# Mini Encounter Contest - Heat Six



## Morrus (Apr 4, 2002)

Here we go - the sixth heat in the mini encounter contest.  The entries for this heat are:


The Blood Soaked Seal 
The Haunted Box Canyon (.zip file)
Ruins and Statues
The Hungry Dead
Mom's Butcher Shop
Springlodge
To Defy the Setting Sun (or _My Sun Shrine, My Only Sun Shrine_)
Prisoners for the Web
The Granite Beak


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## Teedoff101 (Apr 4, 2002)

Will there be a seventh or eighth heat?  Just wonderin.  Thx.


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## EOL (Apr 4, 2002)

As I recall there were 69 total entries.  6x9 is 54, so there would need to be at least two more heats.  Though the last heat might only have 6.


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## Baumi (Apr 4, 2002)

Where can we get the previous ones?

Have FUN!
Baumi


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## smetzger (Apr 4, 2002)

Baumi said:
			
		

> *Where can we get the previous ones?
> 
> Have FUN!
> Baumi *




Links are available for all of them, including ones not yet voted on, in the Free Adventure Guide.

I voted for Prosoners for the Web, 'cause it had a decent synopsis and sounded interesting.


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## EOL (Apr 4, 2002)

Baumi said:
			
		

> *Where can we get the previous ones?
> 
> Have FUN!
> Baumi *



Also all the previous heat threads are archived in the "archive" forum.


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## Nail (Apr 4, 2002)

Well, this 'uns quite a batch.  More rule abidin', less interestin'.  I had a hard time votin', mostly 'cause o' the lack o' lizardfolk in any o' the adventures.  That's a requisite fer the contest, right?

Let's see here.......
************************
_The Blood Soaked Seal_
Hmmm.  Well, it's goin' by th' rules....but it seems like this'd have ta be a major, world shapin' event.  As a DM I'd hafta change things around quite a bit ta make this fit.  Since I'm guessin' the "spirit o' th' contest" is to make a "one-shot" adventure, this one doesn't make th' grade.  Picture's nice, tho'.

_The Haunted Box Canyon _(.zip file)
..a ZIP file.  'nuff said.

_Ruins and Statues_
Th' writin' o' this 'un could be cleaned up a bit...('course, look who's talkin'...).  Pretty standard fire temple (while I was readin' this I couldn't help but murmur: "If ya've seen one Ring of Standing Stones Fire God Temple_(tm)_, ya've seen 'em all....").  The gargoyle is interestin', though.  If this were more developed...well, I suppose you'd run into th' problem Mistwell is always harpin' on and on about....th' location an' the NPC wouldn't be separate.  Still, needs a better reason fer th' NPC ta be in the temple area.

_The Hungry Dead_
Nice, quiet village...but fer this contest, th' location has ta be as impressive (or unusual) as the NPC.  That sunk it fer me.  Well written, an' I like how this is definately a "one-shot" sort of scenario......I swear I've DMed a brief encounter jus' like this.....on th' down side, the NPC motivations are weak, and they're not (in a fantasy setting) that unusual.  The PCs would be all over this 'un.

_Mom's Butcher Shop_
   A very solid entry.  Gruesome, but solid.  The shop itself is unremarkable, of course...it's only because of it's "use" (and the NPC) that it's interestin'.  (I'm sure someone'll complain about that.)  Oh yeah: an' it's well formatted.  "Hey looky -- an adventure that's easy ta read and find relavent info!  What-a-concept!"

_Springlodge_
Th' location is okay, but I had ta read thru most of the doc before I found out why it's special.  That's not good: ya need a summary.  The spring is an interestin' idea, but if I were in th' driver's seat, I'd hesitate ta put it in my campaign.  Ya just know th' PCs will try ta use it....I guess that's all just DM preference.  The NPC, however, was....ermmmmm....boring.  Nothing special about him at all.   In fact, he's jus' part of th' location.  Sorry, kid.

_To Defy the Setting Sun_
Very good.  An interesting location, and a conflicted (an' therefore interestin') NPC.  Y'all should check this one out.

_Prisoners for the Web_
.......an "okay" encounter.  Not particularly interesting or memorable, in either location or NPC.  ...But it's solid enough.  Jus' not enough opportunity fer role-playing....ah, who needs talkin' anyway: Time ta kick some spider arse!

_The Granite Beak_
Like many in this batch, a solid, if not facinating, entry.  The location is well described, and the NPC has a good motivation ta go with a captivatin' presense.  (Sorry, couldn't help it.)  I really have only a few 'nits ta pick.  First, this can't be a very well used pass -- if it were, th' harpies could hardly be a surprise to th' merchants.  T'would be better ta have the PC hired ta "take care o' th' problem".  Second, I was really hopin' fer some connnection between th' legends of th' place wit' the adventure....that is, some sorta play on th' idea of a trapped wind god.  Wouldn't have ta be an actual *god* err anything (heaven knows we got enuff o' them already....), but jus' some sort of hook or twist that would bring that out.
***********************

Outta this batch, I'd say that _Mom's Butcher Shop_, _To Defy the Setting Sun_, an' _The Granite Beak_ are th' best.  

And of those three, _To Defy the Setting Sun_ got my vote.  Original, memorable, well written.  How can ya go wrong wit' that one?

*-Nail*


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## Seule (Apr 4, 2002)

Here's my quicky reviews.  I'm likely to be harsh...  anyone can see the good points, I think the bad points are more relevant.
This group of encounters was both more imaginative and better written than the last, in my opinion, and may even be the best heat so far.  Certainly the best at following the rules and having solid grasp of encounter design.

The Blood Soaked Seal: I'd have to rewrite my world's history and introduce an entire race of evil nasty god-killing elves to run this.  No thanks.  Plus, I'd have to accept that a God sealed a prison, and then a mortal mage broke the seals.  Right.

The Haunted Box Canyon: Not bad, would need conversion for a regular D&D game, but that's the point.  I applaud the decision to write for a heavily variant published setting.  No real complaints, but not much that stands out too far either.  No real NPCs, just some new monsters.  It's not quite the same thing.

Ruins and Statues: Ho hum.  Not much to this one.  At least the two parts are separate.  The NPC is mildly cool in concept too. 

The Hungry Dead: Okay, I liked this one a lot.  It looks like one kind of encounter, but really is another.  Most PC groups will see right through the NPC unless it's handled carefully, but this could be a lot of fun for a one-shot.  Night of the Living Dead, anyone?  Poisoning your Zombies is also a seriously cool idea.

Mom's Butcher Shop: This is not so much an encounter as a place where an encounter could be set.  How the PCs arrive and why is left up to the DM, making this very flexible.  I'd set this up as a recurring location in the PCs home city, and keep the secret for a while.  Maybe have the shop be supplying the PCs trail rations....

Springlodge: Other than the hideously exloitable water, there's not much here.  No real location or NPC , and only a sketchy encounter.  I like the idea of controlling amulets, but the why is left up to the DM.  Pretty thin.

To Defy the Setting Sun (or My Sun Shrine, My Only Sun Shrine): Hmm.  A travelling building.  I said this was overdone the first time it came up in this contest, and I stand by that here.  The reason for the NPC to be there is very cool, but there's still not a whole lot here, and I don't particularly want to figure out in advance where all the stops of the building are...  because you know that the PCs are going to try to find out.

Prisoners for the Web: Pretty standard, but well done.  Location and NPC are both good.

The Granite Beak: This fulfills it's purpose admirably, being a single session encounter.  Nothing stunning, but solid.

  --Seule


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## Berandor (Apr 5, 2002)

Here we are again...
as usual, I will probably talk aboit negative issues, and neglect most positive parts.
That doesn't mean I didn't like the entry in question.

Now to the good stuff!
Note: This time, it seems as if all entries conformed to the rules laid out, so it's possible to do!

_1. The Blood Soaked Seal_
This was just off of my league somehow. All the talk of Gods and them warring an Elfen race, one god closely beating one of the elves, then another one defying the god's most powerful spell, just didn't ring true with me. The location and the NPc are also very much tied together.

_2. The Haunted Box Canyon_
This one was nice, and I liked the idea of a non-D&D standard adventure. However, the critters are just that, critters, and not really NPCs. Location and Critters are tied together, as well.

_3. Ruins and Statues_
That one had a neat NPc, the gargoyle sorcerer. The fire temple was nice, but unspectacular, and not even hallowed. NPC and location weren't tied together, which is good, but was there really an ecounter using both?

_4. The Hungry Dead_
Location and NPC/encounter were tied closely together. Furthermore, the NPC's motivation wasn't very elaborate, and there was no purpose to the zombies.

_5. Mom's Butcher Shop_
Why do people feel the need to give their NPCs humorous names? Gertrude, or Mom, etc. Also, Mom is a Thief 3, and nitpicking me says it's a Rogue.
This nitpicking was what didn't put the butcher's shop at No. 1 for me, even though I love the PCs buying rations there...

_6. Springlodge_
The NPC and the location are tied very much together. I'm also curious why the 10 Watchers don't come to help defend against the troll.
Furthermore, as had been said, the potion-ability is bound to be abused by PCs. If they are not meant to find it out, it shouldn't even be mentioned in the first place. No gold, no XP - heaven!

_7. Defy the Setting Sun_
I liked the idea of both NPC and location, and how they were tied together, yet could be used separately very easily.
However, the shrine just left to much work for me as a DM.
Where does it appear in the next day (or days, or weeks, or)
How big is my campaign world (distance calculation)
Can i teleport into the shrine? Is it a well-known location, or always a new one? Or do I appear where I last entered it?
That was too much work for me, and so the neat idea will likely remain unused.

_8. Prisoners for the Web_
Straightforward combat encounter. However, when traveling in the Underdark, my players would take care they are equipped with some ability to navigate/escape webs...
As a whole, the encounter was a little too plain for my tastes.

_9. The Granite Beak_
I liked how the location was full of mystery not pertaining to the matter at hand. A fiendish harpy is also not a nice image. All in all, this was the one that got my vote.

Short, but...

I'm sure Granite Beak won't win, for my tips haven't won any contest yet - though I voted for last heat's winner, I didn't manage to post some thoughts on them 

Ja mata,
Berandor


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## hokie (Apr 6, 2002)

Hi, everyone!

I'm a long time lurker, first time poster.

Are there a lot of these contests?  How can I get involved?

I hope my "horse" comes in first.

Thanks!


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## Berandor (Apr 6, 2002)

It's been a while since the rules for this encounter contest have been published. It was a contest where everybody could send in his encounter.

It had to be set on 3 pages (a fourth was possible for maps), one containing the encounter itself, one for the location, one for the NPC. Both NPC and location should be usable seperately. Also, the type font should be Times New Roman 12 or similar.

You can't enter anymore, but you can vote on the best entry still. This is the sixth heat, two more will come (I think) - and then the final heat with the previous winners.

DL and read the entries, compare to the contest rules, choose your winner.

Have fun!

Berandor


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## roversaurus (Apr 6, 2002)

I really liked 3 of them:

The Blood Soaked Seal:
  This was really a cool story and NPC. Really an epic event.
  Freeing someone long imprisoned by the gods is a staple of
  a lot of good books. I liked the imagery of his blood seeping into
  the grooves of the seal.

To Defy the Setting Sun:
  I really liked the NPC. The idea of two great enemies controlling
  the same body one at night and one at day. That's an idea I
  might use. The shrine was a clever idea (The "punny" subtitle
  was horrible 

The Granite Beak:
  This was straight forward. I liked the location a lot. A little bit
  of legend thrown in and a great place for bandits. Harpies as
  a monster are unexpected.

I couldn't make up my mind so I asked myself which one was
I more likely to use in my campaign at a moments notice?
The Granite Beak got  my vote. The others would take more
work to fit into my campaign, although I enjoyed reading them
more.

The Haunted Box Canyon
  This was kind of a nice quick dungeon. But no real NPC.

Ruins and Statues
   The NPC and the location were interesting. But they were
   very, very seperate. I kind of thought the NPC and location
   were suppose to be seperate and the encounter brought them
   together. I didn't see an encounter with the gargoyle.

Mom's Butcher Shop  
   Because this is winning in the voting I won't make
   the author feel too bad by insulting it. After all, everyone else
   says it's good. I'm just one kook.  I thought this was horrible.
   It just seemed contrived. The bad guys went through a lot
   of unnecessary effort just to be gruesome.
   I just can't envision this set up. Hmmm, Perhaps if you said the
   bad guys used the shop infrequently it might be more
   believable.

   But claiming that murder victims create a CHEAP supply of
   meat is ridiculous. There is not much meat there. The murderer
   must be paid. The thugs who arrange transportation and
   and butchering must be paid. And they will need to be paid
   a premium in order to keep quite.

Prisoners for the Web
   This was also a nice quick encounter to throw in at will.

My campaign:
http://home.indy.rr.com/ahwmrklas/dnd/summary.htm


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## Mistwell (Apr 7, 2002)

Drat, I missed this heat...aw well, if someone wants my comments on their entry, let me know.

Someone asked about the rules earlier, here they are:

For reference, here are the Rules: 
1) Entry should consist of three pages. The first page should contain the encounter, the second page should describe (and, if necessary, map) the location and the third page should include your NPC, complete with background, roleplaying notes and combat tactics (if relevant). Your entry may optionally contain one fourth page for illustrations or maps; this is not compulsory. 
2) You may not exceed one page for each of these elements, and your text should be in Times New Roman font (or similar) at a font size of 12 points. 
3) The full 3-page document should bear a title and an indication of its Encounter Level, and sent as an email attachment to me at morrus@d20reviews.com. 
4) The location and the NPC should be useful independently of each other and of the encounter itself.
5) The encounter should be one that can be easily inserted into most campaigns. 
6) The encounter should be clear and easy to run? 


For what it's worth, I didn't think Mom's Butcher Shop, the winner of this heat, had a location and NPC's that were independent of each other, and of the encounter itself (was there even an encounter really?).


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## Morrus (Apr 8, 2002)

The winner is Mom's Butcher Shop.

The next heat will be posted tomorrow.  We're nearly finished!


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