# Scheduling Thread for IRON DM 2014



## Rune (Dec 22, 2014)

The time has come around again.  Do you have what it takes to succeed in three grueling rounds of intense and competitive adventure-writing, in order to become this year's *IRON DM*?

*What is IRON DM?*

The founder says it best:



			
				el-remmen said:
			
		

> Simple. We get 8 people willing to play (and 3 alternates). I pair people off as competitors and give them a set of 6 "ingredients".
> 
> The ingredients are elements that must be used in the designing of a scenario/adventure - which should be written up in overview form - players can be as specific as they like - but detailed stat-blocks and the like are not weighed as heavily as uniqueness and playability of the ideas.
> 
> The results are then judged by me and the winner moves on to the next round. . .




*Who are we? *

This year's tournament will be presided over by a panel of three judges, these being two-time finalist and frequent judge, *Radiating Gnome*, sometime competitor and full-time ENworld administrator, *Plane Sailing*, and me, a once-frequent competitor, IRON DM Spring 2002, and a not-infrequent judge. 

_UPDATE--_ Plane Sailing seems to have disappeared, so EN World and RBDM Club old-timer, *phoamslinger*, has stepped up to fill the role. 

*Who can enter?*

_Anyone!_                              [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], as the current IRON DM, has automatic entry into this tournament.  The field is open to everybody else!

*So, I gotta ask:*

Are you creative enough?

Are you disciplined enough?

Are you _good_ enough?

Sign up and prove it!




*Our contestants:* 

*1:  Wicht (IRON DM 2013, IRON DM FALL 2002)

2:  Deuce Traveler (IRON DM 2012)

3:  Iron Sky (IRON DM 2009)

4:  UselessTriviaMan

5:  Imhotepthewise

6:  Waylander the Slayer (IRON DM 2011)

7:  Gradine

8:  MortalPlague*​


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## Deuce Traveler (Dec 23, 2014)

Put me in, coach.


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## Wicht (Dec 24, 2014)

I will confirm my intentions to compete. 

(fair warning - I will be out of country from January 18th - 31st and do not know that I will have internet connection...)


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## Rune (Dec 24, 2014)

So you're saying we should bump you in Round 2?

Seems a little harsh, but I guess it would be just like old times.


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## Ashoka (Dec 25, 2014)

When's this happening? What's the schedule for rounds/entries?


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## Rune (Dec 25, 2014)

It'll start as soon as we get eight contestants and can schedule the first match. Allowing for minor difficulties in scheduling, the first two rounds should each take about a week (with only half of the contestants competing in the second round). 

For the two who compete in the final round, it'll be 48 hours, scheduled as soon as both contestants can swing it. 

If you're on the fence about competing, let me assure you it is extraordinarily challenging, physically and creatively taxing (especially for those who advance), and ABSOLUTELY exhilarating and completely worth the investment of time and energy. 

Even if you don't advance, you're sure to learn something you didn't know about yourself and the way you create adventures. 

Also, it's fun.


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## Ashoka (Dec 25, 2014)

Ok, you convinced me. I'll give it a shot.


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## Rune (Dec 25, 2014)

That's an awesome way to spend your eleventh post!  Have some XP.


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## Ashoka (Dec 26, 2014)




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## UselessTriviaMan (Dec 26, 2014)

I may come to regret this, but I'll sign up to compete.


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## Imhotepthewise (Dec 27, 2014)

I would like to sign up and try to redeem my poor showing last year. I learned a lot in the writing and the critique and following the other entries.


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## Wicht (Dec 27, 2014)

Good to see some new blood in the mix.


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## Rune (Dec 27, 2014)

You guys have really got to work on your trash-talking. 

"I may regret this..."

"I'd like to redeem myself..."

"Welcome."

Really?


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## Imhotepthewise (Dec 28, 2014)

....they shall all drown in lakes of blood."

Better?


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## Waylander the Slayer (Dec 28, 2014)

Hmmm, I think I won this thing once. Count me in.


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## Rune (Dec 28, 2014)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> Hmmm, I think I won this thing once. Count me in.




Indeed you did. In 2011. And made it to the final match in 2012, I believe.


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## Rune (Dec 28, 2014)

Imhotepthewise said:


> ....they shall all drown in lakes of blood."
> 
> Better?




I would totally take a lack if response as intimidation.


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## Rune (Dec 28, 2014)

Okay, ya'll, while we're waiting for the last two slots to get filled, here are the rules. These will be reposted in the actual thread for the tournament (when that thread is started). 

[sblock=The Rules*The Basics:*

The tournament is set up in a single-elimination bracket style, with each match determined based on scheduling availability among the eligible contestants.

Each match will consist of two contestants given a single set of six ingredients with which to construct a brief adventure in any game system or genre.  You should waste neither time, nor words, on overly detailed stats, but you should also not assume familiarity with any given system or genre.  Explain what you need to explain, _and stop there!_

These entries will be evaluated on their own merits and those evaluations will then be compared to determine the winner of a match, who will then proceed to the next round.

All matches will be given a time-frame to submit your entries within.  Entries that are late may still be accepted, but, seriously, _don't do this!_  While each of the judges have their own set of criteria, you can expect that the later the entry, the more severely it will be penalized in the judgement process, _if it is accepted at all_!

Seriously, if you haven't finished with an entry in time, _post what you've got!_  Even if you don't win (and, who knows, you might!), you may at least find the judgement enlightening for future IRON DM tournaments!

All entries are expected to make good use of all of the ingredients submitted--that is, they should be creatively applied, well-integrated, and fundamentally necessary to the adventure that they are used in.  This is the crux of the tournament, so don't think that maybe (for example) doing a good job with three ingredients will be enough, as long as you can craft a better adventure!  I wouldn't count on it, if I were you.

Finally, most of the previous tournaments in the last 12 years have used some optional bonus ingredients in Round 3.  This tournament will not make use of such bonus ingredients.  Each match will have exactly six ingredients.

*Formatting:*

All entries are to be submitted with the list of ingredients at the top and _are not to be edited_, once submitted.  Let me repeat that last part:  DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED IT!  Check your work before you send it in.  Then check it again.  The judges will likely not look favorably upon any entry that has been edited and may penalize the entry as they see fit, including, possibly, outright disqualification.  

Please do not expect the judges to follow links within your entry. You may include links for others to follow if you choose to do so, but understand that any information that is necessary to the entry must be in the actual entry. Not only will each judge be reading each entry multiple times, but expecting outside sources to carry the load of exposition very much defeats the purpose of the word-limit.

Along those lines--the judges will be reading each entry several times.  Please don't make that difficult for us.  Don't bore us and don't make our eyes bleed.  Please.

*Judgement:*

As I said before, each entry will be judged on its own merits and then the two competing entries' critiques will be compared for the final judgement. Different judges may have different processes to arrive at such outcomes--for instance, some may use a point-based grading chart, while others may prefer a more abstract analysis. 

The judges will endeavor to be _Nemmerelesque_ in our judgements--that is, critical, but also fair and constructive in that criticism.  It's tradition. Even so, please understand that not everybody will agree with every decision we make--that's the nature of the game. Traditionally, second-guessing the judges is all part of the game--and that can lead to some undesired outcomes.  It can sting sometimes (believe me, I know!), but it _is a game_.  Let's have some fun with it!

That said, those wishing to gain a little insight into the judges' thinking will need to do a little research to do so, but the information is out there.  Be warned, though!  We may have changed our thinking on some of these things within the last 12 years!

*Tournament Structure:

Round 1:*

All matches in the first round will have a *24* hour time-limit!  That's right--_we're going old-school!_  These matches *will not* be restricted in length, but, please, don't bore us!  Each match will be judged by a single judge determined randomly behind the scenes before the contestants have been determined. Each judge will determine the outcome of at least one of the first round matches.  Contestants who win their Round 1 matches will proceed to Round 2.

*Round 2:*

All matches in the second round will have a *48* hour time-limit.  These matches will have a *3000* word limit (not including the title and ingredients list--any descriptions or definitions of ingredients will count against the limit!).  A full panel of three judges will compare each match and determine a contestant to advance. The contestants so determined by at least two judges will win their Round 2 matches and will proceed to Round 3.

*Round 3:*

The third round match will also have a *48* hour time-limit.  This match will have a *2000* word limit (not including the title and ingredients list--any descriptions or definitions of ingredients will count against the limit!).  As with Round 2, this match will be judged by a panel of three. Each judge will indicate a preferred winner and the contestant so named by at least two judges wins this match and becomes the *IRON DM 2014*.

*Scheduling, Discussing, and Spectating:*

Once all contestants have signed up, this thread will be used only for scheduling the matches. 

The tournament thread will be used to list the ingredients and the judgements for each match, as well as the entries, themselves. Commentary will also be welcome in that thread, but, please, if you are commenting on an entry that has not yet been judged, hide that commentary with sblock tags, [sblock]like this, [/sblock]so that the judges can view the entries with fresh eyes!

If spectators would like to play the home game, please do that in another thread.


One final note: 

Once these tournaments have been completed, we try to archive them on these boards for posterity, and so that the adventures can be run or plundered by future Internet generations. We make no claim of ownership over the entries, but we do request that you do not remove your entries once the tournament has concluded. [/sblock]


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## Radiating Gnome (Dec 28, 2014)

I'm excited to see a mix of veterans and new recruits for this round.  Lets get those last two spots filled and start the bloodletting!  I mean competing!


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## Rune (Dec 31, 2014)

All right, y'all. 

We've only got two slots left. 

Step on up. Don't be scared. 

It only hurts for a moment.


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## Gradine (Jan 1, 2015)

I would definitely be interested in participating. Sign me up!

A few quick questions:
How far in advance will we know when our 24 hour window starts? Is reach individual match scheduled separately, or are we all bound to the same time window?
Are there any links to archived threads? It would be fun and helpful to bone up on previous tournaments.


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## Rune (Jan 1, 2015)

Gradine said:


> I would definitely be interested in participating. Sign me up!




Excellent! One to go!



> A few quick questions:
> How far in advance will we know when our 24 hour window starts? Is reach individual match scheduled separately, or are we all bound to the same time window?




We schedule the matches based on contestant availability, so there is no way you wouldn't have advanced notice of when the match will start. How far in advance kind if depends on you. We might have concurrent matches running, if contestants' availability allows for it. 



> Are there any links to archived threads? It would be fun and helpful to bone up on previous tournaments.




I'll gladly provide links to the surviving ones (all the tournaments held at ENworld from 2002 on--the Nutkinland and RBDM Club tournaments and the older ENworld tournaments are lost to time). It will take a little while for me to collect them, though.


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## Rune (Jan 1, 2015)

In the meantime, the following is an entry I worked up a few years ago using only 4 ingredients (All actual match-ups will use 6 ingredients!), to give those of you who are unfamiliar with Iron DM a chance to see an example of what an entry might look like.

Here it is:

*Ingredients:

Forgotten Treasure
Empty Orphanage
Toymaker
Broken Mirror*

_*Broken Mirrors*_

This is a short adventure designed for 4th edition D&D, but easily adaptable to any game.  It supposes a party of 4 to 5 level 3 adventurers, but the level range of opponents that the party will face will range widely.  This is because the real challenge of the lower-level combats will be in dealing with the moral dilemma of whether they should put down their foes, or let the attackers remain standing to keep on fighting.

*Set-up*

In the town of Looking Glass--named after the pristine lake that it is built around--local legends tell of a great tragedy that befell the Old Orphanage, now, half a century in the past.  The children--one by one--disappeared, victims of some wicked spirit that haunted the institution.  In all the years since, the locals have avoided that place, empty of all but taboo and fear.

Recently, however, a stranger has come out from that forlorn place--and he cannot recall why, nor even _who_ he is.

*Hooks*

The PCs have found an odd trinket; a crude toy fashioned out of the components of mundane items.  The toy seems to have a sinister feel to it, but it is very difficult to put a finger on just why this is so.  Should the PCs investigate, they may find that the toy was crafted by the stranger in Looking Glass and discarded, picked up by an enterprising merchant, sold to a family traveling to a new town, and dropped by the child who owned it along the way.

Or, the PCs have received the toy described above as an unsolicited gift.  No one knows who the gift-giver is, but the toy seems to _want_ something of them--to be returned _somewhere_.  A simple investigation should turn up a traveler who has seen its like before--in the lonely little town of Looking Glass.

*The Toymaker*

In the town of Looking Glass, in a public place--likely the local watering hole--the Glass Shard, the PCs may find that one of the locals does not seem very local, at all.  It is a distraught and obviously distracted elderly gentleman idly crafting crude toys--similar to the one the PCs have acquired--from mundane components.  He does not even appear to notice that he is doing it.  The townsfolk shun him.

This toymaker mutters to himself--and to the PCs, if they approach him--about needing to retrieve some "lost treasure," but he cannot remember where--or what--it was.  Even so, the toymaker is cunning and will certainly enlist the PCs' aid by whatever means he can, even unscrupulous ones.  If the PCs choose to help him, they will have to investigate the details themselves, for the toymaker cannot remember how he came to be in Looking Glass, nor who he was.

Gossip will readily reveal that the toymaker has come out of the Old Orphanage--and rumors abound about what else what might be in there, but no one actually knows, because not a soul among the townsfolk will go near the place.

In addition to the toymaker, the PCs may meet a few other significant personalities in the town of Looking Glass, each with a different agenda related to the toymaker.


*Syvic*, the mayor, just wants the toymaker to go away.  His presence in the town is breeding disharmony in the usually serene little town.  The mayor, therefore, will encourage any investigations by the PCs that she thinks will help speed the toymaker on his way out of town.  She may even offer some minor reward to the PCs for doing so.


*Dirk*, the Tavernkeep, kind of likes the idea of the toymaker sticking around for a while, even though he is wary of him.  He has noticed an odd thing--even though folk shun the toymaker, they still seem to flock to the Glass Shard to watch him out of the corner of their eyes.  And not a one of the toymaker's discarded creations has gone unclaimed.  If Dirk thinks the PCs' investigation will lead to the toymaker moving on, he will do what he can to mislead and hinder the PCs in that investigation.


*Portunis*, the speculator, believes the toymaker's ramblings about lost treasure and wants to procure it for himself, but is too much of a coward t investigate the Old Orphanage, himself.  Instead, if possible, he will trail the PCs and, with the help of his cronies--all Common Bandits (Monster Vault 170), waylay them once he believes that they have that treasure in hand.


*Keri*, the last Ward of the Old Orphanage, is now an elderly lady filled with fear and lamentation; whatever wicked spirits stole her children away, she was unable to do anything to stop it.  One by one, they were taken, and all she could do was watch.  When the last child was gone, she closed the doors forever and dared not return this many years.  If the PCs are keen to investigate, however, she will encourage them to do so; she still burns with the desire to _know_ what happened to the children.

*The Empty Orphanage*

If the PCs enter the Old Orphanage, they will find that it appears largely undisturbed since the last child disappeared and the last caretaker left the building behind, forever.  In the thick layer of dust that covers everything, the footprints of the toymaker can easily be made out, but they are so numerous and cross each other so many times, that it seems he went through the entire complex.  Nothing is here but antique furnishings, one broken mirror that seems strangely devoid of dust, and what appears to be a broken marionette--fashioned with no strings.

The marionette is exquisitely detailed to look like a child; it could probably pass for one from a distance.  If the PCs take this marionette to the toymaker, it will jar his memory, somewhat.  "Fix the mirror!  Fix the mirror and look inside!" he will tell them, and will supply them with a bit of sovereign glue, with which to do so.  He will keep the marionette, if the PCs allow him to.

*The Broken Mirror*

If the PCs assemble the mirror and look inside, they will find a shadowy reflection of the room they are in.  The reflection will tug at them, drawing them in, if they do not resist.  On the other side, the PCs will find a child, seemingly lifeless, lying on the floor.  This child looks _exactly_ like the marionette did in detail!  If they PCs left the marionette with the toymaker, or if they reassemble it with any remaining sovereign glue that they have, the boy (and the marionette, if it is with them) will come alive.

If the PCs have the marionette with them this happens, it will attack them immediately.  Use the stats for a Grasping Zombie (Monster Vault 293), except that the marionette is a construct, instead of undead.  If the PCs destroy the marionette, it is broken again, and the child falls lifeless, once more.

If the boy remains conscious, the information he can give to the PCs is limited, for he is too young to know what has happened to him--only that he has been trapped in this shadowy place for some time and that the other children are about, somewhere.

*The Forgotten Treasure* The PCs are in a demi-plane adjacent to, but removed from, the Shadowfell.  The place is fairly small--no more than the size of a sprawling mansion, and can be pretty quickly explored.  Doing so will reveal the following:


Remnants of some unknown rituals can be found everywhere.  With thorough exploration, the PCs can determine that these rituals were used to bind the life-force of the children to each of the duplicate marionettes that wander through the halls.


There are two dozen children of varying ages wandering around these halls; apparently sustained by some arcane force--for no food, nor water, can be found anywhere.  Talking to them will reveal that these are the lost children from the Old Orphanage.  If this is so, the PCs may surmise that this demi-plane is temporally divorced from the world that they know.


There is a marionette bound to each of the children in this place (two dozen).  These marionettes may be encountered in any numbers that the DM wishes and will always attack the PCs on sight; in all cases, their stats are the same as the Grasping Zombie (Monster Vault 293), but are constructs instead of undead.  In all cases, if the PCs destroy a marionette, the child that is bound to it falls lifeless.


The PCs can easily move through the mirror at will while it is whole, but none of the children, nor any of the marionettes, can do so; they are bound to this plane by whatever ritual created them.


There are scraps of writing hinting that the creator of the marionettes was researching a ritual to allow the marionettes to pass through the portal.


Something appears to have gone wrong with that research.  The caster and the marionette linked to the first child the PCs discovered were both expelled through the mirror-portal, breaking the mirror, the marionette, and the memory of the caster all at once.

By now, the PCs have probably pieced together that the creator of the marionettes was the toymaker and that, whatever his motives in doing so, they were malevolent.

*The Toymaker*

If the PCs go back to the toymaker, they will find that he has recovered enough of his memory to be a menace.  He is a Human Transmuter (Monster Vault 172) and quite crafty.  His powers should be re-fluffed, so that they reflect his tinkering disposition--for instance, Beast Curse can trap the afflicted PC in one of his toys, instead of transforming the character into a tiny beast.

If the PCs left the marionette with the Toymaker when they went to repair the mirror, they will find that he has repaired it, and it will fight them at his side, should they fight him at all.  Whether or not they choose to fight the Toymaker, the marionette will terrorize the denizens of Looking Glass--for it, like all of the other marionettes the PCs will have discovered, is drawn to destroy the living.

*Where to go from here*

If the PCs wish to retrieve the children, they will first need to find a way to sever the bond between them and the marionettes.  If the Toymaker survives, he may one day be able figure out how to do so (though he is unlikely to be inclined to do so--unless coerced).  Otherwise, sages and scholars of great experience will be required to discover such rituals.

If the Toymaker escapes, he may make a devious ongoing villain, for his nihilistic motives are unfathomable, even to himself.  He is subtle and patient, and may hide for years before resurfacing.  One day, though, he will want to find a way back to his lost toys and begin his villainy again.

If the PCs have destroyed all of the marionettes and never bother to repair them (perhaps even destroy the mirror, as well), no one in town will ever know that the children could one day be returned.  This is not a particularly heroic course of action, but it would bring closure to this dark chapter in the history of Looking Glass.


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## Rune (Jan 1, 2015)

Here are all surviving ENworld IRON DM Tournaments:

 IRON DM 2013

IRON DM 2012

IRON DM 2011

IRON DM 2010

IRON DM 2009

IRON DM 2005

IRON DM SPRING 2004

IRON DM WINTER 2004

IRON DM FALL 2003

IRON DM SUMMER 2003

IRON DM WINTER 2003

IRON DM WINTER (HOLIDAY) 2002

IRON DM FALL 2002

IRON DM SPRING 2002

And then there's the IRON DM Anthology. This is a collection of entries from the above tournaments that are particularly usable and/or inspiring. Note that many of them did not win the matches that they appeared in and should not necessarily be used as models for a winning entry. Still worth a look, though.


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## Wicht (Jan 2, 2015)

So, just one more victim, er, contestant, needed for the contest to start. Who will be the lucky entrant?


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## PnPgamer (Jan 2, 2015)

*slams the double doors open, and proudly acclaims*
I shall enter!
*dramatic grasshopper chirping, as he entered the wrong door*
Son of a...
*slams single door open and acclaims*
I shall enter!
*woman screams, and starts to throw hygiene products*
Sorry sorry sorry!
*carefully opens the basement trapdoor*
Hello? Any nakeds chicks here? Id like to enter.... Err.. I mean The competition that is! Iron dm, right?


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## Rune (Jan 2, 2015)

Excellent. The judges will need to confer briefly, at which point a new thread will be started for the tournament. This thread will continue to be used for scheduling.

  [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=34958]Deuce Traveler[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=6775774]Ashoka[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=6678460]UselessTriviaMan[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=976]Imhotepthewise[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION]
  [MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION]

Please let us know when you are available to begin your first round matches. A window would be best.


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 2, 2015)

I can start Monday.  Weekdays are usually better than weekends for me.


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## Gradine (Jan 2, 2015)

Tomorrow and Monday don't really work well for me, but otherwise I should be good.


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## PnPgamer (Jan 2, 2015)

It should work only on weekends for me. This weekend is no good.
Next tuesday is a holiday in my country, so there could be a open spot. Im in utc +2


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## UselessTriviaMan (Jan 2, 2015)

I'm utterly available through Sunday. Monday's gonna suck a lot, but then I'll be mostly available from then on whenever my next opponent victim is ready for evisceration.


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## Wicht (Jan 2, 2015)

Anytime Monday through Friday next week should be good for me.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 2, 2015)

I am at your disposal. I start back to work on Monday morning EST, but, can still work around it.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jan 5, 2015)

Wednesday onwards works for me.


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## Ashoka (Jan 5, 2015)

I should be good for anything except Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Thursdays might be workable, but it would probably be very inconvenient.


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## Wicht (Jan 7, 2015)

So who is competing first?


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 8, 2015)

sharpened pencils. Check!
yellow pad paper. Check!
witty banter and trash talk. Check!
Ready!


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## Rune (Jan 8, 2015)

[MENTION=34958]Deuce Traveler[/MENTION], [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION], [MENTION=6678460]UselessTriviaMan[/MENTION], [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], [MENTION=976]Imhotepthewise[/MENTION], [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION], is anyone ready to start a match today?


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## Wicht (Jan 8, 2015)

I can probably go today and if not today, then tomorrow.


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## Rune (Jan 8, 2015)

Anyone wanna take on the mighty Wicht?


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 8, 2015)

Work has become a bit hectic, so I won't be ready to give a quality product until Monday or Tuesday.


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## Wicht (Jan 8, 2015)

If it helps, I'll type with one eye closed just to make it fair.


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## Gradine (Jan 8, 2015)

I won't be able to devote a ton of time to this until Saturday.


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 8, 2015)

I want to get paired up against Wicht, though.  I didn't like the butt-kicking he gave me last time and want a rematch.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 8, 2015)

I fear no man. I am able to play any opponent. Today is as good as any.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 8, 2015)

Imhotepthewise said:


> I fear no man. I am able to play any opponent. Today is as good as any.




Ooooooh.  Two Dms enter, one DM leaves.

[video=youtube;pmRAiUPdRjk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmRAiUPdRjk[/video]


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## Rune (Jan 8, 2015)

Sorry, Deuce. [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION] and [MENTION=976]Imhotepthewise[/MENTION], if you will both please confirm your ability to go, I will begin your match approximately 1 hour from this post's time-stamp.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 8, 2015)

Would 8 pm tonite be an ok start? Have short trip to store to make. If you cannot raise me tomorrow, the bad weather may have taken my internet/power. I have work arounds, just in case.


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## Rune (Jan 8, 2015)

[MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], please confirm your availability for an 8 PM Eastern start time.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jan 8, 2015)

Cowards; run from me will you?


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## Wicht (Jan 8, 2015)

8 pm is as good a time as any to begin.


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## Wicht (Jan 9, 2015)

Checking in for an 8 pm eastern start-time. The judge may feel free to post without another say so from me...


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 9, 2015)

Lets roll!


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2015)

*Round 1, Match 1: Wicht vs. Imhotepthewise *has begun. 

Feel free to take your trash-talkin' over there.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 9, 2015)

Thinking, thinking.....scribble, scribble


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## Wicht (Jan 9, 2015)

Got the ingredients. 


We who are about to write salute you.


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 9, 2015)

Those are some... interesting ingredients.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2015)

Blame RG for the weird one.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 9, 2015)

LOL.  I'll take the credit.  But which one is the truly weird one?


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 9, 2015)

Howsabout we look at another round starting on Saturday? Which two contestants will step into the ring of blood?


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2015)

Radiating Gnome said:


> LOL.  I'll take the credit.  But which one is the truly weird one?




Okay, okay. You can blame me for the other weird one.


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## Rune (Jan 9, 2015)

[MENTION=6775774]Ashoka[/MENTION]

 [MENTION=6678460]UselessTriviaMan[/MENTION]

 [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION]

 [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION]

 [MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION]



Radiating Gnome said:


> Howsabout we look at another round starting on Saturday? Which two contestants will step into the ring of blood?


----------



## PnPgamer (Jan 9, 2015)

Where is Takeshi Kaga?

I might be able to take the challenge, but not until after 8 hours or so.


----------



## Radiating Gnome (Jan 9, 2015)

I was hoping to start tomorrow -- say something like 9am EST?  Will that work for you PNP?


----------



## Rune (Jan 9, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> Where is Takeshi Kaga?




Courtesy of Pbartender.


----------



## PnPgamer (Jan 9, 2015)

Radiating Gnome said:


> I was hoping to start tomorrow -- say something like 9am EST?  Will that work for you PNP?




It might be okay, but the sooner the better, on the said day.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 9, 2015)

Polishing, polishing. I have him in my sights!


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 9, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> It might be okay, but the sooner the better, on the said day.




Will no one step forward and challenge our friend PnPgamer?  The weekend is the time for IRON.

I'm talking to you, [MENTION=6775774]Ashoka[/MENTION], [MENTION=6678460]UselessTriviaMan[/MENTION], [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION], [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION], @Duece Traveler!


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## Wicht (Jan 9, 2015)

Mine is up. 

Bring it on Imhotep-the wise!  Show me what you got.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 10, 2015)

I'm up. It snowed like a b@$terd today, but we managed to keep power and internet service. We did have two small earthquakes nearby yesterday and today.  I am ready for the throwdown, Mr. Wicht!


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jan 10, 2015)

I am ready to go anytime after tomorrow noon EST


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## Rune (Jan 10, 2015)

[MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION] and  [MENTION=976]Imhotepthewise[/MENTION], judgement for your match is posted


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 10, 2015)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> I am ready to go anytime after tomorrow noon EST




 [MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION], is Noon EST okay with you?


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 10, 2015)

Thank you for the opportunity to compete. I really liked the ingredients. The opportunity to complete against Wicht was great. Great Game Wicht! My entry reflects my gaming style, which is driven by the Gygax paraphrase "Don't let the rules interfere with the fun of the game" and the Piratecat "say yes instead of no". One thing is proven true, in that interesting NPCs make the most memorable adventures, and Wicht's were better than mine. I look forward to the next Iron DM!


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## UselessTriviaMan (Jan 10, 2015)

Sorry for the lack of communication - it was a hell week at work, but next week should be far better.

Weekdays are probably easier for me, schedule-wise.


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## Wicht (Jan 10, 2015)

Imhotepthewise said:


> Thank you for the opportunity to compete. I really liked the ingredients. The opportunity to complete against Wicht was great. Great Game Wicht! My entry reflects my gaming style, which is driven by the Gygax paraphrase "Don't let the rules interfere with the fun of the game" and the Piratecat "say yes instead of no". One thing is proven true, in that interesting NPCs make the most memorable adventures, and Wicht's were better than mine. I look forward to the next Iron DM!




I enjoyed those ingredients as well and they certainly lent themselves to a slightly less serious style of adventure.  Thanks for the competition.


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## Rune (Jan 10, 2015)

Imhotepthewise said:


> Thank you for the opportunity to compete. I really liked the ingredients. The opportunity to complete against Wicht was great. Great Game Wicht! My entry reflects my gaming style, which is driven by the Gygax paraphrase "Don't let the rules interfere with the fun of the game" and the Piratecat "say yes instead of no". One thing is proven true, in that interesting NPCs make the most memorable adventures, and Wicht's were better than mine. I look forward to the next Iron DM!




Cool. Glad toy had fun with them!  If it makes you feel better, I always had trouble competing against Wicht's NPC characterization, too. It was one thing that he was just flat-out better at than me.

(Also, all of our commentary in this thread will quickly get lost amidst the scheduling--and vise versa--so everyone is encouraged to take non-scheduling IRON DM discussion over to the other thread.)


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## PnPgamer (Jan 10, 2015)

Radiating Gnome said:


> @_*PnPgamer*_, is Noon EST okay with you?




No, sorry, it's way too late for me in that case. When it would start I would go to sleep, and I have some stuff to do tomorrow. It would've worked better if it was started two hours ago (of this post).


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 10, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> No, sorry, it's way too late for me in that case. When it would start I would go to sleep, and I have some stuff to do tomorrow. It would've worked better if it was started two hours ago (of this post).




Drat.  

Well, I have one contestant willing to jump into the fray today.  Anyone else for today? 

How about a Sunday AM start?


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## Gradine (Jan 10, 2015)

This weekend turned out to be tough for me (my wife and I share a computer... and a newborn, and she's having to do work from home). Anytime Monday or later works for me. I'd strongly prefer an a.m. start time.


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 11, 2015)

I can start after 6pm EST today.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 11, 2015)

Deuce Traveler said:


> I can start after 6pm EST today.




Waylander the Slayer, will that work for you?


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jan 11, 2015)

Let's do it.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 11, 2015)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> Let's do it.




All RIGHT.  It's a match.  Deuce Traveler vs. Waylander the Slayer.  Starting at 6pm EST.  You'll have 24 hours to complete the challenge.  See you gentlefolk then....


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## Rune (Jan 11, 2015)

Well, that gets the past and present IRON DMs out of the way for the rest of the field...


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 11, 2015)

What could possibly go wrong.


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## Wicht (Jan 11, 2015)

Deuce Traveler said:


> What could possibly go wrong.




Human Sacrifice,... dogs and cats living together,...* mass hysteria*!!!


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## Wicht (Jan 11, 2015)

Wicht said:


> Human Sacrifice,... dogs and cats living together,...* mass hysteria*!!!




Heh, sounds like half of an ingredients list for Iron DM.


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## Imhotepthewise (Jan 11, 2015)

I moved this over to the tournament thread.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 11, 2015)

I've posted the ingredients for the next match here: http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...4-Tournament&p=6492957&viewfull=1#post6492957

It's a little early, but I need to go out for a bit.  Go get 'em, guys!


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## Wicht (Jan 11, 2015)

Imhotepthewise said:


> I suspect Wicht and others have a couple of templates handy to paste into to make their entries pop.




You would in this case be mostly wrong...

While I do have some templates for creatures and magic items and such and they are very helpful, for adventures themselves, there is no pre-saved plug and play template I use. What I do, however is arrange my writing in the format used by Paizo and others with an introduction, adventure summary, hook, etc.  The introduction is used for background. The adventure summary provides a rough outline of the expected chain of events in the adventure.  The hook, of course, is to detail why the PCs should be involved. While alterations to the presentation can be made, these three parts should be more or less standard. Remembering to break it up this way also provides a visual reminder of just how much back-story to adventure you actually are providing in your entry. 



> It turned out to an adventure I’d really like to run.



  In the end, I think that is a good thing to have done with any entry.


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## Rune (Jan 11, 2015)

[MENTION=976]Imhotepthewise[/MENTION], I have some have some specific commentary I'd like to make related to your exposition, there, but I would like to do so in the other thread. Would you mind depositing in that thread, please? _ EDIT= Nevermind. Deuce quoted your post in its entirety over there, so I'll just reference that. _

I'd like to keep talk in this thread focused on scheduling, if possible, for a few reasons:


During the tournament, it will be easier to keep track of when contestants are available if those posts are all bunched together. 


Likewise, it will be easier to follow discussion of the tournament and it's entries if those posts are together. 


Also, we intend to archive that thread, but not this one. One of the reasons we ask questions about the process is so that interested parties can learn from them and, for this reason, we like to preserve your responses for posterity.

I appologize for my previous lack of clarity on this point. 

(    [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], your response to Imhotepthewise could also be valuable, if you'd like to repost it in the other thread, also.)


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## Rune (Jan 12, 2015)

Okay, everybody, Judge #3, [MENTION=114]Plane Sailing[/MENTION], seems to have disappeared off of the face of the (EN)world, so [MENTION=2342]phoamslinger[/MENTION] has agreed to step in as an alternate judge. His IRON DM envolvement in years past was primarily at the Rat Bastard DMs' Club and, I think, Nutkinland (but no records survive, and my memory is fuzzy). 

Sorry for the unintentional bait-and-switch, but the format will not change.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 12, 2015)

who's up for the next match?  and what's going to be the best time for you?


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## UselessTriviaMan (Jan 12, 2015)

I'm available. An evening start time would probably be preferable, but not necessary. Bring it on.


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## PnPgamer (Jan 13, 2015)

Could you more experienced give me one bit of advice: How long do you actually do this? do you use the 24 hours to the fullest, drink thousand gallons of coffee and get serious sleep deprivation?


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## Wicht (Jan 13, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> Could you more experienced give me one bit of advice: How long do you actually do this? do you use the 24 hours to the fullest, drink thousand gallons of coffee and get serious sleep deprivation?




"_I remember the old days, when the original Iron DM allowed only 1 hour. Today, you young'uns have it easy with your 24 hours..._"

I don't know about others, but I normally spend only 1-2 hours of actual typing to put mine together. I ruminate on it, perhaps jot down some notes as they come to me while going about other business, but when I actually get to work, its not that long.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jan 13, 2015)

Wicht said:


> "_I remember the old days, when the original Iron DM allowed only 1 hour. Today, you young'uns have it easy with your 24 hours..._"
> 
> I don't know about others, but I normally spend only 1-2 hours of actual typing to put mine together. I ruminate on it, perhaps jot down some notes as they come to me while going about other business, but when I actually get to work, its not that long.




Pretty much this. For one, it is usually impossible to get more than 2 hours of writing time in a day anyway . I usually think on ingredients and come up with something rudimentary. Don't worry too much about all the ingredients fitting in while thinking; they usually don't. However, once you start writing things tend to fall into place by themselves. So I'd encourage you to start writing and let the characters drive your adventure to wherever it ends up.


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## Deuce Traveler (Jan 13, 2015)

I prefer an evening or night scheduled start so I can sleep on it.  I'll eat dinner, wind down, and even lay in bed before sleep thinking of how the ingredients fit together.  When I wake, I start typing down the ingredients followed by a short synopsis.  Then I expand on those ideas chronologically in order to create a greater narrative.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jan 13, 2015)

For better or worse, round 2 has judgement has been posted

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...4-Tournament&p=6494740&viewfull=1#post6494740

-rg


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## phoamslinger (Jan 13, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> Could you more experienced give me one bit of advice: How long do you actually do this? do you use the 24 hours to the fullest, drink thousand gallons of coffee and get serious sleep deprivation?




I used to get some ideas from the list and would start typing (using Word usually) almost as soon as I could.  when finished, I would then go back and re-read it, edit, tighten it, re-read it again.  sleep.  get up and edit some more, until I had a finished product I was happy with.  I'd copy and paste over to the site almost at the deadline, just in case some idea came up that might help me win.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 13, 2015)

ok then.  I've been called into work today, so if we can get a match setup, I will post the ingredients at around 5pm Eastern and you will have 24 hours from that point.  UselessTriviaMan has said he's ready.

 [MENTION=6775774]Ashoka[/MENTION],  [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION],  [MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION], I need one of you to step forward and post that you're ready to go.

 [MENTION=6678460]UselessTriviaMan[/MENTION] if you could confirm that today works for you, please.  otherwise another of the first three.

I'll check back in a while and see where things stand.


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## UselessTriviaMan (Jan 13, 2015)

I'm completely ready. I'm just waiting to find out who'll be my first beatdown of the year.


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## Gradine (Jan 13, 2015)

That's a but too late a start time for me, at least for tonight. My weekend starts tomorrow evening, so any time tomorrow or the next day is great for me.


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## Rune (Jan 13, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> Could you more experienced give me one bit of advice: How long do you actually do this? do you use the 24 hours to the fullest, drink thousand gallons of coffee and get serious sleep deprivation?




I used to stay up all night and skip classes the next day. Same way I wrote my papers. Four rounds of _that_ can be exhausting, let me tell you!

More helpfully, however, the first thing I would do is map out potential relationships between the ingredients. The resulting web would become a frame to hang the adventure on. I'd give myself some time to flesh out the ingredients and their relationships in my head, jotting down notes as I went. 

I always tried to have the basic vision more or less complete before I began typing. That way, I could (hopefully) see if something wasn't going to work beforehand and not have to make significant changes while writing (an inefficient use of time and energy). I'd edit as I wrote, because that's just easier for me (and I'm compulsive that way).

Once written, I would read to make sure it was well-presented and made sense. Fix it. Read it again. Fix it again. And so on until it was as good as it was going to get, or I had run out of time.

(It may be worth noting that I put _way_ more effort into an IRON DM entry than a class assignment. This made me a much better contestant than student. But then, it was easier to get an A or B on a first-draft paper than win a round of IRON DM!)


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## phoamslinger (Jan 13, 2015)

ok, UselessTriviaMan and Gradine,your ingredients will post sometime tomorrow.  my schedule is still up in the air a bit, so it may be noon, it may be 6pm.

let me know if that works for you, and we'll go from there.


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## UselessTriviaMan (Jan 13, 2015)

The start time doesn't really matter to me. I'm champing at the bit and eagerly awaiting the challenge. Good luck Gradine, and may the best GM win.


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## Gradine (Jan 14, 2015)

I will be ready come tomorrow. Good luck to you too!


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## Ashoka (Jan 14, 2015)

Hey there, I've had some personal stuff come up and I'm not going to have any free time for at least a couple of weeks. So, I'm gonna have to drop out even before I start. Thanks for giving me the chance. Sorry for being lame.


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## Wicht (Jan 14, 2015)

So we need an alternate...


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## phoamslinger (Jan 14, 2015)

[MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION],   [MENTION=6678460]UselessTriviaMan[/MENTION] 

I will be posting your ingredients at noon today.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 14, 2015)

there they are!


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## PnPgamer (Jan 16, 2015)

So maybe this weekend for me?


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## Wicht (Jan 16, 2015)

PnPgamer said:


> So maybe this weekend for me?




You need an opponent first.  


Will no one take on PnPgamer for Iron DM?  

Where have all the DMs gone? _ [aside] (That should be a song)_


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## Wicht (Jan 17, 2015)

Tomorrow, I'm flying to Costa Rica for two weeks. Unfortunately, my laptop is in the shop, and I will be without computer access for the entire trip. So I can continue Round 2 first thing in February. Hopefully round 1 will be completed by then.


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## UselessTriviaMan (Jan 17, 2015)

I'm doing what little I can to find us an alternate, but no one in my local gaming scene has taken the bait.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 19, 2015)

judgement is up


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## Rune (Jan 19, 2015)

What? _Nobody_ wants to step up and challenge PnP?

Perhaps a contestant from days of yore might be willing to give you a run for your money?

[sblock]
 [MENTION=94]Wulf Ratbane[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=5137]seasong[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=635]Quickbeam[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=6562]Nifft[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=11]el-remmen[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=351]Enkhidu[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=3192]howandwhy99[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=41485]InVinoVeritas[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=3271]ajanders[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=59411]Pour[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=95387]BriarMonkey[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=92511]steeldragons[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=53286]Lwaxy[/MENTION]?
  [MENTION=54988]Dragonwriter[/MENTION]?[/sblock]


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## Iron Sky (Jan 19, 2015)

Haven't been to this site in years, but these were always fun. I'll be down. Tell me what to do and where to go.


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## Quickbeam (Jan 19, 2015)

Wow...it's awesome to be remembered after all these years!! I can't even recall the last time I posted on the EN Forums. Help me get caught up, what's being asked of an alternate and when? Regardless of the reply, this shout out is deeply appreciated


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## Rune (Jan 19, 2015)

Sweet.

Iron Sky, you're in. Welcome back. Please post your availability for scheduling. 

Quickbeam, welcome back!

We had a contestant drop out while Round 1 was under way and no alternate to fall back on. If you're up for it, we'll consider you an alternate in case someone else drops out. Less likely with only one Round 1 match left, but still possible.


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## Iron Sky (Jan 19, 2015)

I'm mostly free Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. I can do it on other days, but I will have far, far less time and so quality will suffer dramatically.


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## Rune (Jan 19, 2015)

Iron Sky said:


> I'm mostly free Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. I can do it on other days, but I will have far, far less time and so quality will suffer dramatically.




 [MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION], does any of that work for you?


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## Lwaxy (Jan 20, 2015)

I have no time at the moment, unfortunately. Game preparation takes a lot of time this month.


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## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

Lwaxy said:


> I have no time at the moment, unfortunately. Game preparation takes a lot of time this month.




No worries. Iron Sky stepped in, so we're good to go.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 20, 2015)

as soon as PnPgamer responds, we'll figure out a start time.


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## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

PnP said earlier that weekends and mornings are best (the latter because of time zone issues). Don't know if it's still the case, but it's something to keep in mind.


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## MortalPlague (Jan 20, 2015)

Awww, I missed it.

The 2014 in the thread title threw me for a loop.  If anyone else drops, I'd love another crack at this.


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## PnPgamer (Jan 20, 2015)

I dont want to drop, but weekend day mornings are the best for me indeed, someone here was observant.

Mornings for you that is. That would be afternoon for me and i could do it the evening, slep in middle and finish on the next morning and day.


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## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

MortalPlague said:


> Awww, I missed it.
> 
> The 2014 in the thread title threw me for a loop.  If anyone else drops, I'd love another crack at this.




Shhh. I was hoping nobody would notice! 

Actually, we didn't want to try to compete with the staggered 5e releases, but still intend to do a 2015 later in the year. 

So, yeah. 

We'll count you as an alternate.


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## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

Hey,  [MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION], since you're coming late to the party, I wanted to make sure you checked out the rules for this year's tournament. 

In particular, I want to make sure you know your Round 1 match will have a 24 time-limit (and that the format changes for each round).


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## phoamslinger (Jan 20, 2015)

ok then.   [MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION] and  [MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION], since weekends/Sundays work best for both of you (and Wicht is unavailable for round 2 for a while anyways),

I will be posting your list of ingredients late Saturday night/early Sunday morning.  because of the odd start time, I will give you until 7:00am Monday to work with them.  

bring your A games, fellas.  these are going to be a treat!


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## PnPgamer (Jan 20, 2015)

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Can we do it next week sunday? sorry... Something came up...


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## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

Agh. Two weeks? I'm sorry, but we may have to go with an alternate if you really can't go this weekend. 

We want that February match to be the _last_ Round 2 match, not the _first_ one!


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## Iron Sky (Jan 20, 2015)

My schedule is fairly consistent, so any Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday works for me.

I saw the rules; I think most of the ones I did "back in the day" were 24 hour limits (that almost no one stuck to or punished).


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## PnPgamer (Jan 20, 2015)

Okay, i think i am hindering your tournament because i have so few open spots during a week. I will drop that someone more available can enter.

I am sorry about wasting your time. Maybe next year then.


----------



## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

[MENTION=6786484]PnPgamer[/MENTION]:

No worries. You haven't wasted our time. It's just much more difficult to organize an event like this and keep it going over a longer stretch of time. 

The reasons are twofold, but related:

First, momentum can quickly get lost over long stretches with no matches. 

Second, it is much harder to keep people tuned in over two months than one (especially with the aforementioned stretches of inactivity). This leads to _significantly_ greater challenges in scheduling than we've seen yet in this tournament. 

Okay. I said two, but here's a third: as hard as competing can be, judging is harder, and organizing it is even harder than that. And I'm out of booze money. 

Anyway, I am glad you signed up in the first place, but I do appreciate your decision to step down rather than compete when you can't give it your all. I am sorry we couldn't make it work this time around, but I do hope you have the opportunity to do so next time. 

Just to give you an idea when that might be, I think we'll be aiming for Septemberish. After the big cons, but before the big holidays. 

Good luck, and thank you for your interest.


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## Rune (Jan 20, 2015)

[MENTION=635]Quickbeam[/MENTION] and [MENTION=62721]MortalPlague[/MENTION], whichever one of you responds to this first is in for Match 4. 

Please post schedule availability with your response.


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## MortalPlague (Jan 21, 2015)

I'll go!

No particular scheduling problems for me.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 21, 2015)

[MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION],  [MENTION=62721]MortalPlague[/MENTION]

unless I hear from you, I will post your ingredients late, late tonight, early tomorrow morning.  you will have all day Thursday to work on them, until 6am Friday morning.  

that will give me the weekend to hopefully get the judging done (and I'll probably need it).


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## Rune (Jan 21, 2015)

Oh, and having seen those ingredients, may I say...you guys have my deepest sympathy.


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## Iron Sky (Jan 21, 2015)

Got it. Can you @ mention again me when you post the ingredients in case I forget?


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## Rune (Jan 21, 2015)

One more thing: the other thread will have the ingredients. That's also where you will post your entries.


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## MortalPlague (Jan 21, 2015)

It's not the best time for me (big session tomorrow night with a Banquet in the Nine Hells), but I'm good if Iron Sky is.


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## phoamslinger (Jan 22, 2015)

MortalPlague said:


> It's not the best time for me (big session tomorrow night with a Banquet in the Nine Hells), but I'm good if Iron Sky is.




you've got a bit of extra time if you need it.

ingredients are posted.  good luck!


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## MortalPlague (Jan 22, 2015)

Rune said:


> Oh, and having seen those ingredients, may I say...you guys have my deepest sympathy.




Hah.  Now that I see them, I had a good laugh.

I like the twist on common concepts.  Farm Realm and Shrinking Armor are fun.  

 [MENTION=60965]Iron Sky[/MENTION]... best of luck.


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## Rune (Jan 22, 2015)

MortalPlague said:


> Hah.  Now that I see them, I had a good laugh.
> 
> I like the twist on common concepts.  Farm Realm and Shrinking Armor are fun.




Let's just see how well you like them at 5:59 Friday morning!


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## Iron Sky (Jan 22, 2015)

Ironically, I've actually done an Iron DM with centaurs before. I was debating making this one a sequel adventure, but that was adding more difficulty than anything it was adding (especially since I can't find the old Iron DM threads anymore).

Have some ideas though...


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## Iron Sky (Jan 23, 2015)

So, my entry is posted. Good thing there wasn't a word limit as mine clocked in at almost 5800 words (approximately 13 pages)! Hope you like it, 'cause it's going to be a long read if you don't. 

Edit: Crap - I put my list of ingredients at the end instead of the beginning since that's how we did it in the last Iron DM I did and just realized it right after I hit post and started reading other people's entries... just so you are forewarned I guess.

2nd Edit: Just reread it... why is it only after you hit *Post* that you catch the worst of your editing gaffes? Oh well, been looking at it for the last 3 hours straight and it all starts to blur together after a while. My Iron Fu is rusty...


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## MortalPlague (Jan 23, 2015)

I'm not reading anything from Iron's posts.

Is this 6 AM deadline for Pacific Time?  Eastern Time?  I'm getting down to writing now, got my concept all hashed out.


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## Rune (Jan 23, 2015)

Eastern. You've got an hour and a half. Almost.


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## MortalPlague (Jan 23, 2015)

Posted.

It might be a little rough around the edges, but I had fun with it.  I'll be getting some sleep now.


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## Rune (Jan 23, 2015)

Iron Sky said:


> 2nd Edit: Just reread it... why is it only after you hit *Post* that you catch the worst of your editing gaffes? Oh well, been looking at it for the last 3 hours straight and it all starts to blur together after a while. My Iron Fu is rusty...




Pro tip for the audience: avoid using your phone to write an IRON DM entry. Your auto-correct hates you.


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## Iron Sky (Jan 23, 2015)

Rune said:


> Pro tip for the audience: avoid using your phone to write an IRON DM entry. Your auto-correct hates you.




I can't even imagine. My spell check kept wanting to change "Aberrancy" to "Cranberry", "Caeneus" to "Caduceus", "Soylent" to "Somnolent", and "Rustmourn" to "Rumbustious". I didn't even know that last one was a word (rambunctious/unruly, if you were wondering).

I have an old flip phone and my fingers hurt after a short text conversation with my girlfriend; can't imagine what they'd feel like after 13 pages!


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## MortalPlague (Jan 24, 2015)

Iron Sky said:


> I have an old flip phone and my fingers hurt after a short text conversation with my girlfriend; can't imagine what they'd feel like after 13 pages!




I don't believe you would have fingers at the end of that.  

I just read your 13 pages, and that is a fantastic piece of work.  Very full of detail.  Well done!


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## Iron Sky (Jan 24, 2015)

MortalPlague said:


> I don't believe you would have fingers at the end of that.
> 
> I just read your 13 pages, and that is a fantastic piece of work.  Very full of detail.  Well done!




Thank you!

I loved your scarecrow, especially the way it comes apart during the combat. As strange as it may sound, I've tried to work scarecrow monsters into several campaigns over the years, perhaps inspired by WoW's Harvest Golems. I had a secret inner glow of delight when you had one in your entry.


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## Rune (Jan 24, 2015)

Could you guys take any non-scheduling commentary over to the other thread?

I've detailed the reasons for this upthread, but that was before either of you showed up. Short version: stuff gets lost. 


But please do hide any commentary on entries not yet judged inside sblocks.


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## Iron Sky (Jan 24, 2015)

Will do from here-on out. Previous Iron DMs we weren't to post ANYTHING in the other thread aside from actual entries and all discussion was in this post. Is the other one for all general commentary from anyone, not just the participants?


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## Rune (Jan 25, 2015)

Iron Sky said:


> Will do from here-on out. Previous Iron DMs we weren't to post ANYTHING in the other thread aside from actual entries and all discussion was in this post. Is the other one for all general commentary from anyone, not just the participants?




Yes. And trash-talk. There should be plenty of that. 

(Previous concerns about clutter in the tournament thread don't matter so much, because all entries and judgements get linked in the first post. Also, the commentary and trash-talk will provide context for the tournament when that thread gets archived and this one doesn't.)


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## phoamslinger (Jan 27, 2015)

...and on to round 2!


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## Rune (Jan 27, 2015)

[sblock=R2 contestants (who have internet access right now)]
 [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION], [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION], and [MENTION=62721]MortalPlague[/MENTION], who wants to kick off Round 2?[/sblock]


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## MortalPlague (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm good to go whenever.  These next few days are pretty good for me.


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## Gradine (Jan 28, 2015)

Thursday's my only good writing day this week. If we can start Wednesday (especially if it's in the afternoon or evening) I'm game.


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## Rune (Jan 28, 2015)

[MENTION=62721]MortalPlague[/MENTION] and [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION], I will post your ingredients Wednesday evening.


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## MortalPlague (Jan 28, 2015)

On the topic of scheduling, I have a game Thursday night till midnight PST.  I'd very much appreciate if the turn-in time could be a couple hours after that, so I could do a final edit following my game session.  Either that, or an earlier start so it wrapped around 6 or 7 pm PST...

It not, that's fine, I'll just work around it schedule-wise.


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## Rune (Jan 28, 2015)

With a 48 hour time limit, we'll be a lot less concerned with nailing down exact start/finish times than in the first round. Contestants are expected to find the time they need during that very generous time frame. We definitely _won't_ be extending that time-frame beyond 48 hours. 

If you'd rather start later Thursday morning, we can do that. I'd prefer not to have a match begin/end in the middle of the night, though.

(Note that a Wednesday evening start has a _Friday_ evening deadline.)


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## Gradine (Jan 28, 2015)

I would really appreciate if we could still start tonight. Tomorrow morning would work if absolutely necessary as long as it's early enough, but after Thursday my weekend is shot, and I wouldn't really have time again until Monday.


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## Rune (Jan 28, 2015)

[MENTION=62721]MortalPlague[/MENTION] and [MENTION=57112]Gradine[/MENTION], your match will begin at approximately 9 PM Eastern Time (about 5 hours from this post). This is a 48 hour match with a 3000 word limit, so keep that in mind.


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## MortalPlague (Jan 29, 2015)

I didn't realize it was a 48 hour timeframe.  That'll give me enough wiggle room even with the game session.  Thanks!


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## Wicht (Feb 2, 2015)

And I am back, and should be good to go about any day this week for round 2. So I take it that I am up against Wayland?


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## Waylander the Slayer (Feb 2, 2015)

Wicht said:


> And I am back, and should be good to go about any day this week for round 2. So I take it that I am up against Wayland?




I am game with that time frame, and for you.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 2, 2015)

Oh man, Wicht vs Waylander?  A clash of titans!


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## Wicht (Feb 3, 2015)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> I am game with that time frame, and for you.




Tomorrow? High Noon? Stylus at the Ready?


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## Rune (Feb 3, 2015)

Hold up, gentlemen! The judges are still judging the last entry. I don't think well have a chance to collaborate on your ingredients by noon tomorrow.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Feb 3, 2015)

Wicht said:


> Tomorrow? High Noon? Stylus at the Ready?



[13][/13]

You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.


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## Wicht (Feb 3, 2015)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> [13][/13]You see, in this world there’s two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.




If you have to shoot, shoot; don't talk.


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## Wicht (Feb 3, 2015)

Rune said:


> Hold up, gentlemen! The judges are still judging the last entry. I don't think well have a chance to collaborate on your ingredients by noon tomorrow.




No worries.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 3, 2015)

We could probably come up with some random elements by rolling on the Wild Magic table and the 100 trinkets table, with a roll on one of the DMG tables to spice things up.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Feb 3, 2015)

Wicht said:


> If you have to shoot, shoot; don't talk.




Hell no, all good villains need to give a spectacular, and aptly villainous speech.  Now, where were we? Ahh yes, the shovel...


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## Wicht (Feb 4, 2015)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> Hell no, all good villains need to give a spectacular, and aptly villainous speech.  Now, where were we? Ahh yes, the shovel...




You just go ahead monologueing then,...


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## Rune (Feb 6, 2015)

[MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION] and [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], could you both start a match today?


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## Wicht (Feb 6, 2015)

Anytime


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## Waylander the Slayer (Feb 6, 2015)

Tomorrow at High Noon EST would be better for me.


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## Rune (Feb 6, 2015)

[MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], you good with a Noon Eastern Saturday start?


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## Rune (Feb 7, 2015)

I'm going to need confirmation from both    [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION] and    [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION] before I pull the trigger on the starter gun. 

Is 12 PM Eastern time today going to work?

If so, your match will begin then.


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## Wicht (Feb 7, 2015)

As, I said - anytime.  

Mr. The Slayer will rue the day he even thought about shooting my dog.


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## Rune (Feb 7, 2015)

Still need to hear from [MENTION=1830]Waylander the Slayer[/MENTION] so I know he knows there are ingredients posted. If that happens after noon, I will post them at some point after, so keep checking in.


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## Rune (Feb 7, 2015)

And save the trash-talking for the arena, gentlemen.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Feb 7, 2015)

Is it high noon yet?


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## Rune (Feb 7, 2015)

Cue the tumbleweed.


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## Rune (Feb 7, 2015)

*Round 2, Match 2: Wicht vs. Waylander the Slayer*

Go.


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## Wicht (Feb 9, 2015)

Rune said:


> Go.




Went


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## Wicht (Feb 10, 2015)

I keep telling myself that my f5 skills were getting rusty and that this is all much practice...


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## Rune (Feb 11, 2015)

Hey, now! If you want to passive-aggressively imply that the judges should hurry up, do so in the other thread.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 15, 2015)

I don't want to rush things along, but I have an excellent 48-hour window of opportunity starting around 5 or 6 pm on Sunday (Pacific time).  If it's much later than that, things will collide with my work and game schedule.


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## Rune (Feb 15, 2015)

MortalPlague said:


> I don't want to rush things along, but I have an excellent 48-hour window of opportunity starting around 5 or 6 pm on Sunday (Pacific time).  If it's much later than that, things will collide with my work and game schedule.




Will this work for you, [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION]?


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## Wicht (Feb 15, 2015)

Starting anytime today works beautifully for me.  I have evening worship from 6 to 7. But just assume I am good to go anytime and have checked in.

Edit: Scratch that 6-7, schedule got rearranged to 2-3 worship time due to cold. But still, I am ready any time today to begin from now till evening.


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## Rune (Feb 15, 2015)

[MENTION=62721]MortalPlague[/MENTION] and [MENTION=221]Wicht[/MENTION], your match will begin around 3 PM Eastern time. 

You'll have 48 hours and a limit of 2000 words. 

We've picked out some nice, easy ingredients for you, so good luck.


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## Wicht (Feb 15, 2015)

Works for me. And who doesn't love "easy" ingredients?


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## MortalPlague (Feb 15, 2015)

Beautiful.  Can't wait.  It'll be nice to have another shot at Wicht.  

Last time we squared off was on a _Derelict Bridge_...

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...es-Judgements-Commentary-amp-Trash-Talk/page3


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## Wicht (Feb 15, 2015)

Checks watch, checks computer, checks watch...

I'm ready still...


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## Rune (Feb 15, 2015)

Sorry guys, pulled away unexpectedly.  Posting ingredients momentarily.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 15, 2015)

Hahaha... I love it.  Well played, judges.  Well played.


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## Rune (Feb 16, 2015)

You can blame/thank phoamslinger for this set.


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## Wicht (Feb 16, 2015)

I have this sudden inexplicable urge to read SnarfQuest


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## MortalPlague (Feb 16, 2015)

Question for the judges: are we allowed to include a map?


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## Rune (Feb 16, 2015)

Yes. But it counts as a thousand words. 'Cause it's a picture. 

Okay, I guess that's pretty harsh. Pictures and maps have been done before. I personally will count any text in the map against the limit. Other judges may do otherwise.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 17, 2015)

I'm currently one word over, due to the map having twenty words in it.


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## Rune (Feb 17, 2015)

You still have time to trim.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 17, 2015)

Rune said:


> You still have time to trim.




I sure do.

Every time I trim a hundred words or so, I get this crazy idea that I could add some words elsewhere...  Then I wind up trimming again.

The home stretch tomorrow will be interesting, to say the least.


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## Wicht (Feb 17, 2015)

I am highly looking forward to reading what you come up with MortalPlague.


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## MortalPlague (Feb 17, 2015)

Done.

Now to read the competition.


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