Forfeit Zero

From SWCCG Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
"Ignoble Origins", the first Forfeit Zero strip. Ben and Ethus explain the comic's mission.

Forfeit Zero was a webcomic about the Star Wars Customizable Card Game written and "drawn" by Brian Sabotta, who posted as ben_ethus. It ran from May 2003 to November 2005, mostly on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule. Its stick-figure cast of card players carried on a running feud with the "fiendish" Players Committee, and its readers gathered on Game Players Network and DeckTech. The complete run of strips and news posts is preserved at the Forfeit Zero Archive, comic.forfeitzero.com.[1]

The title is SWCCG jargon: a card with forfeit 0 does nothing to absorb battle damage. In "Establishing the Establishment", Newbie loses his "forfeit zero dude" and the overflow kills him.[2]

History

Origins (2003)

Sabotta unveiled the comic in a Game Players Network forum thread he started under the heading "Diversions from Deckbuilding". He later called GPN the "sort-of official" Forfeit Zero message board and credited its regulars with "more comics/punchlines than you're probably aware".[3][4] The first strip, "Ignoble Origins", introduces Ben and Ethus, whose "mission" is "to amuse you using pictures and words on the subject of our favoritest card game: Star Wars: CCG! Or, failing that, to pointlessly belittle you".[5] Its footer gives the comic's first address, home.earthlink.net/ben_ethus/forfeitzero. By July the strips pointed to forfeitzero.keenspace.com, a free host.[5][2]

On 22 July 2003 Sabotta set out the comic's direction. He said he was "a fan of the Player's Committee" and liked "what they're doing to promote and maintain a game that is, technically, dead". The PC debate on the forums still gave him the springboard for "the next major plotline".[6] He meant to post on Tuesdays and Thursdays but settled into Monday, Wednesday and Friday.[7][8]

Growing readership

The 50th strip went up on 3 November 2003, the 75th on 31 December 2003 and the 100th on 3 March 2004.[9][10][8] Site visits nearly doubled from 554 in September 2003 to 1,066 in November.[11] Readers wrote in from Mexico, and the site's statistics showed visitors from Germany and Yugoslavia. A reader, Rodrigo Hernández, volunteered to translate the archive into Spanish. Translated strips appeared from December 2003, and they got their own pages in January 2004.[12][13][14][15] Outages at its free host repeatedly knocked the site offline, and in early February 2004 the comic's auto-updater broke.[16][17][18]

The 100th-comic contest

To mark the 100th strip, Sabotta asked readers to email their "favoritest" Forfeit Zero comic and say why. The prize was a character based on the winner, with the winner choosing the name "and (most importantly) ... the hat".[8] He could not choose between two entries, so on 19 March 2004 he named two winners. Rustan Sharer ("Rogue 4") picked "Exchange Rate" (22 October 2003) and became Ned, a lost explorer in a pith helmet. David Destefanis ("DDM") picked "Brainiac" and became David De Master, who wears a Napoleonic bicorne and plots "First Locals, then European Championships, then the WORLD!!!!".[19][20]

Slowdown and the WARS years (2004–2005)

From late March 2004 updates thinned out. Sabotta was busy with his personal life and then with a new job as a computer programmer in Pittsburgh. He promised "I won't let the comic die".[21][22] Through 2004 many strips turned to Decipher's new WARS TCG. He explained that "the success/failure of Wars could have a significant impact on the future of SW:CCG", and he expected Virtual Set 7 to bring the comic back to SWCCG.[23] He wrote the "Email of the Week" read on Wars Radio in September 2004.[24] When Mark Tuttle came to Pittsburgh on the Decipher Wars Tour that November, Sabotta lost to him and gave him a Forfeit Zero "L.O.B. Sandwich" T-shirt from the comic's new online store.[25] A January 2005 series, "Two Weeks Ago", attacked what he called Decipher's "poor decision making", and "Firstage" (29 January 2005) was a "pseudo-SWCCG comic" from an author who admitted he hadn't played the game "in ages".[26][27]

Skiffit and the last strips

After almost no strips over the summer of 2005, Sabotta explained in October that he and two friends had been building Skiffit.com. The site let collectors buy and sell Star Wars CCG cards, video games and other trading cards at fixed prices instead of by auction. He said Forfeit Zero would move there from "lame Keenspace with their frequent service outages and annoying banner ad".[28] He listed his own spare SWCCG cards for sale on the new site. The last news post, "Skiffit Lives!", went up with the strip "It Talks" on 2 November 2005.[29]

Rediscovery and the new archive (2023–2026)

On 24 March 2023 the forum user quickdraw3457 started a "Forfeit Zero Comic" thread on the Players Committee forums. He posted that the comic was still online at forfeitzero.comicgenesis.com, its old Keenspace address, "in all its original glory". He added that Brian "might try to host it himself", was "pretty flattered that people still remember it" and was "shocked that the original host was still live".[30] Throdo asked how he had not heard of it in "the last 16 years I've been back in the game". quickdraw3457 replied that it "had kind of faded away by 2007ish".[31]

On 1 November 2026 Sabotta, posting as ben ethus, announced the comic's "new permanent home" at comic.forfeitzero.com. The archive shows each original strip with its news post, if one existed, and navigates by file name. He said this is "mostly chronological, but has a few oddities due to files that got renamed". He also explained the rabbit: "Over 20 years ago, someone got all bent out of shape about one of the comics, so I had redacted it with a placeholder." He wrote that it was still amazing to him "that 1) anyone remembers it or 2) anyone could possibly still care about it", and called the comic "the one contribution to the hobby I was able to make aside from getting obliterated in every tournament I ever played in".[32] Scott Lingrell replied "Awesome! Thanks for posting this!"[33]

Websites

The comic had three homes.[5][2]

  • home.earthlink.net/ben_ethus/forfeitzero – the address printed on the first strip in May 2003.
  • forfeitzero.keenspace.com – the free Keenspace webcomic host, from July 2003. The same site still answers at forfeitzero.comicgenesis.com. It keeps features the new archive does not have: a page for each strip with its news post, a calendar archive ("Raiders of the Lost Archive"), the "Roll Call" character page, a links page, and six Spanish translations of strips from 25–29 May 2003 and 10 December 2003. It also has the 19 April 2004 "Guest Strip" (made for Real Life Comics), which is missing from the new archive.[34][35]
  • comic.forfeitzero.com – the "new permanent home" Sabotta opened in November 2026. It shows each strip with its news post and navigates by file name.[32]

Story and characters

"Establishing the Establishment" (22 July 2003) introduced the Players Committee Headquarters, a castle on a hill.

The strips are stick figures with round heads, black faces and hats. Sabotta noted that the "action" was "a bunch of sticks and circles sitting around talking", and he added colour only for outdoor scenes.[36] The site's "Roll Call" page introduced the cast with parody cards and short bios. Most are mock Star Wars CCG cards; Shádow 839 is drawn as a Lord of the Rings TCG card and Chibi as a Pokémon card.[37][38]

  • Ben, Card Game Enthusiast
    Ben, Card Game Enthusiast
  • Ethus, Collectible Card Gamer
    Ethus, Collectible Card Gamer
  • The Newbie, Gaming Neophyte
    The Newbie, Gaming Neophyte
  • Shádow 839, Enforcer of the Committee
    Shádow 839, Enforcer of the Committee
  • Chibi
    Chibi
  • The Derivative Larry Potter
    The Derivative Larry Potter
  • Uncle Dan, Gamer Mechanic
    Uncle Dan, Gamer Mechanic
  • The Boss
    The Boss
  • L.O.B. Sandwich
    L.O.B. Sandwich
  • Ben ("Card Game Enthusiast") – "more or less your average run-of-the-mill Star Wars:CCG player. (Even if he is just an eyeball with arms and legs.)" He plays mainly for fun and is "best-friends/arch-nemesis" with Ethus. Both have played since the game was first released.[37]
  • Ethus ("Collectible Card Gamer") – raised on a farm he hates. He is "forever chewing on a piece of hay" and "never without his straw hat". Together the two names make Sabotta's handle, ben_ethus.[37][5]
  • The Newbie ("Gaming Neophyte"; also "Newb", "Newbo") – just introduced to SWCCG. He wears a pointed cap marked "N", and his first deck "blows".[37][2]
  • Shádow 839 ("Enforcer of the Committee") – "Dark minion of the dreaded Player's Committee", who makes sure players obey the Committee's leader: "For your sake, I hope you play 'Virtual Cards.'"[37]
  • Chibi and Larry Potter – the "dire fiends" of the license quest. Chibi is a furry creature who plays Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Trading Card Game and "hates Yahtzee". Larry, "the semi-retarded, bastard cousin of a prominent literary figure", hangs out with Chibi, "who despises him".[37][39]
  • Uncle Dan ("Gamer Mechanic") – "quite possibly the only mechanic to ever play the game of Star Wars:CCG".[37]
  • The Boss – owns the shop where Ben, Ethus and Newbie work. He hired them after Ethus beat him at SWCCG, even though he was using his 1996 Regional Championship decks.[37]
  • L.O.B. Sandwich – Ethus's left-over bologna sandwich and "resident SW:CCG expert at Bob's Deli", who beat Newbie in a tournament game. A Forfeit Zero T-shirt carried his picture.[37][25]
  • Sam – a girl who plays Star Wars, introduced at a card sale in "Rarity" (20 October 2003). Gary and Fez Man are other recurring friends.[40][8]
  • Ned and David De Master – the contest winners' characters (2004).[19]
  • A yellow board-game pawn who lures Ben away from card games in July 2005 ("A New Face").[41]

The main plot began in July 2003. A Player's Committee hidden in its fortress learns that a newbie is "not using our Virtual Cards" and resolves "to put a stop to this". The strip explains that when Decipher lost the license, "a group of players banded together to take control of the game, and called themselves the 'Player's Committee' ... unleashing free new cards, rules updates, and tournament prizes upon the unsuspecting masses". Newbie answers by vowing to take the Committee head on, "seize the Star Wars license by force and return it to Decipher".[42][43] Sabotta hoped "the friendly folks who run the Player's Committee have a sense of humor" and asked the same of the Shadow Squadron.[44][45] The quest led the trio to the "dire fiends holding the Star Wars merchandising license hostage". These turned out to be Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars TCG players. In February 2004 the story resumed as the "ongoing adventures of Ben & Ethus & The Newb in their quest to get the license back from WotC to foil the fiendish PC".[46][39][47]

Topics

Between story arcs the comic followed the SWCCG news of its day:

  • Virtual cards. In September 2003 Sabotta followed the PC's polls for the first player-created virtual cards of Virtual Set 6. He backed "Why Didn't You Tell Me?" for the Dark Side card and correctly predicted "Brief Loss of Control" and "Impressive, Most Impressive" as the winners.[48][49][50][51] He made Virtual Set 6 strips in December 2003 ("Out-of-Date Topical Humor") and won games with Civil Disorder (V) and Boba Fett's Blaster Rifle (V).[52][53][54] A January 2004 strip about "the latest Virtual Card set" set off "a fierce debate" on the GPN boards.[55]
  • Decipher. A long 24 October 2003 post attacked Decipher's new sanctioned-tournament system for turning "Tournament Directors into Marketing Shills". It praised the players who had kept "a game that has officially been out-of-print for the past few years alive through sheer determination".[56]
  • DeckTech and GPN. Sabotta joined DeckTech in October 2003, and his Ewok deck "Bad News Bears" reached #5 on its Top 10 SWCCG list. A February 2004 strip answered players who complained that DeckTech was past its prime.[12][57]
  • Local tournaments. News posts carried tournament reports from the Pittsburgh scene: Helm's Deep, Dormont and an unsanctioned event at a Boston Market after a card shop event gave way to Pokémon players. Several reports became strips, such as "Scenes From Yesterday's Tourney" from the 20 December 2003 Dormont tournament.[58][59][54][60] His regular opponent was his friend Shewski.[61][38]
  • Other games. Strips poked fun at Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars TCG and later WARS. The September 2003 "Off-Topic" strip, about a Chuck Palahniuk talk, was soon replaced by a rabbit placeholder, "FLUFFY BUNNY!!!". Sabotta linked the original for readers who "don't get offended easily". In 2026 he explained that "someone got all bent out of shape" about it.[62][23][32]

Strips

There are 145 dated strips and one alternate, listed in date order with a short summary of each. Titles are taken from each strip's header. Each link opens the strip's page on the original site, with its news post.[1][34]

# Date Strip title Summary
1 25 May 2003 "Ignoble Origins" Ben and Ethus introduce themselves and their mission: amusing, or belittling, SWCCG fans.
2 26 May 2003 "Inauspicious Start" Ben and Ethus explain why they started a webcomic about SWCCG; card-geek girlfriend joke.
3 27 May 2003 "Negative Harbinger" Ben and Ethus promise mass appeal, then preview an ultra-niche destiny-draw punchline.
4 28 May 2003 "Newbie-What?" The Newbie arrives to learn SWCCG; Ethus instantly hates him, mocking player recruitment.
5 29 May 2003 "So True" Ethus calls the Newbie a cheap narrative device; Ben asks about his destiny number.
6 30 May 2003 "Long Road Ahead" Ben begins teaching Newbie SWCCG basics; Newbie thinks it is a real-estate game.
7 31 May 2003 "Just Picture It..." Ben explains starships cannot deploy to interior sites; Newbie imagines a TIE fighter in a room.
8 1 June 2003 "On My Word, Unleash Math!" Ben and Newbie add up power totals in a battle; the math proves anticlimactic.
9 5 June 2003 "Harsh Reality" Newbie asks where to buy cards; a game shop charges him dearly for a Reflections pack.
10 18 June 2003 "Or Something Like That" Ben lost to Newbie using one of Ethus's decks; Ethus threatens to kill him.
11 19 June 2003 "Fair Warning" Ethus warns Ben against irritating him mid-game; Ben deploys Brainiac and a giant weight looms.
12 24 June 2003 "Timing is Key" Newbie returns from card shopping and walks under Ethus's falling weight; bad-timing slapstick.
13 25 June 2003 "Allusions of Grandeur: Part I" Ben lends Newbie cards and reveals his enormous card collection room; 2001 parody.
14 26 June 2003 "Allusions of Grandeur: Part II" Newbie trips out inside Ben's card collection, quoting HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
15 11 July 2003 "Solution" Ben and Ethus plan to knock out the HAL-quoting Newbie, choosing a brick over a binder.
16 12 July 2003 "Violence is Funny" Newbie wakes confused and is promptly knocked out again by a thrown brick.
17 13 July 2003 "New Predicament" Ben and Ethus try reviving Newbie, proposing burnt copies of The Dark Path as smelling salts.
18 20 July 2003 "Out of the Darkness" Ben and Ethus force burnt card ash into Newbie's mouth; he finally wakes up.
19 21 July 2003 "Everybody Starts Somewhere" Ben gives Newbie cards and sends him home to build decks; Newbie builds a naive 60-card pile.
20 22 July 2003 "Establishing the Establishment" Newbie's first deck loses to Ethus; Ben suggests Virtual Cards and the Players Committee stirs.
21 27 August 2003 "Dire Fiends" Ben and Ethus explain the Players Committee to Newbie; the PC learns he shuns Virtual Cards.
22 29 August 2003 "Ymra Eht Nioj" Ben explains Virtual Cards and the PC's reaction; the PC dispatches its Shadow Squadron after Newbie.
23 1 September 2003 "Dirty Brains Need It" Ben and Ethus warn Newbie of PC brainwashing rumors; a reprogrammed first Rebel spouts leetspeak.
24 3 September 2003 "Wrong Franchise" Newbie scoffs at the Players Committee as its Shadow riders, Nazgul-style, set out.
25 5 September 2003 "Epic Plans Commence" Newbie vows to seize the Star Wars license and return it to Decipher, then wonders who holds it.
26 8 September 2003 "Recon" Ben names Wizards of the Coast as license holder; Newbie finds their address in a phonebook.
27 10 September 2003 "Tactics" Newbie fails to formulate a plan of attack against Wizards; Ethus questions being included.
28 12 September 2003 "Logistics" Newbie begs Ben and Ethus to join his quest against the PC; he lacks a car.
29 15 September 2003 "Bartering System" Ben and Ethus refuse Newbie's road-trip offers until a final bribe sways Ethus.
30 17 September 2003 "FLUFFY BUNNY!!!" Non-comic filler: a photograph of a wild rabbit (replacing the originally posted image).
— 17 September 2003 "Off-Topic" (the original strip, replaced by "FLUFFY BUNNY!!!") Ethus at a Chuck Palahniuk talk, where a crude audience question gets a crude answer; replaced by the bunny.
31 19 September 2003 "Back on Track" A Shadow Squadron rider bursts into the empty game room, finding the trio already gone.
32 22 September 2003 "Car Games" Ethus plays SWCCG while driving, Walker Garrison drain and all, and crashes the car.
33 24 September 2003 "Revenge of the Bartering System" Uncle Dan's Auto bills $8,311 for repairs; Ethus pays with his supposedly valuable SWCCG cards.
34 26 September 2003 "If Only" Ben, Ethus and Newbie need $8,000 to recover the car; a convenient help-wanted sign appears.
35 29 September 2003 "Application Process" The Boss, at a jobs booth, will hire the trio only if one of them beats him at SWCCG.
36 1 October 2003 "Best Used Before Date Printed On Side" The Boss plays his unchanged 1996 Regional-winning deck with Tatooine: Cantina; Ethus has a modern start.
37 3 October 2003 "Discontinuous" Ethus wins via Death Star: Trench, but his illegal start is questioned; three-headed monkey distraction.
38 6 October 2003 "Off-Topic #2" Fun tournament quotes from the Dormont, PA tourney: a surprise Ewok Celebration start and cheater accusations.
39 8 October 2003 "Back at the Ranch..." Ethus demands a rematch against The Boss with his Dark Side Senate deck; cheating accusations follow.
40 10 October 2003 "Whispers in the Wind" Ethus wins again and claims the promised jobs; The Boss stands up, revealing absurdly long legs.
41 13 October 2003 "Pole Positions" The Boss assigns jobs at his gaming shop: Ethus runs tourneys, Ben sells singles, Newbie plunges toilets.
42 15 October 2003 "Population Control" Tourney director Ethus must evict Lord of the Rings players to free chairs for the SWCCG tourney.
43 17 October 2003 "The Circle is Now Complete" Ben starts in single-card sales; a 15% commission inflates the price of Disarmed to twenty dollars.
44 20 October 2003 "Rarity" Sam debuts asking Ben to value a card; Ben is stunned a hot girl plays Star Wars.
45 22 October 2003 "Exchange Rate" Sam trades her weak card plus a brief make-out session for a complete Coruscant set.
46 24 October 2003 "Not Immune to Alter" Ethus announces Decipher's new sanctioned tournament rules: extra fees, Decipher Dollars, magazine pitches; feels like a corporate pawn.
47 27 October 2003 "Friendly Advice" A Newbie's Guide to Tournament Etiquette: Newbie uses Magic terms, odd sleeves and a misplayed Hoth combo.
48 29 October 2003 "To The Letter of the Law" An opponent refuses to proceed until Newbie says The Force is with you at turn's end.
49 31 October 2003 "Costume Party!" Halloween costume awards: Uncle Dan's ghost, Sam's Shadow Squadron, and Ethus as water-damaged Darth Vader foil.
50 3 November 2003 "Denial" Newbie's first sanctioned game: his LS pile is shut down by Sam's BHBM with Sense, Alter, Control.
51 5 November 2003 "Downfalls of Card Economy" Newbie's second game: his DSII/TTO deck without Endor Operations loses to Gary's TIGIH by 49.
52 7 November 2003 "Indignities" Ethus tells last-place Newbie his third-round opponent is Ethus's left-over bologna sandwich.
53 10 November 2003 "Asininity" Newbie faces L.O.B. Sandwich's 60 random Dark Side cards, gets fed up and concedes.
54 12 November 2003 "Winner's Circle" Ethus reads tourney standings: Gary and Sam win Decipher Dollars; Newbie gets tutoring from L.O.B. Sandwich.
55 14 November 2003 "Alternatives" Sulking Newbie considers quitting; Chibi and Larry Potter invite him to play their Star Wars game.
56 17 November 2003 "Alternatives: Part II" Chibi and Larry Potter start Newbie on the Star Wars TCG, handing him dice; Ethus senses trouble.
57 19 November 2003 "Playing Apparatus" Chibi sets up the Star Wars TCG with playmat, counters and dice; Newbie wonders where the cards are.
58 21 November 2003 "Miss Gnomer?" Newbie complains his Star Wars TCG deck has only seven cards and fixed play-mat squares.
59 24 November 2003 "Killer Strat" Chibi explains Star Wars TCG arena combat dice rolls; Newbie asks why not flip a coin.
60 26 November 2003 "Strategic Dice Rolling" Newbie rolls dice repeatedly in the Star Wars TCG and wins without paying attention.
61 28 November 2003 "Time to Gorge Yourself" Thanksgiving greeting: Ben as pilgrim, Newbie unhappily cast as the turkey, Ethus in feathers.
62 1 December 2003 "Where's Newbo?" Ethus searches the shop for Newbie; Uncle Dan says he saw him playing Yahtzee.
63 3 December 2003 "Now Where's Ethuso?" Chibi asks Newbie to play the Star Wars TCG again; he'd rather go plunge toilets.
64 5 December 2003 "The Truth About Larry" Ethus urges Chibi to admit playing Yahtzee; Larry Potter happily chants Yahtzee.
65 8 December 2003 "Realization" Ethus learns Chibi plays Wizards of the Coast's SW:TCG and demands to see their leader.
66 10 December 2003 "Random Idiocy" Gary bellows a cough-drop commercial yodel every time he uses Force to deploy.
67 12 December 2003 "Random++" A player's DeckTech-rated droid and vehicle deck uses Regeesk (V) to keep raiding Sam's Lost Pile.
68 14 December 2003 "Visitation" Shádow 839 visits the Boss's Card Shoppe with new Virtual Cards, ordering everyone to comply; Ben panics.
69 17 December 2003 "Big News" Ethus hands out the PC's Virtual Set 6; Fez Man questions missing player-created cards; Shádow 839 descends.
70 19 December 2003 "Result from Lack of Sleep" Gary's Civil Disorder (V) loop drags a game on for days, infuriating his opponent.
71 22 December 2003 "Scenes From Yesterday's Tourney" Scenes from the 12/20/03 Dormont tourney: Hidden Base everywhere, a Walker Garrison drain, forgotten Luke and Visage.
72 24 December 2003 "Synonymous" Fez Man hates Down With The Emperor (V); Sam's abbreviation DWTE sparks a pronunciation gag.
73 26 December 2003 "Happy Holidays" Holiday greeting from reindeer Ben, Santa-hatted Newbie, Ethus and L.O.B. Sandwich.
74 29 December 2003 "Toilet Humor" Newbie plunges a toilet while Shádow 839 and a horse pound impatiently on the door.
75 31 December 2003 "Run-In" Shádow 839 of the PC bursts into the bathroom and corners Newbie, who is plunging a toilet.
76 2 January 2004 "Hearing Things" Shádow 839 threatens Newbie with a Yu-Gi-Oh! starter deck; nearby players hear his wail.
77 5 January 2004 "Good Question" Ben pesters two women over Command Card phone numbers while Ethus pounces on Chibi, alarming Larry Potter.
78 7 January 2004 "Bitter Truth #1" Launches the "I Suck at Star Wars CCG" series: the author forgets to deploy systems.
79 9 January 2004 "Fact Finding" Ethus threatens to break Chibi's fingers, but Chibi has only flipper-paws; Yahtzee joke.
80 12 January 2004 "Memory Loss" Chibi asks why Ethus attacked; Ethus blames Wizards' SW:TCG, then can't recall the old storyline.
81 14 January 2004 "Reminiscing" Ethus recalls Newbie's feud was with the Players Committee; flashback of Shádow 839 pushing Virtual Cards.
82 16 January 2004 "De-gifter" Newbie gives in to Virtual Cards, but Shádow 839 keeps swapping V6 for revised versions; errata humor.
83 19 January 2004 "Storytime" Newbie tries to tell Ethus about the cloaked figure in the bathroom; Ethus refuses to listen.
84 21 January 2004 "Communist Nazi" Shádow 839 bans a polite fez-wearing player from SWCCG for asking when new Virtual Cards are due.
85 23 January 2004 "Oops..." Chibi blurts out he lacks the Star Wars license; asked for Wizards' HQ instead, Larry Potter cries help.
86 26 January 2004 "Another Front" Wizard-hatted figures watch the heroes via crystal ball, fear for their Star Wars license, dispatch Magic players.
87 28 January 2004 "Oldest Trick Ever" Newbie and Ethus demand the license; Chibi says look behind you as a cannon takes aim.
88 30 January 2004 "Barrel of Something" Newbie and Ethus puzzle over a three-headed monkey cutout while a hidden cannon's fuse slowly burns.
89 2 February 2004 "Mackin'" Ben asks two women for a phone number; a sudden explosion interrupts.
90 4 February 2004 "Fault Line" An explosion scatters two players' game mid-battle (Beat Squad vs. Ugnaught); they argue over calling it a draw.
91 6 February 2004 "Spell Check" A player complains DeckTech's Top Ten is all fun decks; told it's the players' fault, he ignores it.
92 9 February 2004 "This Actually Happened Today" All-black strip: players stumble through a dark, locked store basement after a tournament; Clue joke.
93 15 February 2004 (untitled: "The page cannot be displayed") Ethus, Ben and Newbie complain over a browser error page about the site's week-long outage.
94 18 February 2004 "Trailer" Trailer recapping the story: the dire fiends Chibi and Larry Potter, and the cannon blast.
95 20 February 2004 "At Long Last" The cannoneer gloats over finally getting the heroes, then is ejected under Store Rule #1: no cannons.
96 23 February 2004 "Settling Dust" Ben and The Boss discuss the explosion and store rules; Newbie and Ethus lie beyond a blasted wall.
97 25 February 2004 "Assessments" The Boss and Ben survey the wrecked wall; groaning rubble prompts Ben to attack the brick monster.
98 27 February 2004 "Damage Assessment" Dazed Ethus recalls a three-headed monkey; deemed brain-damaged after naming Invasion the best objective.
99 1 March 2004 "Concussed" Ethus recalls the license chase and Chibi's escape; The Boss only regrets missing Yahtzee.
100 3 March 2004 (100th comic) 100th strip: mock-grand title panels, then a player's pickup line is rebuffed.
101 5 March 2004 "Fun With Math!" Filler strip: Fun With Math equation (late author, weekend trip) equals armadillos; a reader groans.
102 8 March 2004 "Distant Thunder" Rumbling interrupts the heroes; a dust cloud chanting untap-upkeep-draw approaches two players: Magic players.
103 10 March 2004 "Sick Day" Sick-day strip: a virus named Vincent claims credit for ruining today's comic and threatens readers.
104 12 March 2004 "New Senses" Newbie, Ethus and Ben hear distant Magic: The Gathering jargon (mana screw, Black Lotus) and sigh.
105 17 March 2004 "And the Winner is..." Ben and Ethus fight for hours over the Create-A-Character Contest envelope; Newbie compares it to the Oscars.
106 19 March 2004 "New Faces" Contest winners debut: Ned asks for On The Edge doubles in a jungle; David De Master plots domination.
107 22 March 2004 (placeholder: "Check back later") Placeholder notice: comic delayed by a busy weekend, offering a funny word instead.
108 30 March 2004 "Ultimatum" New characters David De Master and Ned demand new comics, threatening to punch Newbie daily.
109 7 April 2004 "Oops..." Ethus catches Ben hiding something on his computer: Ben's awful photos from a friend's wedding.
110 19 April 2004 "Guest Strip" (a guest strip for Real Life Comics; missing from the new archive) Real Life Comics guest strip: Greg gets lifetime Pepsi Kona and drinks it by IV drip.
111 6 May 2004 "New Comic?!?" Ben shows Ethus Decipher's new card game with SWCCG-like mechanics; Chibi and Larry Potter hide, then betray themselves.
112 7 June 2004 "Vocab" Ben announces a new programming job; Ethus misunderstands the word "destitute" and condemns him.
113 10 June 2004 "Communication Breakdown" Ben tries to research Decipher's new WARS game, but its message board is painfully unreadable.
114 15 June 2004 "Booooooo!" Ben and Ethus mock the WARS four-copy card limit via Dr. Vezzezzan's four-clone "unholy horde."
115 11 July 2004 "Fine, Art" Ethus fumes that Decipher didn't pick him as a WARS artist; Ben mocks his stick-figure art.
116 12 July 2004 "Mastercheese Theater Presents" Ned and David De Master imagine a WARS world without a weapons phase, with photo-collage chaos.
117 20 July 2004 "Not Yet, But Maybe..." A Decipher "D" mascot announces WARS set rotation; months later players use Pinochle cards to fill the pool.
118 13 September 2004 "The Doctor Is In" A bored Newbie in a bathroom meets Dr. Vezzezzan, who bursts through a rift.
119 15 September 2004 "The Doctors Are In" Dr. Vezzezzan sends his tiny four-clone horde to attack the mocking Newbie.
120 17 September 2004 "Odd Noises" Ben and Ethus hear a rift tear open and the Newbie's cries for help, and ignore them.
121 20 September 2004 "Dirty Parody" Ethus gives a Dirty Harry-style speech over firing a Sidearm in a WARS battle at Harvesting Camp.
122 22 September 2004 (high-score arcade parody) Pac-Man parody: Ben trapped in an arcade maze, chased by WARS Shi ships as ghosts.
123 27 September 2004 "What You Didn't Hear" Mark Tuttle reads Ben's Wars Radio email on Shi reproduction; Ben's bucket list has a cheeky goal.
124 6 October 2004 "Release Day Festivities" Newbie is dragged through the rift by Dr. Vezzezzan while Ben and Ethus open WARS release-day packs.
125 20 October 2004 "Surplus Common Paper Airplane Races!!!" Photo strip: surplus WARS common cards folded into paper airplanes and raced, Jack Wilgress vs Darth Vader.
126 10 November 2004 "Humility" Ben plays Mark Tuttle at a Pittsburgh WARS Tour stop, taunts him, then loses badly.
127 1 December 2004 "They Listened!" Spoofing the Nowhere to Hide art controversy, Decipher's "fixed" WARS ad shows a fully veiled figure.
128 5 December 2004 "Absolute Power" Ben and Ethus discuss WARS power creep in Nowhere to Hide; a future absurd card wins instantly.
129 7 December 2004 "Auction Sniping" Ben hates eBay auction snipers for WARS singles, then happily snipes auctions himself.
130 13 December 2004 "New Marketing Scheme" Stranger-danger parody: a man in a car tempts a kid with a free WARS Incursion starter and boosters.
131 5 January 2005 "Two Weeks Ago: Part 1" A Mark Tuttle caricature and Decipher mascots plot to crush WARS players' spirits before the holidays.
132 7 January 2005 "Two Weeks Ago: Part II" Decipher mascots poll players about the dominant WARS card Tavang, then ban Talkan instead.
133 29 January 2005 "Firstage" Ben reads viewer mail asking for SWCCG comics, then gets a needy love letter from the SWCCG box.
134 13 March 2005 "Return to Me" Ben sneaks out from Ethus with a box to secretly reunite with his old flame, SWCCG.
135 10 April 2005 "The Last Laugh" The author's SWCCG return: at a tourney his Endor Celebration Ewok deck is mocked, then wins.
136 4 May 2005 "Next Expansion" A player asks a Decipher mascot about WARS Edge of a Sword and gets a trash-bound magazine.
137 5 May 2005 "Work Ethic" Ben guesses Decipher's silence on Edge of a Sword means perfectionism; the Decipher mascot is job-hunting.
138 6 June 2005 "End of an Era" Ben and Ethus lament Decipher abandoning WARS; Newbie and friend shout "Wonder Twins powers, activate."
139 5 July 2005 "A New Face" A sulking Ben, done with card games, meets the scheming yellow pawn, who lures him away.
140 7 July 2005 "Train-ing" The yellow pawn introduces Ben to the board game Ticket to Ride; hours later Ben is hooked.
141 13 July 2005 "Addiction" Ben grows obsessed with Ticket to Ride and ends up at a doctor with trains in his nose.
142 6 October 2005 "Back From Hiatus" After a long hiatus, Ben gets a threatening email and types a new comic at bread-gunpoint.
143 13 October 2005 "Incommunicado" Ben can't reach Decipher HQ about Vegas prize money; Decipher's headquarters rockets away from Earth.
144 18 October 2005 "Shill" An Internet Fairy grants Ben's wish for an eBay alternative: the author's new site, Skiffit.com.
145 2 November 2005 "It Talks" Ethus taunts Chibi and Larry Potter that Wizards' Star Wars TCG is ending; Chibi relishes minis profits.

See also

Sources

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Forfeit Zero Archive, comic.forfeitzero.com. Every strip carries the credit "Written and 'Drawn' by Brian Sabotta"; every news post is signed "-ben_ethus" above the footer "Forfeit Zero - Created by Brian Sabotta". Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Establishing the Establishment", Forfeit Zero strip (22 July 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  3. ↑ "Artists Steal", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (21 January 2004). "Never really imagined that after posting my first 'Diversions from Deckbuilding' post that over 80 comics would come as a result."
  4. ↑ "Bootlegs", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (14 November 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Ignoble Origins", Forfeit Zero strip (25 May 2003).
  6. ↑ "Cheeky Tongues", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (22 July 2003). "This next run of comics will serve as the springboard to launch into the next major plotline" Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  7. ↑ "Daddy Longlegger", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (10 October 2003). "I update this crazy page with a new comic every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Celebrate Good Times, Come On!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (3 March 2004).
  9. ↑ "Number 50!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (3 November 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  10. ↑ "Happy New Year!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (2 January 2004). "As an aside, Wednesday's comic was #75!" Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  11. ↑ "Har Har", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (3 December 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Unfair Advantage", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (22 October 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  13. ↑ "Worldly Humor", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (10 December 2003).
  14. ↑ "Out-of-Date Topical Humor#2", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (17 December 2003).
  15. ↑ "Actualy Updated Something", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (9 January 2004).
  16. ↑ "Mileage May Vary", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (1 October 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  17. ↑ "Site Sorta Fixed", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (4 February 2004).
  18. ↑ "'Free' Hosting", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (15 February 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Double Your Pleasure", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (19 March 2004).
  20. ↑ "New Faces", Forfeit Zero strip (19 March 2004).
  21. ↑ "Hey Guys...", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (30 March 2004). "Rest assured, I won't let the comic die."
  22. ↑ "New Career Goals", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (7 June 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Everyone's A Critic", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (11 July 2004).
  24. ↑ "Still Riding My 15 Minutes...?", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (27 September 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "So, Yeah...", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (10 November 2004).
  26. ↑ "*grumble*", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (5 January 2005).
  27. ↑ "Roots", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (29 January 2005).
  28. ↑ "Big Announcement!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (18 October 2005). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  29. ↑ "Skiffit Lives!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (2 November 2005). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  30. ↑ Forfeit Zero Comic, quickdraw3457, forum.starwarsccg.org (24–25 March 2023). Preserved copy: Internet Archive.
  31. ↑ Forfeit Zero Comic, Throdo and quickdraw3457, forum.starwarsccg.org (19 April 2023). Preserved copy: Internet Archive.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Forfeit Zero Comic, ben ethus (Brian Sabotta), forum.starwarsccg.org (1 November 2026). Preserved copy: Internet Archive.
  33. ↑ Forfeit Zero Comic, Advocate (Scott Lingrell), forum.starwarsccg.org (1 November 2026). Preserved copy: Internet Archive.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Forfeit Zero, forfeitzero.comicgenesis.com (the original Keenspace site): archive, Roll Call, links, Spanish edition, 19 April 2004.
  35. ↑ "Submitted to Mr. Dean", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (19 April 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  36. ↑ "Murphy", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (24 September 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 37.6 37.7 37.8 Forfeit Zero: Roll Call, forfeitzero.comicgenesis.com (character cards and bios by Brian Sabotta). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Wonder of Wonders", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (8 December 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "Trailer", Forfeit Zero strip (18 February 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  40. ↑ "Rarity", Forfeit Zero strip (20 October 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  41. ↑ "A New Face", Forfeit Zero strip (5 July 2005). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  42. ↑ "Dire Fiends", Forfeit Zero strip (27 August 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  43. ↑ "Epic Plans Commence", Forfeit Zero strip (5 September 2003).
  44. ↑ "PC Humor", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (27 August 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  45. ↑ "More PC Humor", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (29 August 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  46. ↑ "Realization", Forfeit Zero strip (8 December 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  47. ↑ "Coming Soon!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (18 February 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  48. ↑ "Cross Reference", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (3 September 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  49. ↑ "Ta-Daaaa!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (5 September 2003).
  50. ↑ "No "We" In Team", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (10 September 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  51. ↑ "I'm So Very Sorry", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (12 September 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  52. ↑ "Out-of-Date Topical Humor", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (14 December 2003).
  53. ↑ "Fifty-Fifty", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (24 November 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 "Tourney Results!", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (22 December 2003).
  55. ↑ "Finally", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (19 January 2004).
  56. ↑ "Righteous Indignation", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (24 October 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  57. ↑ "Ask Not What DeckTech Can Do For You, But...", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (6 February 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  58. ↑ "Good News", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (29 September 2003). "Star Wars canceled to make way for Pokemon. How typical." Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  59. ↑ "Ritualistic Beating", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (6 October 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  60. ↑ "Sad, But True", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (7 January 2004). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  61. ↑ "Temptation", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (15 September 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
  62. ↑ "True Story (Alternate Image)", news post by Brian Sabotta (ben_ethus), Forfeit Zero (17 September 2003). Preserved copy: Internet Archive
Retrieved from "https://wiki.swccg.com/index.php?title=Forfeit_Zero&oldid=187361"