I think one of the things that makes it work so well is that the author has gone beyond mere parody. The early strips were mostly typical joke strips (although quite funny) which relied heavily on the reader having at least a rudimentary knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons and fantasy cliches. Yet, shortly after it began, the characters began to develop deeper, richer, personalities. The strips, while still funny, no longer seemed to exist solely for humorous purposes, but to actually advance the storyline and deepen our understanding of the characters.

Now, when you read the strip, I don’t think one needs to be very conversant in D&D lore, in its rules or the like. I think its possible for someone to read the strip and simply enjoy the well written characters and interesting plot.

Great choice, Mr. Deadbeat Jones!