for the new endeavor,
S
*sniff*
It’s like LOTR-movie withdrawal all over again!!!
Thanks for the three times a week geekout; looking forward to Chain Mail Bikini.
And thanks for stopping this series when it’s still fabulous.
And buy Shamus’s stuff guys!!!!
Been holding comments until the end – but wanted to drop a note to say thanks! I ran into this around the 5th post and have been reading it ever since. Thanks so very much!
Tim C.
Heartily enjoyed the entire run of the comic, brought a smile to my face each and every time. Thanks for the great job, and I’ll be sure to check upon your next project.
Were to start?
Last February, while net-surfing for RPG stuff, I accidentally ended here, and I was immediately hooked. Although I never posted any comment, I came here regulary, reading not only this comic, but also the various comments, articles, and rants, always finding something interesting and amusing to read. So, now that the DM of the Rings has ended, I felt that I had to stop lurking, so that I, like the other posters, could thank you for all the funny you created.
So THANK YOU for all the Conan’s jokes, Legolas teasing, DM ridiculing, literal ROFL inducing strips, informative afterthoughts, “I Hate this campaign!”, pop culture references, and general parody of RPG and fantasy tropes in general.
I look foward to Chainmail Bikini, the various DMoTR extras, and I will continue visiting your site. Heck, maybe I’ll participate in some of the discussion, instead of just reading them! :)
Again Thank You for this comic, and good luck for your further endeavours! It has been a pleasure reading DMoTR.
P.S: for some reason I keep finding “Hark, thy fate sucketh?” one of the most memorables quotes, even though it was used only once…
I only just caught this a fortnight ago, and it finished far too soon. A fantastic piece of work, and it kept me laughing as I started my first D&D campaign and began recognising the similarities :D
Seamus, you are god
Since it seems appropriate, may i also say
‘Rocks fall, this comic dies’.
You rock.
Thank you.
Oh, and THEN I see the rocks fall joke…
Not that kind of rock… :)
Thank you for the fits of uncontrollable laughter.
Well Done!
*sniff* Thanks for all the funnies Shamus!
Thanks for all of the comics best of luck with the new ones i will be watching
First Time Poster, came in a little late in the series. Its been a pleasure reading this comment. The screen caps were nicely done, with the comments along with them. Every single entry was a joy to see and read. There were quite a lot that were side-splitting. Thank you very much there Shamus for the laughter!
Thank you for this. Much laughter ensured.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
Tsk, tsk.
219 comments, and not one peep about Fà«anor.
Haven’t you people read UT?
-obligatory ‘Thank you, Shamus’ statement-
Thank you Shamus!!
I’m from Germany and I’ve started reading your comic only a few weeks ago, and I already loved it so much.
And I’ll stay loyal, as I now read “Chainmail Bikini”.
Yours Simbyte
I found it thoroughly enjoyable, and found it useful in running my own sessions. (as to what makes a poor game) One of my favorites, and possibly one of the few that I’ll read through the archives over and over again, because it’s just that funny.
Wow. I haven’t gamed since the original AD&D in the late 70s/early 80s, but I still look back on those days fondly. I’m sure some of those gags took place in my games way back when.
I started reading back in January-ish and never bothered to comment, I was just amazed that you came up with new stuff like clockwork. Thanks and congratulations!
Pardon me whilst I shed a tear…No loot for Gimli, oh and the end of the Comic. My only solace is the launch of Chainmail Bikini.
Thanks for the laughs, Shamus!
First, last, and only comment.
Thanks for the laughs Shamus, been a great read this past year.
I loved reading this comic
Thanks, Shamus
Thanks, Shamus.
Twas’ a lovely comic reading experience.
One of the best comics I have read this year.
Thanks Shamus! :D
Pate is such sweet Sauron.
Er.
Or something.
Thanks for brightening my day. If chainmail bikini is half as good as this you’ll still be at the top of my webcomic list. Many thanks and if you ever come to NZ I’ll thank you with beer
Long time lurker (since episode XI I believe) first time poster. Stupendous achievement and THANK YOU for making Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays worthwhile (especially the icky Mondays). I got the IT guys hooked the day I had to have a new keyboard installed because of this strip.
Thanks again and looking forward to Chainmail Bikini.
your great webcomic is over and your getting a new one
everything worked out in the end :D
Shamus,
It was an honor and a pleasure.
“Conan’s well-oiled nipples” indeed.
Best of Luck,
Eomer32
I bow deeply to your wisdom and humor. Please accept my deepest admiration and thanks. I reamin your theign.
Well, what are the odds. I take a long break from the comic, and come back the very day it finishes.
Well played, well played. I look forward to the next!
For our esteemed author, a cookie:
_____
| . |
|. . |
|_____|
Thanks Shamus! This series just absolutely rocked!
My only regret is that I discovered it with only one strip to go, and missed out on making a year’s worth of comments!
Wow, what a journey it has been! Thanks for the laughs throughout the months. I hope “Chainmail Bikini” will enjoy the same, if not more, success.
I will miss this comic, but that you very much for it.
I will be reading Chainmail Bikini and can’t wait to see what you guys do with that.
I started reading this when a friend of mine posted to our gaming site ‘I bet I’m the last person in the world to hear about this, but just in case…’ I followed it
It’s been brilliant. He wasn’t the last. As I came here and read the comic, I discovered that I wasn’t the last. And there will be more.
‘Och, you’ve done well, lad.’
I’ll be reading the next one too.
Wonderful adaptation of The Speech (I’ve always loved it, so snarky and flowery). I was in an AD&D group that lasted about 10 years, and you caught the back chat and running jokes so well.
Best wishes -I’ll be reading Chainmail Bikini with enthusiasm.
I have laughed so many times reading this comic. Thank you for all the work you’ve done. It has been awsome. :)
Had to have a say on the final comic last page. Thanks Shamus for all of your hard work and for making such a funny comic that hits a little too close to home. Cheers!
I do have to say: thanks for actually ending it, rather than just disappearing off the face of the earth, like any number of other webcomics I once loved, until they disappeared off the face of the earth ;).
Better to go out with a bang than a whimper, as it were. I can still be sad, though.
Free Jones soda for all!
Thanks for the laughs!
The last comic deserves at least 20 billion replys, I’m adding one just to thank you for the nice time I spend reading it.
Yeah, a great end to a great comic.
Long time reader, of course, first and last time poster.
This comic was amazing. :D Thanks for the millions of giggles. I’ll never think of LotR the same.
Been reading since the 3rd strip. Thank you.
Thank you, Shamus, for all of it.
Thanks Shamus. There must have been times when you just did not want to to do it, but you did. And for that, I thank you.
Namarie
Ravs
I’d like to say that it’s the end of an era…but it really isn’t. It’s just an end to Stonergorn’s constant bitching. Finally, I can sleep at night!
Well done, dude. Great comic, awesome laughs, and dead-on accuracy about the gaming community. Bra-fu**in-vo!! ‘Course, now you have a bigger challenge: living up to the beauty of this comic with Chainmail Bikini. Granted, if it doesn’t go well, you can just blame Shawn, because CLEARLY it can’t be your fault! :D
Keep on keepin’ on!
-vic
Thanks Shamus. Enjoyed Your parodies much more than the actual movies. Looking forward to those Chainmail Bikinis!
I LOVE THIS CAMPAIGN!
Shamus – thanks for the fantastic strip. I’ve enjoyed it quietly ever since I found it a couple of months ago. I look forward to Chainmail Bikini.
thank you shamus, thank you. I have never been let down in the four months that have passed since I discovered this site.
I have to add my voice to the torrent, Shamus. Great work!
Reading DMotR has proved every bit as amusing as annual re-readings of the Harvard Lampoon’s Bored of the Rings. That is high praise, indeed, and, given that DMotR also has the cachet of being steeped in D&D culture and mania, that makes it even more so.
Now, I look forward to what else you have to share with us.
Best of all good fortune, Shamus!
-Raycheetah =^[.]^=
Been reading the strips since before they came into internet existence, but you already knew that. Great job Bro. Your family is proud
So I went to “Chainmail Bikini” and the one thing I did not see there was… a chainmail bikini! what th’?
Still here is a link to my own post lamenting the loss of this strip. Shamus, regardless of how well CB does, this effort will go down in geek history and your wit and wisdom will be sorely missed.
Hmm, never posted here before, but I’d just like to say:
Good Work! Absolutely histerical in parts.
Good luck in the future.
Way to go Shamus! Only a true comic genius could keep us all enthralled for so long. Heres to a great year of lots of laughs and weird looks from other people!
You, sir, are a fine specimen of humanity. The blood of man still runs strong! Many thanks….
The ‘toe nail clippings’ joke made we laugh out loud for a very long time!
Great ending!
Really nice job (in case you haven’t heard that yet).
Thanks for a year of hilarious entertainment, Shamus. It’s been awesome.
I love Legolas’s face when he and Gimli get jipped.
Holy Mega Comments, Shamusman! Look at all the dice!!
Thanks for a great year!! I hooked up in the first month.. man.. it’s already been a year?! This has been the one consistent thing I’ve had.. My kids are so little that they change constantly (and I’m still changing the youngest a few times a day).. got a new house and mega-California mortgage.. but one thing always brings me back to “reality”.. DM of the Rings..
Thanks for sharing you life with us.. I will pass along the Chainmail Bikini chainmail letter.
Enjoy!
Dave :o)
*Sniffsniff*
Wow, you’re right. it takes about forever to scroll down to the bottom just to post!
I’m said it’s over.
Does this mean you’re not doing star wars?
Thanks, Shamus. Really enjoyed it.
Looking forward to your new endeavor.
I can’t believe it’s over. I’ve been following this for quite a while now, loving every minute of it. Yeah, I’ve already got your next venture bookmarked and ready to begin again. Well done, and thank you for all the work on our behalf.
*cheers*
Lovely job on the comic, it made me almost nostalgic.
Good luck on your other projects.
Shamus; I can only declare you to be a god.
You rock.
And not in terms of Maverick’s rocks.
You’re awesome; godlike; ninja.
I’ll be sad to see this comic go.
But this will be mitigated by Chainmail Bikini.
Hopefully.
Star Wars still wants yooooooou…
I came across this a couple months ago, while being bored and unable to write on my book. I lost my job over 3 months ago, and found out my wife was cheating on me for the past 6.
This comic has managed to cause me to fall out of my chair laughing more than once, a much needed break from my life. I fully intend to download and backup every one, and once finances allow print them out and set the copies in a binder, alongside the original books.
Is it just me, or was I the only one to ‘hear’ the actors speak the lines in this comic? Even the DM narrative was mentally ‘heard’ in Gandalf’s voice.
Well done, and I’ll gladly read Chainmail Bikini.
Oh right.
I love how emo Legomyass looks when he finds out he’s the gardener.
God.
Beautiful.
He looks like a weepy teenager.
Which he actually probably is.
GOD, YOUR SCREENCAPS ARE GOOD.
Love the screencap of Galadriel!
Thank you for all the work you put into this. I hope that CB is as big a success.
BTW, read the first strip and like it already.
Thanks again!
Thank you so much, for your time and putting so much into this comic. I have enjoyed every moment of it since i stumbled across it about a month ago. For sure whenever i need a laugh i will look this up.
thank you for your awesomeness
Misaki
Thankyou so much for all the laughs!
Wow, 275 comments so far.Thanks for the great comic and I am looking forward to your next project.
Animayhem
Actually, you should have written
Wow, 276 comments so far.
Count yourself :)
1 comic for the fear the boot strip is not enough :(
DMotR rules. It was great!
Bravo! Thanks again for the year of entertainment, Shamus. It’s been fun…
Thank you so much, Shamus! I think it’s fabulous that you are so good at something you like doing so much and that everyone loves. I’ve had many belly-aching laughs reading your comics (and some of the better comments…Agent Half-Elven!). I have bookmarked Chainmail Bikini and I know that will be a regular stop for me on my quest for my daily giggles which I desperately need since I work in a law firm.
Virtual huggles to you!
—Oona
Ave atque vale, Amicus Shamus. It’s been a great romp through the world in your head. I feel privileged to have been part o f the phenomenon that is DM of the Rings. c[_]
What a great run. Funny to the last, and worth every wait (even when on dial-up). Thanks, Shamus!
Oona works in a law firm?!?… My deepest sympathies, and wait, “law firm”… didn’t ultimate evil get defeated with the fall of Sauron?
I thoroughly enjoyed this strip even though I only came across a mention of it this last week. The fact that I got all of the jokes sadly proves how I (mis?)spent my youth. Sadly it also means I could only forward links to it to a very few friends. Oh well the greater part of the world that won’t get it are poorer for that.
Best of luck with the new strip. I look forward to it.
Seriously. Awesome series. Good job.
Will read the new strip with much dedication.
Plus, I just wanted to make another comment just to see a ridiculous amount of dice.
Thanks Shamus,
Well done and I will continue to follow your trail… Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the smiles,
Thanks for the laughs,
Thanks for making me feel daft each time you pointed out a catch I hadn’t noticed myself in the movie…
You’ve set a really high standard for yourself… but I suppose by throwing in some bikinis, you’ll multiply readers by 1000… just remember THIS bad o’ quality readers!
So goodbye and thanks for all the fish!
Thank you Shamus for all of your hard work!! Can’t wait to read Chainmail Bikini.
I’m gonna miss checking for a new DMotR on most every day, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that the new comic will be a worthy replacement. I’m optimistic.
THANKS for DMotR and all the work that you had to put into it so that we could read it and laugh, free of charge. It’s really, really appreciated. You rock. :)
Who would’ve thought interpreting LOTR as a a D&D game would’ve been so hilarious.
It’s been a great read and it’s sad to see it end but I look forward to reading Chainmail Bikini.
Thanks for the comic, it’s been great.
And so it ends…
But when a door closes, somewhere… A window opens.
(Or, when one strip ends, another comes!)
Here’s hoping that Chainmail Bikini will be as much fun as DMotR!
(Say, will you put up the whole DMotR as a .pdf now?)
What a ride! As a long-time lurker, allow me to say it’s been a thrill to look forward to this every few days. I’m sure I’ll look forward to Chainmail Bikini with the same keen interest. I love Pat Sajak humor. But I miss the mouseover text sarcasm.
Thanks so much for all the laughs…
Thanks so much for a awesome comic, and good luck with your new en devour, i know I’ll be reading it
Cheers
Thanks very much for these, they have been extremely funny.
It’s not just the screen caps (which were great) or the one-liners (also excellent) but the fact that I’ve been in so many games like that and one of those voices could have been mine (in my younger days, hopefully I’ve improved a lot by now). So congratulations on your observation skills -keep making those spot checks.
PS: I thought Gimli asked for those locks of hair? Either way, I think he should have accepted them -he’s getting a bargain. With the right rituals, he could then have summoned Galadriel three times to get him out of trouble.
Gimli did ask for the hair. And she gave it to him.
Perhaps the DM should have explained about Fà«anor, who was one of the greatest of the Elves, and how he begged her three times for one strand of her hair, but she would not give him anything. Gimli might have felt better, being that he was considered higher than a great Elf-lord.
Well played, Sir… well played.
And because I can’t resist saying it:
So long, and thanks for all the fish!
Many thanks for an outstanding strip, Shamus. Many out-loud laughs, and some of my favourites even have their own bookmarks now. All the best.
Great comic, been reading since the start. Still love Aragorns “keen ranger sense”.
Hope to be seeing these players again :)
I normally don’t post on things like this but I felt like saying that this was a fun comic. Good job, thumbs up, if your next comic is half as good it will be a massive success.
Thank you so much for all the laughter (and outright howling) that I’ve gotten from this comic- I didn’t find this until you were most of they way through RotK, but it’s been a steady dose of fun on some really crappy days. I’m glad that you’re still writing, and I’ll doubtless be a Chainmail Bikini crack fiend within a week or two, but I just wanted to thank you for putting a new and hilarious twist on one of my favorite fandoms. Good luck with your new project!
Post 300! Yay!
Thank you Shamus, it’s been quite a ride.
First time poster, long-time reader. I think I was linked to DMotR from the Lord of the Rings Fanatic Plaza a few months ago, and have been reading this faithfully every since. I loved the comic so much. I’ve only dabbled a bit into the pen and paper RPGs, but that doesn’t take away from the humor. I loved the series, and looking for what you have in store for the future. And who knows? Perhaps a return to making webcomics based off movies? I for one would enjoy seeing that down the road. But this new project intrigues me just as much. Can’t wait to see it! Good luck in your adventures in the future, and thanks for bringing a smile to my face every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. :)
Ye merry Gods, we’re into the 300s?
Thanks for the comic Shamus, it’s one of my favourites
HOLY CRAP, LOTS OF COMMENTS. :O
Awesome work with DMotR, Shamus; it’s certainly been a great run.
I’ve not posted before but been avidly reading the entire way through – I’m very much going to miss it although probably not the bruises from falling off my chair with laughter :D
True genious.
Best of luck with chainmail bikini!
Will we get outtakes?????? God, I hope so! Excellent job! :D
Best. Ending. Ever. Thank you for all the laughs. Good luck with Chainmail Bikini.
What’s the first rule of show business?
Always leave ’em wanting more.
Well done, Shamus.
ngthagg
Thank You Shamus for a lovly webcomic.
Thanks Shamus this was a great comic which i will enjoy over and over again. Looking forward to chainmail bikini and seeing your talent shine again.
*applause*
Thanks for the good times, Shamus.
Long may Chainmail Bikini run.
Wow… i started with all this when the Fellowship was at Amon Hen. I loved it, every single panel, and i never thought i would be laughing that much about it. You did a great job, and i’m looking forward for your next one, “Chainmail Bikini”.
Great comic!
Read for quite a while…and it’s great!
Good luck with next work!
I loved your work :)
a whole year of fun!
Ok, time to reveal oneself now.
I’ve been reading this oh so wonderful comic scince the very beginning, but I’m not much of a commenter.
However, thank you.
It’s been a wonderful time, having DMotR to read when getting home from school.
Thank you.
Its kinda sad its all over, but good times (and bad) don’t last forever!
Great stuff Seamus and thanks for spending a part of your life in entertaining us for free. Hope you get something good out of it.
Onwards to chainmail bikinis. No idea what its about but I’ll give it a go!
Blah blah blah, loved your work (and loving it still), will follow CB (I probably shouldn’t say this aloud, but I’m planning to make myself a set of actual chainmail bikini), and joining the ever-hungry crowd, yelling “WE WANT STAR WARS! WE WANT STAR WARS!! WE WANT STAR WARS!!!” etc. Remember to bring your own torches.
So long, and thanks forr all the fish.
Shamus
Thanks for producing such an superb web comic!
I’ve been following it avidly since I was introduced to it by a friend, somewhere around Moria, & it’s given me a regular laugh ever since.
You’ve captured perfectly the essence of every munchkin & meta-gamer I’ve ever had the “pleasure” to play with or GM for in a gaming career of roughly 25yrs, & lets not forget the DM either, think I’ve played in a few of his games over the years. *grin*
Brilliant parody of both role-players and a fantasy classic!!! Thanks again. :-)
Will be sure to check out chainmail bikini, I’m sure it’ll be great, but I hope you do have the time & inclination to give some other film classic the “Shamus treatment” at some point in the future…
So it’s all come down to this, eh? I have to admit, I was expecting a… slightly different ending, but it was apt nevertheless. I had some good laughs along the journey, so thank you Shamus for letting me have them.
I’ll see you in the next campaign. :)
Ive been following this for a good long while now.
Fantastic work, thanks for all the laughs, I will miss this comic a lot.
Reading this webcomic has been one of the high points of my week, and I’m sad to see it end. It’s been a lot of fun. Thank you for sharing your talents with us!
I’m actually only at episode LX, but I skipped forward to see the last one.
May I thank you for publishing this hilarious comic? There is not a page thas has not made me smile, and loads made me laugh out loud. I’m glad I still have 90 more to read…
Cheers, Peter.
Last post?
Excellent entertainment – thanks.
Thank you Shamus.
Thanks for the terrific show, Shamus. Explaining the oddities of the movies as awkward patches for an RPG-in-progress was a brilliant device. I still grin when I think of:
“You’re so tired that the ground here is not restful enough. You need to rest in the more comfortable area on top of the hill.”
and
“Did I mention…THE NAZGUL?”
and, of course, Elrond (“Hi.”) appearing in camp with the sword. (“Here is the sword.”)
Thank you sir for a very large quantity of high quality entertainment. I will read Chainmail Bikini faithfully and tell all my friends about it. I sincerely hope that you’ll somehow make very large piles of money.
I can’t say much other than thank you for the very high quality entertainment.
Good luck with Chain Mail Bikini!
The GARDENER THE GARDENER!
AHahahahahah awesome :)
It was a great pleasure following your comics and I shall definitely spread the word of Chainmail and lurk within your comments while rereading the old episodes and “rants”.
LOLcat of the day:
“Im in ur twenty-sided-tale, ninjain ur comments”
Just wanna add my thanks here as well Shamus.
At 5:30 this AM I got an Email pointing me to the first one in this series.
Just finished #144.
Maybe overdoing it to read it all in one swell foop, but I gotta say – THANK YOU for the funniest 2 hours I’ve had in years. Tears in my eyes and laughing my backside off.
You (a) know gamers too well and (b) are a freakin’ genius. Thanks again!
Thanks for, without any doubt, one of the best webcomics out there! I was hooked after I read one that was linked from SomethingPositive. Its been a daily read for me and I will also follow Chainmail as well. Im not a d&d’r so most of the comments I’m afraid escaped me, but I got the jist of it through the characters interaction.
Excellent job, I think Tolkien would have liked to sit in on a few nites with the “players” to see the twist someone else could put on his story.
good luck and I hope you make gobs of money!!! you definitly deserve it!!!
I thouroughly enjoyed this web comic and am looking forward to your next one with great anticipation!
I found this comic, lost it again, and have just found it once more, so I have a lot to catch up on, but I have to say thank you anyway. I’ll look into chainmail bikini too… (Oooh, look, another reason to think the internet is fun!)
Ja, have to add my “Thank You” to the list, too. Great Comic! Marvelous Idea! Adequate “Fish Boast”-bashing…
Cheers
bom
I am both sad for the loss, and stoked for the new comic.
p.s.: Curses from my boss. When i stumbled over you’re site it completely killed my productivity ’till i “catched up”…
I can’t even remember how I found this site, but needless to say it has given me many hours of mirth and enjoyment both in the webcomic and other threads you have posted. Although my boss at work may not be grateful for that, I certainly am. Gimli’s rant at the end was a superb end to a superb comic. I don’t know how I will spend my day…er, I mean “lunch break”…now it’s over as I have read most of the stuff on your website and particularly enjoyed your D&D Campaign Story too. I hope Chainmail Bikini fills the gap this comic will leave and our work’s security software doesn’t bar me because of the word bikini in the title.
Hey, my standing ovation comments for shamus disappearred..
I’m also going to say that ‘Rocks fall, everyone dies’ Will now be in current use for me. =D. Thanks Shamus!
Well, this is my first and last post, and I have to say, GREAT JOB!! I came in about mid-Rohan, and I was in danger of falling out of my chair laughing. Thanks for the awesome strip!
Congratulations Shamus! You’ve given us one of the best webcomics ever! Great work!!!
Good luck with your new project. I am sure that I’ll become a fan of Chainmail Bikini as I did with DM of the Rings.
Thanks, Shamus, for brightening many a week. I have 10 ranks in loving this campaign.
Thankyou for this wonderful webcomic, it has been a great read! :D
Thanks for this, it’s been really good fun and I’ve really enjoyed it. Makes me a little sad the follow up is not another screen capture comic.
DM of the Rings was one of my favorite webcomics, hands down. I’m bummed that it’s over. Maybe you could spoof another series of movies like the Pirates of the Carribean? Just a thought.
Anyway, tremendous kudos on a job well done. You provided me with a guaranteed laugh 3x a week.
I’ll be checking out Chainmail Bikini for sure. Thanks again for the good work!
dude…
Heard about this comic from a friend about a quarter way into it, and I must admit each chapter was at least amusing and some where outright laugh out loud awesome. That’s a true compliment as humor is really one of the hardest things to pull off, especially 3 times a week. Thank you for taking the time to zip through the LOTR practically frame by frame to give us some much needed entertainment. I’m sure there were times where you simply didn’t want to view another scene and it will probably be a decade before you can watch those films again.
Thanks. Bravo. Well done.
Many thanks…
Thank you Shamus.
Thanks for all the work Shamus!
It’s been awesome, and I wish ya best of luck with your new project.
Cheers,
Z
Hah! As a storyteller who has run her share of duds, what continues to amaze me is how players will be perfectly happy to gripe about everything in your game, but if you consider chucking it all, or suggest that someone else run something, they all run for the hills. I love Gimli’s whole, “just get some better source material”.
And on that note, thank you for everything, Shamus! I will never write a webcomic for you, but I am very grateful that you’ve taken the time to write one for all of us. I’m also glad to hear that you’re moving on to something else. I’ll look forward to reading it, and I will pimp it to all my friends.
Good luck!
I love this comic and will love anything you associate yourself with, shamus!
I hated this campaign.
I loved this comic.
Thank you, Shamus, for your wit, perceptiveness,skill with screen captures and all the laughs you’ve given us all this past year.
Good luck with Chainmail Bikini.
Bravo, Shamus. Seriously funny stuff. This is destined to be an internet classic, linked to and re-read for as long as the Web survives.
Thank you for a wonderful comic and a great year.
And thanks again for giving us something else to read when this comic was over.
It has been (and I’m sure will remain) a pleasure coming here.
-Alex V.
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Kudos on a brilliantly funny strip, Shamus. I’m sorry to see it end, and wish you best of luck on CB.
Clap clap clap clap clap.
Excellent work.
Huzzah! Well done! Thanks for an excellent series!
…part of me is wondering if we can get more than a year (365+) comments as a parting salute.
The rest of me is planning to d/l every strip (plus the bonus bits) and fit them into a long slideshow to use as screensaver, and copy+give to friends with no internet. Assuming, of course, that you’re cool with that Shamus. Don’t worry, I have no intention of making money from your (already duly lauded) genius.
Hi Shamus. I’m one of those never commented people cause I was saving it for the last. This is, unquestionably, the best comic I’ve ever read. No one else has made me laugh like you. I would like to take a moment to remember.
“My preeeeeecious!!” “I killed it, didn’t I?” That look.
The entire Princess Bride comic. (By God, I was sobbing with laughter)
And “Walking stick”
Thank you.
I will miss having this to look forward to every MWF and always getting a good laugh. I even got my dad hooked.
Thank you for a great comic!
Thanks a lot, been enjoying it!
woot 362nd!
Many, many thanks Shamus for all the time you’ve spend on this – it has been a fantastic read, and has been the cause of many curses hurled in my direction by co-workers I’ve introduced to the strip at the expense of their productivity for the rest of the day.
dammit, someone beat me to post #362…
Shamus,
Thank you ever so much for your efforts on this strip during the past year. I was fortunate enough to learn about DMoTR’s existence WAY back when the hobbits were still slogging through the Midgewater Marshes, and I’ve been with you ever since, spreading the good word to others when the opportunity arises. It has been a good, fun year, and I shall truly miss tuning in for the latest installment.
I’ve never posted, but I’ve read most of the posts of others, and I also tip my hat to the crowd for some truly entertaining threads.
I just wanted to say “thank you,” and kudos for wrapping it on a “gross”. Truly well done finish.
I’ve not read half the strips half as much as I would have liked, and liked less than half of them half as well as they deserved…or something like that…I still get confused over that passage…
See you over at CB.
Although there will be no more eager waiting for new episodes, I will surely reread DMotR soon enough. So please keep this classic online.
Thanks for all the fish!
AAARGH I CLICKED THE LINK!!!!
Its been a good time I hope you enjoyed writing this as much I enjoyed reading it. By the way I like your novel.
Bravo! Bravo!
Thanks for a great comic, Shamus. It’s been fun.
Thank you for all the giggles my WoW guild and i loved them :D
Bravo Shamus! Well done. Thanks for a wonderful year and brilliant parody. Good luck with Chainmail Bikini!
Well done.
I certainly hope that CB proves to be as entertaining as this was, otherwise I will have to find a new hobby.
Like crack.
I’d like to thank you for all the entertaining farce you have provided on what I considered a poorly constructed narrative placed within a biased subcultured humor perspective. Well done. Well done indeed! Should we meet, the ale is on me!
Just adding my standing “O” to all the others.
*clapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclapclap*
Love the expression of Galadriel when presented with toenail-clippings!!! LOL
Thank you for great entertainment!
Goodbye – and thanks for all the fish!
Sooo….
Why no comment list after your current comic?
Thats part of why this one is cool :) Not the main reason, but more enjoyable if you participate or at least read the replies.
Fantastic!
Well done.
Third post!
Err… yeah that was an awful campaign. Loved it!
Not much to say other than “thanks, and well-done”.
Um. So. Thanks, and well-done!
Amazing work, Shamus.
It’s so rare to see someone coming up with a truly original idea. Even rarer to see it carried out with elegance, wit and consistency.
And I’m amazed at how well you handled the comments, keeping the nitwits and moaners in check while giving so much food for thought. You had some really cool posters, but it was you who gave them the perfect setup.
It’s already a classic. Look forward to reading CB.
I haven’t read all the comments, but the valume is a testiment to our gratitude for your work. I look forward to Chainmail Bikini. Thank you, Shamus.
This was the best. Thanks Shamus. See you at Chainmail Bikini.
Finally. I haven’t been able to reach the site for two days. Great comic, Mr. Young.
384th post!
Thanks for the great series, Shamus. It really brightened my day everytime I saw there’s a new part.
Just checked out Chainmail Bikini, it looks very promising as well :)
So…
Thanks for DMoTR once more!
Shamus, I had more fun reading through your DM of the Rings strip than I have had in a L-O-N-G time. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your work.
For what it’s worth, I was led to this site from User Friendly’s “Link of the Day”.
Thanks for breaking the monotony of my day.
Thanks for worst campaign I ever laughed at!
Great stuff! Congrats!
Another first and last post here to say “Thank You”… will be checking out Chainmail Bikini (ooh – sounds kinky!) and if it’s anywhere near as good as DM of the Rings has been, I’ll certainly be sending it around to my story participants – err, gaming group, that is ;)
Wondeful comic, I’m sorry to see it end.
Good job on the comic, though I think this was a lousy ending (Well, everything until “I’m sure you’ll do better next time” was gold, but it’s absolutely ludicrous that they’d let him DM again).
Thank you shamus for a great comic… is sad to know it ended… but lets see this as a new begining
Gosh, that’s a lot of comments. The counter has stopped changing messages. :)
Farewell, DM of the Rings! *waves hankie as it sails out of the Gray Havens forever* Now there’s nothing to do but sit at home and wait for Sam to return to his wife and children, pull little Goldilocks onto his knee, and say “Well, I’m back… and it’s official, our unemployment benefits have expired.”
One of the most amusing webcomics i’ve read, fantastic job and look forward to your further work!
Great work! I followed DM og the Rings since the beginning and every comic was a source of great amusement and fun for me!
Thanks a lot!
Wow, almost 400 posts….
Thanks for the comics, and the hours of escape from mind numbing work….
Looking forward to the new comic!
Joe
Thank you very much!
thanks for the most excellent comic, a light of humour for dark days. heres wishing Chainmail Bikini even greater success!
I’m sad to see it end, but also looking forward to the new comic. Thanks for moving forward, and keeping it real.
Thank you for what is undoubtedly one of the finest comics on the web, even if it isn’t strictly a comic.
Too bad it’s already over, though. But if Chainmail Bikini is even remotely as good as this, greatness is still in the making.
Thank you. I laughed until my face hurt. I spent the last five hours reading this strip from start to finish. And I’m not even D&D fan. I’m a Tolkien fan. It was great. You hit all the discrepancies between the book and the movie except for how heroic Faramir was in the book. Fortunately, you skipped over the stuff Tolkien *didn’t* write about Faramir, so thank you again.
Standing ovations Shamus!
Is Chainmail Bikini a sequel to DM of the Rings?
It seems like the DM (Casey) has spent three months working on a campaign of his own creation, but Chuck (Gimli) doesn’t seem too impressed and GameBoy Guy (Aragorn?) thinks black towers and evil wizards make it too similar to the last game they played (LotR).
405th!!
Oh Yeah!!
Thanks again Shamus.
D!
Thanks Shamus
Great job, Shamus! I’ve enjoyed this all the way through. I’m looking forward to what comes next.
One of the truly great works Shamus! You know that you have made it to Uber-stardom when past and present quotes from your comics are being quoted around gaming tables all across the world, along side Monty Python … Princess Bride …Star Wars …Aliens … the list goes on but yours are amongst the best.
(My first… and last post)
It’s been a lot of fun and I’ll miss this comic. It’s one of the best I’ve ever read and I’ve read far, far too many.
I’ll definately check out your new comic.
Well, I would like to read Chainmail Bikini, but it doesn’t have its own RSS feed (both of the RSS links on that page are for the main Fear the Boot site). Is this going to get rectified?
Oh wait, never mind. Apparently I’m blind, so ignore me :)
I’ve been following this regularly since, uhhh, somewhere after the breaking of the fellowship. It’s been by far one of the better parodies of the work I’ve seen, and I’ve really enjoyed it.
Thanks for the laughs, good luck with the bikinis! Or, uh, you know what I mean…
Great comic! Thanks for all the laughs!
Brillience – thanks for all your work!
Thankyou. Just Thankyou. For So Much.
*weeps*
It’s Over!!!!!
and thus it ends….and aw all move on to kivk the boot.
thanks shamus, lets do this again sometime…peace
See ya al at http://www.feartheboot.com
BYE BYE!!!
Thanks for a most entertaining project. You really showed the world how much a GM can suffer. From one to another: I salute you.
And now surf over to the new story. You’re a fountain of good ideas.
Great comic. Really inspires me to be a better DM in my own campaign. I hope I’m better than this poor hapless DM; may my players strive to better than those in this strip!
Any, I’m looking forward to the next project. May it also provide me with many a laugh.
*bow*
Thx for this wonderful comic.Good luck with the Chainmail Bikini
Shamus, Bravo, Bravo.. Great strip and Glad’s face with the toenail trimmings was great.
The amount of comments is hilarious!
Thanks for many laughs Shamus!
There are few words availiable to express our gratitude, but thank you Shamus.
I look forward to reading Chainmail Bikini avidly.
I’ve never left a comment before, but I’ve been reading the comic for several months now. I’d just like to thank you for investing so much personal time in this without asking anything in return. I’ve had so many laughs and seen so many familiar situations from my own ad&d sessions. I think my all-time favorite was the part where the party got the DM into a discussion about MySQL. I’ll be sure to buy this comic should it ever be released in print.
Shamus, I’ve read this strip from start to finish and have been entertained and in fear of spraying drink from my nose on many an occasion. One would expect me to learn from the first time, but the Comic just kept on delivering and I was too busy enjoying it to remember that fate of my drink.
A truely awesome comic, and look forward to your new comic.
Great work Shamus I’ve enjoyed this comic immensely and as sad as I am that its over I think the last strip is my favorite.
Now I’m looking forward to reading chainmail bikini.
i know it’s all been said but you are FUCKING AWESOME. thanks for a superb comic and i will be spreading the word about the chainmail bikini – as will all of our dnd players.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the great strip, Seamus! Loved every single one, and especially your comments at the end of most of them.
I’ll be referring people to the new strip, too. May it always go smoothly for you!
Best,
WDave (long time reader, first time poster)
Um, wow – 430 comments.
Which is still far short of what you deserve, of course, this strip being awesome and all.
But still. Wow.
Thanks for a simply brilliant strip – already looking forward to the new venture.
Virtually all the strip and many of the comments (particularly about frustrated Dms and unfathomable party actions) could have applied to our rather ancient D&D group – I will greatly miss my weekly fix
I’m pretty sure most of what I’m going to say has been said countless times already, but I don’t care! Thank you for this awesome strip. I’ve had so many memorable moments reading the comic, at best full of tears due to laughter. I’ve really enjoyed the ride, thank you! I’m anxious to see how Chainmail Bikini turns out :).
Well done Shamus on producing such a consistantly entertaining comic. You have given me and my gaming group many hours of fun. Thank you and good luck with Chainmail Bikini.
I’d also like to salute those who have regularly posted on this site. Some of your comments and stories have been as funny as the main comic, which is praise indeed.
May the Valar bless you all.
C’mon guys, let’s go for the big 500. Let’s see 5 golf balls on the Comments number. :)
Heh. 435 so far.
Thanks for all the fish, Shamus. I mean, laughs. :-)
Inspired as always! Thanks for the wonderful read Shamus. I’ll miss checking on DMotR at work, but I’ve already got Chainmail Bikini bookmarked.
Wow. Amazing run. I laughed and I cried. ..err.. no, strike that, I meant I laughed till I cried… ;)
Thanks Shamus. …so long and thanks for all the fish…
–AOM
I’m saddened to see that Colin didn’t like this one enough to give one of his thoughtful, in-depth reviews.
Steve.
Yeah, me too. He often picked up on nuances I’d missed.
Wow. Somebody wanted a record number of comments. The previous record was 173 on #120. This is over two and a half times that.
I’m not sure which is scarier — that you remembered the comment on the record number of comments, or that you went back and see all the comment counts on the previous comics…
Oh, 441st. :)
to add to the long list – congrats, it was a fun ride, Good thing there is chainmail bikini on the horizon to fill the void, and keep my humour up.
GL
Thanks Shamus. For all ther laughs :)
See you at the wedding, where you can offer first toast.
Shamus,
I have been following DMoTR since the single digits and it has, beyond question, been sublime. You have skewered my old group’s foibles with so much wit, charm and inventiveness that I can almost bring myself to forgive your unerring accuracy.
So, a thousand thanks for the remarkable work you have put into this strip. And if you ever wonder about the strength of your appeal, consider this– I spent 2006-2007 stationed in Afghanistan, working with the military, and it was the one and only site I kept tracking that wasn’t work related. It really was that good.
Shabash!
Great stuff… nearly two days of productive work time shot to hell, nearly passed out trying to supress laughter (which leads to this ‘not breathing’ problem) at least 7 times, got weird looks from co-workers more times than I can count.. I’ve played D&D since 1978 or so, and this for sure skeweered a whole number of the folks (myself included) that I’ve played with over the years.
thanks for the great entertainment.
Pimp!
I’m sad to see this strip ending for I’ve been watching this strip since #20 and I have enjoyed reading it more than most of the more popular webcomics on the internet. I’ll be looking forward to Chainmail Bikini though, if it carries on with the same kind of humor as DMotR than I’m sure I’ll love it as much as I have loved this strip. I started making the “Pimp” comments to show my appreciation for the comic, but also to tease my friend Colin who sometimes uses “Pimp” as an “Awesome” exclamation. Yes, my real name isn’t Colin, but I’m sure we can all agree: This comic was pimp!
Sorry roxysteve, I had a busy weekend! :)
Yeaaah, Colin!
Fantastic work – I’ve really enjoyed this whole thing from start to finish. Absolutely inspired and inspiring.
I’ll be sure to mention your new project on my blog.
Thank you!
Thank you very much for the strip. It was totally awesome and completely relatable.
Right on, and good luck with life,
Cheers!
Thank you Shamus, the web comic has been brilliant. The way that you capture the idiocy of DnD and DnD players is supurb, while still showing a real warmth for us. Having played for over 20 years and been a keen fan of LotR I have enjoyed each and every episode that you provided. Thanks for generosity and attention to detail. Thanks for the hard work that you have done. Best wishes for Chainmail Bikini. I will be keenly waiting for each new episode.
Shamus,
As a soldier stationed overseas I cannot begin to tell you what this meant for me and my friends. We have shared your humor amongst ourselves and you have rekindled our interest in the game most of us have loved for years.
Your comic definitely is on our “must know” list for newcomers and our “must quote” list for the old-timers.
Military life is definitely one of shared experiences and I’m happy to say that we have been happy to share this with you and are looking forward to sharing others as well.
Sincerely,
Lt. Col. Michael Lawhorn
Commander, American Forces Network – Korea
This is my first and only post. I’ve been reading from the very beginning and loved every minute of it. As a DM of far too many years, this webcomic has rekindled my love of gaming.
We have thoroughly enjoyed this webcomic. We are your fans. We are legion. And we will happily herd everyone on the Net to Chainmail Bikini.
Thank you, Shamus, for this brilliant comic.
My first post here. I just learned of this comic some weeks ago and i had a great time reading it, it is, as many said before, just brilliant. Thank you very much for this, I really enjoyed every single page of it.
Thank you Shamus. Your strip helped me get through the week and through my games. I am so very glad that you have a new project in the works but so very sad this one is over.
Simply awesome. Thank you so much for the hours of distraction from my actual job. I can’t believe it’s over… though I must admit, a part of me is aching for you to say “Well, I’m back.”
Perhaps for a sequel?
Just kidding. Sort of.
Shamus,
I would just like to tell you that I appreciate your effort into this comic that started out as a simple project but blossomed into something greater. It brought people together to discuss some related, and most often times, unrelated topics. The imagination and creativity that you have is something I thoroughly admire and wish I had for myself. I stumbled upon your blog while searching for dice, and what a surprise ride that has taken me. The many hours reading your strips at work and cleaning up the Dr. Pepper off the monitor is something I will remember, maybe not cherish, for a long time. The way you take a minor, perhaps often, annoyance (i.e. gay jokes, ADHD, players’ laziness, etc.) and turn it into a comic, is beyond me.
I hope you lots of enjoyment on your new comic and will check in to read it.
Lot of luck!
NeedsToHeal
hi hi
Cheers! Just watch out for trolls on your way to the Misty Mountains.
Thank you Shamus,
You’ve brightened my work lunch breaks for the past year.. Now that I’ve stopped laughing around 1PM everyday people are starting to wonder what I’m up to.
Thanks again – I look forward to Chainmail Bikini!
(not) So long and thanks for all the strips!
Was great – hopefully CB will be too. ;)
THIS HAS BEEN FANTASTICREADING AND BRINTASTIC STUFF.
onto chainmail bikini ;P
I think Gimli says it best in panel 13, thanks for the good times man. I’ll be sending links for Chainmail Bikini to everyone I know.
Go raibh maith agat for so many smiles and trips to my role playing youth…
Hi Shamus,
Longtime lurker, first time poster, ancient gamer: The strip was excellent. Thanks for all your hard work and best of luck with your future projects.
S.
Absolutely fantastic.
Although I am slightly disappointed that it didn’t end with the guy who played Sam showing up just as they’re making they’re last jokes and saying, “Well, I’m back … from playing Star Wars. Did I miss anything?” :D
I just wanted to throw in another n+1 comment and say, “Thank you so very much for this wonderful web comic, Shamus! I can’t wait to see what you create next!” I’ve been faithfully reading DM of the Rings since the very beginning, have never posted a comment in the entire year, and absolutely loved every last moment of this project, as well as reading the often-hilarious commentary. I don’t know how often I’ve nearly fallen out of my office chair at work or had to contain my morning coffee from expulsion via nasal passages due to laughter. It honestly makes me a bit wistful and has me recalling the very first time I finished watching the Firefly series from beginning to end… kinda brings a joyful tear to my eye. Sorry to see it go, but it was absolutely fantastic from beginning to end.
*APPLAUSE*
Longtime lurker, first time poster, ancient gamer too: Great work and very entertaining, from beginning to end. I loved the ending! I’m looking forward to reading your next work and will pass the word. Friends and I have had plenty of laughs over this material and seeing ourselves and others in it.
Thanks a million for a great 6 months (I know it’s been a year, but I only wandered in in March…). Shamus, if the new comic is half as good as this, it will be brilliant. Kudos!
I just want to say that I’ve loved this comic — thanks for writing it. I swear, I’ve gamed with these guys.
end? uh-oh… thx for writing… i really enjoyed this comic… i cannot roll a will save against addiction :P
Shamus,
This ruled so much!! I’m actually sad it’s over.
~Jaye
Coming back after a while to see you’ve finished. Good work!
Spectacular, and very nicely wound up. Thanks Shamus! ^_^
Beautiful all-around.
This comic is legend!
I took a total of two days (not grand total time) to make my way through your archives and I loved every minuet of it.
Though you may never read this post, I would like to thank you for all the laughs and quotes this comic gave me. The best of luck on your new comic.
“A Webcomic never ends late, Dave. Nor does it end early. It ends precisly when the plot dictates it should.”
Thank you all for your comments. The comments section of this thread is now closed.
Never posted before, but figured I should now. Thanks for a great comic!
Closed?! But I wanted to be last post! :-)
Absolutely cracking webcomic. Well done Shamus!
cheers
Julian
Just read the whole kaboodle, great work.
Shamus, great comic. i enjoyed every strip. May you always roll 20’s and max damage. Kill those ungrateful players. Make broken encounters that they can never win. And always enforce the no monty python rule. I myself have been guilty of pythoning. One of the characters in a game i’m in is a woodling, and therefore made out of wood, and so i cannot resist the urge to say “Build a bridge out of her!” all the damn time. thanks for the laughs.
Shamus, I have to say that I just read the whole thing from start to finish in the last 2 hours and I have to say HELLZ YEAH! That was amazing, I laughed constantly and your little blurbs at the ends were just as funny. I’ve been playing D&D for 10 years and the very first fantasy novels I read was the LotR series and you have paid a great homage to both. I have been DMing for awhile and understood all too well the sidetracks, attention challenged players, the player who is constantly in search of beer, women, and loot… sometimes all 3 at the same time, and the player I like to refer to as “Happy McStabbypants” who’s solution to every problem is to kill someone/something. Thank You for all of your hard work.
The honour was ours. Thanks for a great many laughs Shamus. :)
Jobs a good un. Nice work, a great read.
Loved it, and I look forward to chainmail bikini. You have brightened the lives of everyone who read this, and brought many fits of giggles and dare I say, a few snorts as well. (At least from me…)
Kudos, well done, and may you never have to endure such a DM in real life.
As a LOTR fan (of both book and, alright then, the films weren’t too bad either!)and one-time D&D player – thankyou, Shamus, for a truly original and hilarious take on the saga.
Look forward to seeing your next adventures….
Thank you so much for this brilliant webcomic. I play D&D about once a week and almost every evening we found ourselves talking about your latest episode!
That was such a precise description of a role playing group it could have been us!
Great!
I loved this! Being a roleplayer and a Tolkien fan, it had twice the payload.
I could just see the Hobbit players at the beginning griping that they don’t have shoes… “What do you MEAN we have big hairy feet with leathery soles? Do we look like orcs? No chick is gonna go for a guy with big hairy dirty feet! I want some shoes… and a waxing kit! Either that, or give me the ‘un-hairy’ cantrip!”
And at the campaign’s end…
Legolas and Gimli players: “So… Dumbledore—”
DM: “GANDALF!”
Legolas: “Yeah, that guy. So that wizard guy takes off in the end on a ship to some magical land, never to return?”
DM: “Yes.”
Legolas: “Okay—before he leaves I pick his pockets.”
DM: “WHAT? You can’t do that!”
Legolas, smugly: “Did you think I was just gonna sit on all those XP’s we got at the end? I took a level in thief, thank you very much.”
Gimli: “Me too. So what’s this bugger got?”
Legolas: “Yeah—you KNOW he’s carrying around some good stuff.”
Gimli: “You take his ring, and I’ll take his staff.”
Aragorn: “HEY! I want to get something! Aren’t you guys supposed to share the loot?”
Gimli: “What do you want with loot? You got a hot babe, a kingdom, and the Royal Treasury!”
Aragorn: “Yeah—but being a King means I have to pay for all those guards, etc.”
Gimli: “Well, you can’t have anything—you’re NOT THERE. You’re all the way back in the White City, and we’re over at the Havens.
Aragorn: “I’ll ride to the Havens!”
Gimli: “Dude—by the time you get here, Wizard boy will be halfway to the Magic Kingdom, and me and Leggy will be long gone.”
Aragorn to DM: “Can’t I get there any faster?”
DM: “NO—and while you three were arguing, hobbits have bid Frodo and Gandalf farewell, and the ship has set sail for Valinor.”
Legolas: “Crap! Okay—I jump into the water and swim out to the boat.”
DM: “You can’t make it—the ship is already out to sea.”
Legolas to Aragorn: “Now see what you’ve done? You get all the good stuff, the sexy wife—and you’ve ruined our last chance to get some decent treasure before the campaign ends!”
Aragorn: “So I can’t make it there in time?”
DM: “NO.”
Aragorn: “Okay… I stay home and have sex with my hot wife, then.”
Legolas: “I hate you.”
Aragorn: “Sorry, but my wife’s hotter than you.”
Legolas: “For the last time, my character is NOT GAY!”
Gimli: “That’s okay—you can play a gay guy in the NEXT campaign—right, DM?”
*crickets*
Gimli: “Where’d he go?”
*toilet flush*
Gimli: “Nevermind.”
Wow, great ending. You should make star wars or something.
This was made completely out of equal parts Awesome and Win. I have never laughed at a webcomic like I have with yours. Amazing! I have seen so much of the sesions we used to play in here it is scary. Brought back a lot of good memories. Thak you very much for the hard work and effort you put into this.
Just to let you know, I’m stealing everyone of these pages because there’s no way I trust your hard-drive to not crash, even with RAID gazillion. If anyone deserves the Nobel prize in parody, it is you.
Just discovered this today, and read ’em all. Congratulations; I laughed my head off, especially at the middle hundred or so…
Echoing Fewmets…found out about this today and read it all. Great job.
Now, get to work on Episodes I-VI :)
Wonderful comic, found out about it about 3 days ago read it all fast…very gripping
Back to homework..=)
Let’s push it to 500. Only four more.
Actually two.
It is a crying shame this had to end. Yet the story has run it’s course and for these characters it is truly “game over”.
Thank you for a painfully funny experience that made much more sense than I though possible in context. Yet I find it odd that the one focused least on looting was three character changes away from having the penultimate looting name of Gimme.
Shamus. No sham in there at all. Merely a must read for anyone who’s ever lost a life to a die.
Wow !
This was the best webcomic i ever read !!!
I spend some hours at work reading all of it and I had some crazy laughs I never had for other webcomics.
Great use of screenshots and excellent dialogues (and I enjoyed so much the Monthy Pythons quoting)
Good job Shamus, well done ^_^v
…Five hundred and first post!
I’ve never posted before, but I’ve just finished reading this whole thing. I work on Lord of the Rings Online (ha haa, I CAN read this at work!), and this has been a fantastic trip! ^_^
/me adds Chainmail Bikini to the ol’ webcomics folder…
Well, # 1313 worked for the Munsters, WHY NOT… :)
[Google it, you’ll figure it out – but hey, its the only thing that comes to mind – so sue me]
So wonderful! Thanks for the laughs. Good times…
Man, I just found this webcomic and now its over :( Sadness.
This thing rocked my socks.
This was seriously the awesomest of awesome web comics ever. Thank you thank you thank you for all the laughs and quotable bits. So… is there any hope of a ghost of a chance that this might someday be published in actual book form (complete with the best of the comments and sidenotes!)? I, for one, would pay good money to have this in hardcopy!
Was forwarded the link by a co-worker Friday…just got around to clicking it and read it all in one sitting. 16 shades of awesome. It’s been said many times before, but thank you so much for doing this comic. I laughed so much I think I woke the kids twice. :) *toast*
Comment 490
very funny! Nice to get a few more DMoR chuckles.
Wow. Just. Wow. That was awesome, man. I’m a huge LOTR fan and D&D gamer, and yet somehow I only now discovered DMotR. And I just spent my entire work day reading it straight through. Non-stop hilarity, dude. Just fantastic. I look forward to reading CMB!
Awesome, totally awesome. Most laughs I’ve had in ages. Brilliantly observed humour – enough to make me feel slightly guilty about the tricks I’ve played as a player and DM over the last erm… 27 years of playing. Great to see the internet being used for something genuinely useful and valuable for a change!
510 ^^; Will we get to 1000? wonder what coment he got stored for that one
Incredible. I have enjoyed this immensely, though I should have been working ;) Quite a few LOLs along the way too.
Truly hilarious, great comic.
Brilliant work. Found out about the strip late in the game, and ran through it all in three sittings. Sad to see it end, Shamus, but I look forward to Chainmail Bikini.
And best wishes for your continued health. My wife had her gallbladder out several years ago, with no long-term trouble whatsoever.
Two words:
awe some. :)
Sweet Buddha, you are a GENIUS!!! You gave me the most hilarious afternoons in…months! Me and my friends are already quoting your comic at our games, and I got so much into it that I had to read “The two towers” and “The Return of the King” ALL TODAY. Non stop laughter for hours, my jaw was displocating! Ok, right, you got the point. I am SO following you to the next comic.
Great work, seriously.
Ossian
Shamus,
Thanks for an awesome comic! I just found out about DMotR this week, but I’ve had a great time reading through the archives (and had a few laughs so big that I couldn’t stifle them from my cubicle neighbors). I look forward to checking out your work on Chainmail Bikini.
I’m sad it has ended, but your comic did bring tears of laughter from time to time and was at times very recognizable to our own sessions. Hope there will be more great projects to come!
Shamus:
I read the whole series straight thru today and I wanted to let you know that I can’t even remember the last time I laughed like this! It was hilarious and full of gamer true-ism. Thank you so very much the gift of laughter. I look forward to reading more of your work, may God bless you.
Just one question – How come no 30-siders for the post numbers? At least this would be good use for one!
In quiet gratitude, I bow to you for the joy you have bestowed with your work. This is hands down the funniest thing I’ve read in years and I’ve shared it with everybody I know who might “get it.” Thank you.
I only discovered this a few days ago and nearly made myself late for work reading them. I have never laughed so hard before at anything that lasted so long as this. If you ever decide to get someone to publish a hard copy of this, I’ll buy five of them, minimum. There is not a better, more consistently hilarious piece of work out there as massive as this is. There’s more that could be said, but then everyone would have to roll save vs maudlin, with failure causing vomiting.
This old lady gamer salutes you.
Great comic! It gave me a lot of good laughs :)
Brilliant!
I’m just glad I was directed here after you finished, so I didn’t have to wait for new episodes!
Chain-Mail Bikini, here I come……..
Well, I found out about this from the OotS forum, and after devoureing the Chainmail Bikini, came here. 2 days later, I’m sad to see it go. Brilliant stuff.
Well holy poop Batman I made it straight through! Seriously awesome stuff Shamus. Now onto Chainmail Bikini.
I need to blame Vox Day for pointing me to this addicting DM of the Rings.
Thanks again for making my day yesterday…and today.
Holy ConanD Crusted Crimson Garter Belt, Hell that was funny!
Thankyou so much! I’ve read the whole freaking thing in one night and while it was an exhausting feat, I did and spraned my laugh muscal in the THE PROCESS. Damn it I nearly choked at least a dozen times laughing,oh god, that was so hella funny! THANKYOU,THANKYOU SO MUCH!!
toodles!
The Ocupant
ps. Do I get xp points for this?
Wow. I just discovered this webcomic tonight, and read it all , front to back, in one sitting. One of the funniest things I’ve ever read! Reminds me of the the guys I’m playing with. I’m showing this to my DM, he’ll definately appreciate this. I’m glad you’re continuing webcomics. You could write a book or even a parody movie script like Space-Balls. You’re that good.
Thanks for the awesome comic! I just found it, read it all the way through at a go and was laughing in tears. Great work!
Man that was like bestist biscuits covered in totally awesome sauce!!
What a hoot. Laughed the entire way except for the gall bladder cringing! Hope the health is good now. Your effort was way appreciated.
Dude, I just came upon this a couple days ago (a friend sent me the link), and as a former DM and LOtR fan, I think this was awesome. This is definitely some of the best stuff I’ve ever read!
Anyone who says otherwise, to them I say “Nee!!”
My eyes burn. I’ve read the whole damn thing in one long run. Many good laughs. Cheers for doing this great webcomic!
Aw, this was totally awseome, but buddy who write it, you could have gone without the swear words.
But THANKS for the time you spent making it!
I just finished reading the entire strip (along with commentary) a second time. Excellent work! Thank you very much for hours of entertainment.
I also just finished reading through for a second time. Simply awesome stuff! Thank you for the time you put into it, it was a good investment! DMotR definitely has a place in the online “Hall of Fame”!
Yeah thanks fer tons of laughs Shamus :-)
This comic sure made to my top three with Sluggy Freelance and Sexy Losers.
Tho I think you missed one big part of hilarity in rpgs. The fact that all monsters sheepishly wait in their assigned ([dungeon/castle/labyrint/town/etc.] [rooms/houses/holes/etc.]) when heroes heal their battle wounds for hours(usually 8 as that is standard rest time for humans)in room next to room where monster(s) are.
Well Shamus, I happened across you site 2 days ago, and have spent most of my free time reading the strip and the comments. I now have to explain to my wife why I kept laughing like a complete idiot on a regular basis.
As a D&D player from way back (1976) you have covered most, if not all the campaigns I have been in. Thank you sir for your efforts, I look forward to working my way through your Chainmail Bikini.
Well, not YOUR Chainmail Bikini…I don’t even know if you have a chainmail bikini, nor do I want to, I mean it is your right to have one..
Oh hell, I just screwed that up…
There’s no way I’m reading all those comments, but thanks for DMOTR. I’m sorry it’s over. Now to go read Chainmail Bikini. Best of luck with your new comic.
Here we are…at the end of all things…
It’s been a hell of a ride…thanks for the tremendous amount of work involved in such a project. You should really consider asking Peter Jackson to be allowed to publish it in a printed format. Anyway, I’ll print them someday and bind them…it should definitely stand next to my French and English editions of the “Lord of the Rings”. I’ll add that your masterpiece has been my screensaver for some months now (the only thing is it displays the pages randomly).
Merci beaucoup pour ce pur moment de jouissance roliste, Shamus, et à la prochaine (excuse my French, as they say ;-) )
Awesome Webcomic. I just heard of it a couple of days ago and read it straight thru to the end…. LOTS of bits where I laughed harder than I have in YEARS. Thanks much!
Thank you very much. I read it in three days and most of the time I literally almost fell of my chair. You brightened my days. :)
Wow, I just read the entire thing tonight. I haven’t laughed this much in a very long time. Wonderful stuff, and I look forward to more in Chainmail Bikini.
This comic was legendary. Shamus, I have to say, I love your site!
544th post! WOOT!
Excellent comic Shamus. I enjoyed the ride.
Wow…
Thanks for creating this brilliant comic.
Btw, I showed it to my gaming group… it has made for a lot of in jokes that are able to destroy the suspense of a boss fight. ;)
Thank you so much for this excellent work. Many many hours of laugh..
If you were a girl I would say I loved you, but I’m not an elf so I guess that’s out of the question. You are absolutely awesome, with a capital AWW. I would tell all my friends, post it on my blog, post it on other peoples blogs, hack the website I’m one of the webmasters on and tell people about it, and much more if only… it was a little cleaner. I wonder how hard it would be to set up an edited version (leaving out the unclean strips if necessarry)and posting it somewhere else… that’s probably to much work though. NVM.
Loved it with a capital K (long story) and got many laughs out of it.
WOOO – HOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
*standing ovation*
Thankyou, thankyou, THANKYOU for such an incredible, hilarious, entertaining comic!! I love every single minute of it. i would always look forward to sitting down and reading DM of the Rings whenever I got the chance, and I am sad that it is over. But, it has been an absolute pleasure to read and laugh after and along with everyone else, and I have laughed so hard at some times I am quite sure I have scared my parents with strange noises coming from the study…thankyou for giving us those laughs.
I saved every single comic so that I can read it over and over again…I promise you that as long as people still know about it, and the jokes never grow old, this comic will never die. You are legend.
Hopefully I don’t say this as the final person to comment (although it would be an honor), but for now I will be – a final thankyou for the final comic. Shamus, you are AWESOME!! *hugs*
Cuio Vae!! :D
~Cynder
I enjoy this comic a lot!
HAHAHAHAHA! The ole dice post counter is starting to work against you eh? Thats why they stopped using roman numerals.
Love the comic, great work.
I’ve spent the last two days reading this through. I must say it was epic, really. In it’s own internet kind of way. Everything moves so fast on the internet and running a webcomic for a year online is really a long time. Great comic, great humor, great screencaps.
It’s times like these I enjoy internet the most.
Thanks
it took me about 3 hours and i finished…epic!!!!
(not the Doug who posted months and months ago)
Fantastic! You must have had waaaaay too much time on your hands – thank the Valar! Can’t believe how you sustained the funniness for a whole year. :D
I came late to this and devoured the whole finished epic in about two and a half hours. I’ve just read it slowly again from the beginning. Like Tolkien’s original, it bears rereading and rereading and rereading…
Fantastic, again.
you´re the greatest pal, i can read this again and again and again… etc.
Thank you for taking the time to do this fantastic work and quite hilarious definatly worth reading over and ove again
i read it all start to finish in one sitting! well done what a great comic, thouroughly enjoyed it!
That was great i just read all of it.
559th post!!
This reminds me so much of the RPG my friends and I play. None of us can keep focused. Thanks so much for the honor you have bestowed among all RPGers.
I would like to join the legion of fans thanking you for this excellent comic.
Also, my computer took one look at this page and it’s 559 comments, and promptly died.
You should do another one of these after you get done with Chainmail Bikini.
Spent my entire morning reading through these gems! Abso-bleeding-lutely amazing! Thanks for the laughs! =D
Awesomesauce!
I’m just starting work on my first proper campaign, and this was both a great laugh and a warning of the pitfalls of Dming. I certainly saw a lot of situations that i’ve seen while playing, so much so that i laughed till i was srsly in pain about it.
Also i’m a huge LotR fan.
Thanks!
Whoa! 563 comments!!!LOVE this book Shamus.
Awesome comic! A friend sent it to me and I just read the whole thing (well, what else is there to do at work?). I loved it! Nice work. ;)
Wow, great comic man, I just read the whole thing in one sitting. Boredom tends to do that. Anyways, kudos to you!
Although it’s sad to see a full year of work crammed into 2 and a half hours of reading time.
Great, great! I salute you. Really, I’m am saluting right now. I DM for a pretty childish group (I am 15 and so are they).
What a horrible DM, byt the way. Makes you wonder what it would be like if Tolkien was a DM.
Nah, I think it would be great.
Wow Shamus, 567 comments … now 568. I just wanted to post, as I mentioned in # 82, that I did buy 6 DMoTR mugs for myself and my gaming group at Christmas. They loved ’em, especially because I put quotes on them from our games.
I also just finished re-reading DMoTR and laughed my way through it again. Be well and best wishes,
John
Sir, this is my first, last, and only post to your webcomic. While I’m sure that you get that a lot at this point, and you may feel it is a bit of an insult, realize I stumbled upon your comic a few days ago and have lost sleep reading it. For what it’s worth, that was a compliment. Now, on with the REAL praise…..
I have only seen a couple WC’s that really catch my attention. This one does so an mony levels. I’m a hardcore gamer, love LotR, and in most of these strips I’v wanted soooo badly to post a message saying redundant things like “yeah, been there done that” or “I’ve seen this scenario. Here’s how it played out for MY game.” Again, all that would have been like beating a dead Goll – ummmmm, I mean horse.
Not horse-fucker, tho that would be entertaining also.
But seriously, not only did you manage to capture LotR in both essence and visual representation, your added dialogue really made me feel like I was just along for the ride. BUT THAT’S THE BEST PART!!! I hated that stupid campaign and wasn’t even playing in it!!!
::get’s pegged with random MP/HP quotes::
Alright. I’m done ranting in a stupid way. Point blank, I loved every panel. Screencap-fu at its finest. Witty banter. A sense of realism. Many a time I laughed and/or cried. In a good way, mind you.
I plan to spread the word to all woul would have the patience to hear me out. Well done and congratulations sir.
A WINNER IS YOU!
One of the funniest webcomics I’ve ever ready- good on ya! I received the link from a gaming buddy, and passed it on to another gaming circle. It’s been a pleasure, your fame or infamy is well-deserved.
Dear Shamus,
This comic has been marvelous and inspiring. I wish you well in all you do and hope more of your genius is brought to the public(I know I told all my friends about it). It has been a great ride and I will keep my eye on your other works.
Best of luck,
Tybreagus
Your comic was fantastic. I was laughing at the end of every strip. Excellent work. Maybe you should do a Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean one next time.
Awesome comic. (One closer to 600)
Great work! I ended up reading through the Chainmail Bikini archives and then through everything here. Having done so I am looking forward to where CB ends up going even more.
Just as awesome the 2nd time through.
A great comic indeed, thanks! I can’t wait for the next one… *wink*
“I Hate this campaign”
Mr. Jules DMing NOW!!!!!!!
This thing was AWESOMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Thanks for doing it and sharing it with all of us dude, :D
This is the most accurate description of D & D that I have ever read
I have been playing as long as gimli has. and played in so many campaigns where i hear it at least once “I HATE THIS CAMPAIGN”
thank you for so many laughs
*Standing Ovation and cheers heard all throughout Middle Earth*
An excellent read, that I just had to re-read. Make sure you post your next project up now that CMB is done you have atlest a thousand people willing to read it.
I just found this, I think it is great.
You are genius…
Thanks.
Holy flurping schnitt, that’s a lot of comments!
But I am no longer speaking to you, Shamus; referring to readers as a “gross” is crass, unseemly and insulting. Clearly, Belladonna didn’t raise you right (and what’s a Hobbit from the Shire doing with a Latin name anyway? Why couldn’t she have a “pretty lady” name from a MIDDLE-EARTH language, say, “Arwen”–oh, right…. )
Congrats on a fine job, and many thanks. Onward to freezing swimwear….
Just got linked here by a friend… read through the whole thing in, what, two days? Aren’t you proud? You still inspire laffs nearly a year after finishing the comic. Thanks!
What an insane amount of comments! What a great strip! :)
Holy snapping ducks-nuts that was good. I’ve quoted bits to my non-nerd wife (who hasn’t seen the films, read the books, or ever RPGed) and even she found it funny!
Darths & Droids from Irregular Webcomic linked me here, for those who wanted to Star Wars done the same way, and now I’m gonna PDF this whole strip for posterity – well, posterity and a few friends…
Holy Crap Sticks! I just read all of these in ONE SITTING?! This is one of the funniest things I have EVER read! I can’t tell you how many times the “death of Gollum” has happened to me. “I ATTACK!” HA!
This is really a brilliant work, man. Thank you so much.
I just sat down and re-read the entire thing from start to finish.
And it was just as funny as the first time.
Thanks again, Shamus!
Thanks for the best 2 weeks at work.
Loved the comic, makes me want to play tabletop D&D again.
One MORE post closer to 600…
Just finished the comic. Good stuff. Weeeeeee
KIRBYHAMEHA
< ('_'<) ^('o')^ (>‘_’)> ============O
Awesome, simply awesome
This is my third time reading this comic through and it never gets old! I’m still spreading the word about it. ^_^
Wonderful Job! You have filled my boring workdays with laughter and excitement. Everything you write is so true and close to home. Thanks for the memory!
Thank you so very much. Very well done, I just read the whole lot in one sitting while at work (yes its that busy at the moment).
Shamus your a star!
Shamus –
There’s a typo in comment #443. Would you fix that please? Otherwise, the whole page looks shoddy.
kthxbai
Ha, I am only a year late to the party here and I doubt you even read these comments anymore, but I am still going to say thank you for the laughs this web comic has given me. Great job buddy.
[sniff][sniff]
I can’t believe it’s over.
It was hilarious.
Thanks for all the hard work.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Damn! Missed the celebration by year and I’m not 600. either :-(
But anyway, I really enjoyed it :-) Great work, man!
This comic was excellent. It reminded me a lot of some of my DnD experiences – especially Gimly, as I’m usually one of the two people in my group who actually role-plays, with three others being pure kick-in-the-door players who usually just kinda run away with things. It helps that the humor was extremely well crafted in general.
Quick comment on the DM’s continuous railroading of the players: the last two DM’s I’ve had have tried the extreme opposite – not forcing any plot on us at all, but just kinda asking, “now, what do you guys want to do”. This is much, much worse than railroading: there were endless discussions about what to do next, we never agreed on anything, and we could spend half an hour trying to decide if we wanted to buy a horse. We could go for four sessions without having a significant plot point – or even finding something we all wanted to try to turn into a plot.
I know it’s late, but I read the whole strip today.
Fantastic stuff, and I was sorry to see it end.
After playing D&D for nearly 40 years, I don’t think you missed out a thing!
Read parts of this as it was written and just revisted the whole thing for old times’ sake.
Thanks a lot for a whole lot of laughs
well third time through and its still amazing. thank you for many a good time.
Pet peeve: The author you’re channeling would never use that hideous pleonasm n-year anniversary in place of the correct nth anniversary.
Apart from that: Way to go!
Still awesome a year later! Some of it’s even funnier when you can run through it all back-to-back. Thanks again.
Just read this straight through from episode one. Brilliant! Thanks ever so much.
And you know what? Aragorn *was* a stoner… You may have missed it in the dialogue, but the screenshots made it obvious from early on.
Congratulations on completion of an epic task!
Nice 1 Shamus! Must have been a lot of work but its damn good! :). Infamous players!
WOW! I just finished reading the DMotR all the way through (I cheated and read the deleted scenes earlier)! Hitherto, I resisted the urge to post, since I’m a year behind, but I couldn’t leave without saying, Excellent Work, Shamus! What a triumph! You must be very proud.
Now I have to go back and read the comments for ^each^ comic, including this cockamamie thread- 608 posts!
fourth time through, you still kick ass
Wow…I just read your entire comic in one night. I couldn’t tear myself away from it. O_O
My roommate thinks I’m insane now as well.
I loved it, every strip of the way.
I hope you keep on with this excellent talent of yours Shamus. Good luck in your future writing.
Wonderful. Keep on making such stuff! Thank you.
So, will there be any more strips, or is this the end?
Sorry. I’ll probably read this once a year and leave the same comment every year. It’s just my way, you see.
Thank you for this magnificent commic! I’m so annoyed that I wasn’t part of the origonal audiance! I can assure you this comic is EPIC WIN!
I also have to say, I hate myself for posting this, becaue It took my computer 10 minutes to load because of all of the comments! XD oh well.
I have the geekiest friends who would love this who have no respect for my opinion (jerks)but I’ll try my best to get them to read this awesome webcomic in all of it’s glory!
Congradulations Shamous! You deserve it!;)
Third time through, still totally awesome.
Oh my gosh, I’m laughing so hard I’m crying. XD
“Thanks a bunch for the… hair. In return, I’d like to present you with some of my toe nail clippings. May you cherish them forever.”
ROFL!!!
Brilliant comic! So many posts for this one. You should have a 1000 sided dice :D
First!
Thanks, Shamus. Thanks for one gross of fun. My son is but two weeks old today, but I hope I’ll be able to show him your creation one day when he’s old enough.
May you forever bask in the light of your Muse’s favour.
That was awesome!!!!
I stumbled upon this excellent work about 13 pages ago.
… suffice it to say that I intend to start from the very beginning and spend zero time working!! :P
Amazing!
This has been aboslutely brilliant. I decided not to even try to explain to my boss why I on several occasions randomly left work to go someplace were I could have a nice cup of tea and read this… I just felt guilty reading it at work and obviously I couldn’t go through the whole day without.
One of the best webcomics I have ever read!
Thanks a lot!!!
Merci.
Just finished reading this web-comic! Fine work, Shamus, fine work, indeed.
Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!
Go forth, eat, drink and be merry (not Pippin!) for tomorrow dost thou diet!
Merci beaucoup, a bien tot!
The word was spread and got to me. Just finished reading the whole comic. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Thanks a bunch!
You, sir, are evil! I should have gone to sleep hours ago! Instead, I have a mere two hours to wake up thanks to your comic!
In all seriousness…I am extremely tired, and that was a very funny comic. I don’t normally laugh out loud when reading anything, and I had to clap my hand over my mouth to stifle the sounds(and prevent my mirth from awaking everyone within a ten block radius) numerous times. I think the strip with the failed Diplomacy check will stand out in my mind for a long time. I almost fell out of my chair…
Finally i have read the comic. Numerous times i was laughing like a madmen. You did here a great job and presented the nature of players. I have reckognised my players many times in situations in your comic. Many times i have been describing stressful and touching situations and players talked about experience and all that. Hopefully some day players will learn not to do such things. Great stuff you did with this. Continue with good work.
Wow! I know it’s been a while since you completed this webcomic, but I am a brand new reader. I got interested in D&D very recently through my boyfriend and just rolled up my very own character. I can’t wait to start playing, and he said I should read this and a few other comics to sort of get acquainted with the gaming rules and such. Not only have I learned so much, but I have been thoroughly entertained!! Great job on this comic and much continued success to you!
What will that DM do next? Have an Eragon-based campaign?
Actually, that’s a great idea! Make it!
Please?
Aww. it’s over. *sniffle*
Awwwww! I just re-read this comic (I first found this when it was about half-way through), and the one thing I thought all the way through is how brilliant it would have been if the “real” Gimli in the bloody films had had lines and acting *half* as cool as he did in this comic! Grrrr! Neway, thanks for the memories! :)
Heyho, just reread the ending because I wasn’t sure if the latest darths and droids was referring to this or not. Brought back a lot of memories of the comic, good times :)
Jus’ wanted to mention the page has a broken image (which I guess is the first stolen pixels) ya might want to fix just in case the one reader who needed it to go onto your next comic and give you an extra hit on the escapist was the difference between you being propelled to fame and stardom!
MOAR comments!
because i just finished re-reading this.
because its fantastic. and i hadnt commented.
and… well, as always its sad to see a story end. i mean you want it to end, but deep down you wish it didnt. at least you wish it when the story is good. and this was and is a good story.
and thats what i wanted to say. amazing work. really.
thank you for sharing your comic genius with the rest of us. its been entertaining, to say the least.
this is getting long winded, so. again, great job
Shamus, you need to by more d100’s in different colors.
Shamus… I can tell you don’t read these any more, but chainail bikini got deleted :( :'( WHAT HAPPENED??? :( :'(
This was so epic! I stumbled across this and couldn’t stop reading it. I find this rather ironic since I just started playing RIFTS not long ago.
635 comments?!?!?! Holy crap!
A big thanx for this comic and for your efforts!
(and for the hiccup i got from laughing several times)
This was fantastic! Thanks alot for all the laughs you gave me!! Wow, there is alot of comments here! 600+!
Ever though about doing a harry potter one? That could be fun!
I was sent this site through Stumble! from a friend a few days ago. I haven’t closed my computer since i started reading the strip… i really really need to go to sleep.
The strip was very true to life and i fully enjoyed imagining the player/characters.
My hat is off to you Shamus and i will certainly rummage through the rest of your site.
An awesome end to an awesome comic!!
Thanks for all the laughs and I’ll be sure to check out the rest of your site.
Thanks a thousand. Found it backlinked from Darths & Droids just over a week ago, have been rabidly reading since. (+ all the comments, since it seems so well-mannered and intelligent in here)
Simply splendid! Well done! Excelsior!
Thanks Shamus, Read the whole thing in under two weeks. Makes me cry thinking of poor Arwen giving up her ride to the Grey Havens for an STD experience with Aragon.
Good times, good times.
Hmm… I’ve never seen such a butchery of a movie turned into such utter unbelievible insightful interesting moments of pure gamer irony.
Thanks for making the movie make more sense… I… think…
I have to say this was great! I stumbled across it two years after it was over, but I read it through in one sitting…at work.
In fact, I may get fired for this. :D
Awesome webcomic!
ok, I read the whole thing in one go. comments:
– My supervisor will want to know why the project is not ready.
– My co-workers want to know why I’ve been laughing for the last (one?) hour.
– The geek that monitors our net traffic will definitely pick up on this webcomic but at least he will be excited.
– This was awesome, funny and a must read for anybody who is or want’s to become a DM (not me).
– You could create a pdf version and just put it on scribd or something.
– The user comments were hilarious. You should put a (dynamic) “total user comments” at the end. While your are at it, how about some stats: hits, # of strips, characters, total MB of strips, comments etc.
Thanks a million. It was a great ride.
Got here from Boing. Just read the whole thing. Very funny and clever and I hate the movies, didn’t ‘get’ the books and have never played D&D etc.
I know some peeps I can send this to.
I relate to the whole name confusion thing.
ps: hope your op was ok.
A perfect ending to a brilliant work! I, too, think it would be excellent if you were able to publish this as a book. I now understand gaming’s relationship to LotR in a way I never would have otherwise. Your comic should be required reading for every Tolkien course–I’m definitely going to tell my students about it!
Hi there,
I arrived here from Boing-boing today and I finished the entire story… today!
I can’t remember when I laughed so hard from reading a story. The work you’ve done is simply brillant and next time I watch the Lord of the rings, I will for sure have your story in mind!
Great great piece of work, I hope Peter Jackson saw this!
best regards from Switzerland!
At times I didn’t know what was funnier – the comic or the accompanying commentary!
You’ve managed to sum up over 25 years of my own D&D RPG experiences in your web-comic, well done!
Read it all in one sitting.
Damn, that was awesome.
I have always wanted to write a webcomic. It takes a lot of skill to make a convincing and sympathetic character. It takes even more skill to make them look the same from one strip to the next. I saw read the first page of this, and straight away I knew you had a bunch of ready-made characters somehow turned inside-out so we see them from the fantasy side, a stack of images, a huge plot arc, and 200 pages worth of gags. Muthalode! You lucky, lucky (and cunning) baastard!
I am not sure if this new genre would take a second opus. This is a pity, becasue Wagner’s Ring could do with the treatment, and GotterDMerung makes a neat title. Lots of dotty gods and cunning dwarves, and a nonsense ending where everything catches fire, which I never understood, but the DM Has Had It Up To Here With This Shit explains it all perfectly.
Much clapping from us all.
That was great, thanks for the story. I am glad I read some of the posts as I got some great links out of them. Now to see if you have any other stories done.
I’m not a ‘gamer’ per se, but that, sir, was wonderful! I read the entire comic from beginning to end, and wasted (er, used) several or so hours at work. You, sir, are an artist, and I salute you!
My god.
This was too awesomely funny. :)
I sometimes participate in DnD but never as a DM.
And I find myself in those characters. :D
Im also that irritating.
I once dragged the dead body of my friend through the whole campaign. Because in my hometown there supposedly was a voodoo witch. But she failed in the end.
Thank you thank you thank you thank you! :D
This is the most fun I’ve had since I left the D&D world years ago. We played a game that lasted four years just so a friend could write a book.
This was awesome. I read the whole thing in one stretch after getting linked off Reddit.
Does anybody read these anymore?
I discovered this a few months ago, and read through the whole thing in one intense two-hour sitting. Then I showed it to my wife, and we went through the whole thing again.
I can’t imagine another four hours spent laughing that hard.
For the past few months, I’ve gone through again reading all the comments, and I’ve come to appreciate Shamus’s after-comic comments on gaming. (“Players complain so much about having to walk long distances. You would think they were actually, you know, walking there.” “Sometimes the most sadistic thing the DM can do to is to let the players have their own way.” “Whenever you introduce a new creature, you should be very specific in your descriptions so that players know if this is something for them to fight or have sex with.”)
Thank you for a wonderful comic.
omg that was a huge blast! I have laughed for the entire year, for real!
great piece of work, hats off and low bow to you!
Jundooz
Thank you Shamus for a great story and for great laughs and insight into the DM world. Too fun! I’m writing this two years after the strip ended and I’m sure I won’t be the last. I couldn’t read it all in one sitting, but all in all I rolled a one against “urge to read more.” :) THANKS!
I really really enjoyed the whole comic. I’ve randomly picked it up about 5 hours ago and now I have finally finished. There was no way I could pause till tomorrow.
It was incredible.
Bra-vo and Thank You!
I didn’t have enough ranks in concentration to get through in one go, but I have now finished your magnum opus. Horse Fucker, -5 gp helmet, parlay breaking, skater elf, what do i get if i hit on your princess, etc– Too many good moments! Long live metagaming mixed media…
I loved it so much! Have to post about how great it was! Plus I want a bunch of dice by this comment!
I learned of this earlier today and i’ve been reading it non stop since I did. To see it end is sad, oh so sad.
I havent laughed this hard since Flintlocke pulled Lowping into the dead ram and the tauren deleted his account.
A true work of art and fantastically hilarious!
Thank you. Thank you!
I read about this comic on another site a few hours ago & had 2 see what it was about. I’m glad I did! I just finished reading the entire story (3 hours straight–go me!) & I have 2 say: DM, this was absolute PERFECTION! I laugh/cried so hard my face hurts. ‘Aragorn’ was my favorite, & I hated him in the movie. ‘Legolas’ was also funny (where’s the loot!). The conversations were so incredibly ridiculously legit–if I had a hat I’d take it off 2 u. I really enjoyed myself. U r really talented, a true satirical genius, & it was a great pleasure reading the strip; better than the movie itself! Keep up the good work!
Cheers! I spent my Sunday reading through the series, it was very entertaining. You did a great job writing this Shamus, thanks for all the fun.
666th post.
I will consume you whole!
Wow.
I just got through with reading this…THANK YOU for the laughs.
I appreciate the hard work you put into this. =)
What? Six [b]hundred[/b] and sixty ate posts?
I wonder if anyone read all of these comments…
thanks for the great comic
just started reading recently,finished today,and i loved it all the way
Just finished reading, and it’s one of the best things I’ve seen. Thanks for the entertainment!
Found this by way of TV tropes and read it all in one sitting. I kind of love it a lot. It combined two of my core loves and one smaller love. Lord of the Rings, rpgs, and parodies (in that order). It’s nice to know that I’m not the only massive geek in the world. Thanks for the read!
I’m a huge lotr fan but i still think this stuff is Damn funny, you rule Dude!!!!! I love the Legolas gay jokes they are hilarious! XD :D
Dude, seriously. MOAR!
Shamus was right. This is a large pile of comments.
Glad to have read the comic, sure, but not nearly 700 comments worth.
Also: Kilroy Was Here.
I think I won’t comment.
…
Dang!
Congrats man, the comic has been hilarious.
I read the comic at the time it was published. These weeks I read it for the second time, and it was again great! Thanks for all the effort!
Well, it is 20-10 and i’m sitting here, reading your webcomic.
Two days ago i had hard exam and prior to reading your work my pal called and said i failed. ANd you know what ? F*ck it.
Your comic made my laugh so hard, i totally forgot what shit i’m now in.
Thank You Big S – i owe You. :o)
Thank you for that wonderful entertainment. Now to check out the rest of the website.
This comic is one of the funniest thing I have ever seen. And seeing your LOTRO parody on escapist, I see you have not lost your wit.
Chapeau!
Awesome strip, just did a marathon readthrough. It’s 5 a.m., I just found this earlier this morning. Epic lols.
-Jaster
What can i say… you’re a genius, man, you really cheered me up, I can’t remember laughin so much in a long time. Thank you.
Clivo
Italy
Love this comic! And I read it over and over again, makes me laugh everytime!
Holy Epic Backstory!
Thanks for the laughs! :-)
Still delivers on the fifth read. :D
I just discovered this recently when someone posted a link from the LotRO forums. I had no idea it was going to be so long, but once I got into it I really didn’t want it to end.
The first time I was in tears from laughing was when Legolas offed Gollum in a moment of indulgence and lucky die rolls that wiped out so much of the poor DM’s planning. I think we’ve all RP’ed with that guy before. He was always my favorite player when I used to DM, even though I wanted to strangle him when he did things just like this.
It is difficult to put a satisfying end to a something like this when the whole audience knows exactly when the end is coming. Monty Python never figured out how to do it. Lost and Battlestar Galactica struggled with it. Seinfeld totally bungled it. Arrested Development pulled it off brilliantly, and so did you. No matter how much they “hated this campaign”, they can’t wait to start a new one. That’s what makes all the frustrations of being the DM worth it in the end.
Thanks!
I just found your comic a couple days ago and just now finished reading all the way through. Thank you for the over-abundance of laughter I have enjoyed these last few days! You have an excellent gift and i appreciate you for sharing it with us!
-Hoolygan
Thank you, I just know about your site now (2010), but it’s still wonderful and as I lough the others in my office don’t understand why..
NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!! THEY CAN’T BE OVER! I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO NOW!!!!!
Thanks a bunch Shamus, they were really good.
Just read this for the first time. I friend pointed me to the first one, and I couldn’t stop reading it! As a long time D&D player, I have DMed and played every part of this web comic. Hilarious!
Thanks for the laughs!
I stumbled on this the other day and have spent the last few days reading it compulsively instead of doing my history paper. Thank you so much – it was really really amusing. I have never played D+D (I’m joining a 4.0 campaign but we haven’t started yet), and the comic was funny anyways, as well as being informative as to what I’m getting myself into hehe.
Thanks for all the great work!
Ara
I just stumpled on friday over this site.
Thank you so much.
I bet I am not the only one who says:
Do it agaian Sham, (with StarWars or something else)
Greets
(o First post btw)
There’s a comic inspired by DMotR called Darths & Droids. It’s a bit different, but it’s still HILARIOUS. Still going on, too – about halfway through the third movie, and I believe they’re planning on doing all 6.
Nearly 700 comments. That’s just ridiculous. SEVEN HUNDRED.
Anyway, 2nd time reading it, all in one night (again…), awesome, etc. etc. etc.
*edit* Also, this is somehow the first time I’ve noticed that the dice in the upper right give you the number of the comment. Neat – when does it break? Has to break sometime, doesn’t it? I wonder if the site itself breaks at 1k comments…
Shamus! Thank you for everything, I really had a great time laughing! Would I just suggest you to make the same strips here, but with other fantasy films like Conan, etc?
Congratulations dude! great job! one of the funniest things i ever ever read on internet, thank you. as a LOTR and D&D fan i could not laugh more and more every week, awesome.
To Shamus; couldn’t agree more. Read the comics in the past week in several sittings, and enjoyed them till the end. Also a fan of your work at the Escapist. Hope to see more of your creations in the future.
PS: when giving an introduction to tabletop roleplaying, I usually advise players to watch the Robot Chicken session at WotC:
http://www.wizards.com/dnd/videos.aspx
Also tackles some potential clashes GM & players might run into.
Laughed my ass out there. Hairlock! Thats treasure. I thought that was a joke, i didnt even write it down on my inventory. Every one else got nice treasure and i got some hair. Here is some toenails in return.
Really good comic. Really good sometimes.
Wow, over 700 comments…
I’m a long time reader, first time poster and I just read through the whole thing for the… oh, i don’t know, fourth or fifth time. It is as entertaining as ever, and the comments (which I read mostly for the first time) are partly hilarious and partly mindblowing and overall just great.
There was a link to your thoughts on the scene in which Aragorn is supposed to fight Sauron, read all of it plus the comments. That made me want to read Tolkien in english for the first time! Just to compare the original work to the movie (I have just been reading the german version… over and over again).
Guess what I’m saying is… good job, keep it up and grats for an awesome community :)
On several occasions I was actually brought to tears I was laughing so hard (ie. Boromir’s death-scene, and the Disorder of the Stick, to name but two), and I know I’m a few years late here, but kudos, job well done, very entertaining and I know I’m going to have a mischievous smile whenever I catch one of those stills in the movies; thanks for the lol’s!
P.S. You’d better be “doing” The Hobbit when it comes out! :D
You should totally turn this into a comicbook it’s great.
Dude, you are so funny. But you should have made one comic strip on how the role players thought the story SHOULD have ended. Like, say Legolas said, “Why don’t I just grab a dragon and the ring, fly over mount doom, and drop the ring in? Problem solved, and it takes five minutes, tops!” That would be funny!
I cannot believe that no one pointed this site out to me five years ago!
A very belated thank you for hours of laughter.
Well done!
Shamus,
I just finished my fourth read through this whole strip. My abdominal muscles hurt just as badly as they did after the first three. Seriously, you could market this as the “Shamus Young DMotR Abb Workout.” You should be very proud. Nearly five years since you finished it and new people are still coming in, additionally, many fans are returning to reread. You did a great job with this comic. Ever considered a PDF release? I’d hate for this to disappear if you ever close or move the site. It’s classic, one of the funniest things on the web.
Cheers,
Tachi
This webcomic has been very educational about tabletop RPGs. Until now, I knew almost nothing about them (and despite that, I had foolishly and unsuccessfully attempted to join a forum-based RPG). This has renewed my interest tabletop RPGs and also given me an idea for a parody of a certain anime that has oft been accused of being a LotR clone: Record of the Lodoss War (although now that I think about it, this sort of parody can be applied to pretty much any fantasy series).
If you are ever going to read this comment, what comic creator program did ya use to make DM of the Rings?
Hilarious! Great job! Thank you. Enjoyed it all and laughed so much throughout!
I enjoyed that a lot. Would you ever consider doing a Doctor Who D&D comic strip?? That has potential.
I know you made this years and years ago, but it was an awesome read. I’m a big LotR fan, and I’ve been playing DnD since I was a kid. I just started DMing a couple years ago, and omfg I get it :P
Thanks for all the time and effort you put into this webcomic!
I came across this comic about 2 years ago, and i still keep on reading it from time to time. Almost spill my guts out every time. If I ever want to read something epic, I usually come back here. :P
While I can see people doing all this to derail and/or fail to run an interesting game, I’m glad to say this has never been my experience. This may be because my gaming experience has included a grand total of two Y chromosomes (I’m in the gaming club at a women’s college), but I like to think that it’s because we’re all trolls together, including the DM, and we tend to come up with things like a shield that can turn organic matter into pastries on contact.
Wow! I found this via stumbleupon and I must say, this was certainly worth staying up till 1am to finish. Insainly funny. I must make both of my DMs read this!
This was epic and hilarious, and thank you for it. Why not do the Hobbit if you have the time? :D
You now have the Free Peoples of the Internet and they shall march behind you to the Bad Door of the Dark Lord English Teacher, whose superior is only the once human Principal! Or something like that. I’m better at putting plots onto existing characters than putting characters into existing plots. Loved this, my fave distraction from English essays. Yeah, I may or may not call my English teacher the Dark Lord. So what?
LAST!
You should really make web comics of the hobbit next
I’ve enjoyed the comic. Great work!!
Reading all this was totally worth it.
I even learned some rather basic skills.
Like “Rulebooks don’t matter as long as you can convince the DM.” and “Do the things the DM will hate. Maybe your character will die, but it will be fun.”
Thanks for all this.
So I finally read the comic Darth’s and Droids was based on. Pretty funny I must say. Never watched the movies and mostly forgot the books, si various things caught me by surprise. No to decide whether to reread or finally watch. Either way, the story won’t be the same…
Easily the best waste of an afternoon I’ve had in years. Kudos to you good sir! Now off to read your other comics….
It’s 10 years after this webcomic was written… and it is still wonderful! Thank you Shamus for the laughs!
Hi!
Thought I’d just drop a line after recalling this wonderful webcomic and checking it out again. I laughed a lot the first time, and this time around it’s still got that feeling.
Thanks a lot, Shamus.
Well done and lots of laughs in 2019! I found this gem last week, and it brought me to a purer sense of all that a DM stands for.
I’m DM’ing my first campaign right now. Thanks for the tips :)
And thanks for all the fish, Shamus
Here we are over 12 years later and I still come back to read this thing. In fact, just last week I referred yet another newbie reader here.
I literally laugh out loud when I reread this. Timeless !
Like an old friend, DMOTR is always here for me. I return every couple years or so. An invaluable source of laughter during the 2020 pandemic panic. Thanks so much, my friends! See you again soon!
A classic, I feel almost as much nostalgia for this comic as I feel for the good times when I saw the movies as a wee lass. I would love to see the players and dm return for the Hobbit trilogy…
That would be a huge party. 12 dwarves and a hobbit, And only the dwarf king, the hobbit and, in the movies, that one dwarf who romances the elf get focus. It would be one long adventure with little loot till the end when you get the most massive loot haul in dnd history. A vast cavern filled with gold, jewels and mithril. They don’t even get to kill the dragon
The other dwarves are obviously NPCs that are just there to steal XP and make the combat encounters much more tedious than they need to be. And it’s only fitting that they don’t get to kill the dragon. After all, the DM fixed the loot issue, you can’t expect him to ALSO fix the lack of fun bosses issue as well….
Here at long last comes the parting of our fellowship. I will not say do not weep. But you can always read this again