# Iron DM 2010 Discussion Thread



## CleverNickName (May 6, 2010)

The roster has been moved to the official Iron DM 2010 thread, over in the Plots and Places forum. Nobody wants to have two copies floating around. 

Now that the contest is underway, this thread will be the discussion forum where we can cuss and discuss the entries.  If you are going to mention specifics, though, we ask that you please use SBLOCK tags.  Some of us would like to keep things a surprise.

Contestants and judges should read this thread at their own risk, especially if they are in the middle of a match.  Very little of our banter will be helpful, and could even stifle creativity or create bias.  You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen...



Spoiler: FAQ



*What is an Iron DM?*
_"An Iron DM tournament is a contest in which writers show their ability to turn a collection of random ingredients into a cohesive adventure over a short period of time."_

*So how does this work, anyway?*
The Iron DM contest is a single-elimination writing contest, loosely based on the Japanese game show "Iron Chef."  Contestants are given a short list of ingredients, all of which must be used to create an original adventure, encounter, or side-trek.  Contestants have but 24 hours to create, write, and post their entries.  The DM with the best story wins, and proceeds on to the next round.

*What do I win?*
This year's prizes include:


The glowing admiration of your peers
Maybe some XP from your fans
The respect of at least one other DM in this forum
Street cred
A warm, fuzzy sense of accomplishment

...and many other things that money cannot buy.

*Who can enter?*
Anyone who is not a judge.  If you are reading this, you are invited to compete.

*Who are the judges?*
This event is organized by the Rat Bastard DMs Club, and judges are drawn from this membership.

*Can I edit my entry once it's posted?*
No.  Entries that have a "Last edited by..." tag at the bottom may be disqualified, depending on how strict your judge is.  If you spot an error in your entry, you should send a private message to the judge about it.

*What are the judges looking for?*
Each judge has his own way of choosing a winner...some are formulaic, others are abstract.  For the most part, entries will be judged on (a) ingredient use, (b) playability, (c) creativity, and (d) overall impression.

Ingredient Use: How well were all of the ingredients tied together in the story?  Was each ingredient a necessary, irreplacable part of the adventure, or was it merely a prop or McGuffin that could have been replaced with anything else?  Did some ingredients get over-used?

Playability: will other DMs find it interesting and useful?  Can it be easily dropped into an existing campaign, or will it require extensive work on the DM's part to adapt to his game world?

Creativity: did you use the ingredients in innovative, imaginative ways? or did you simply drop six ingredients into your favorite published adventure?  Are you using someone else's adventure?  Did you go "above and beyond," and include stuff like hand-drawn maps or original poetry?  Did you create new monsters, spells, magic items, or other "crunchy" items?

Overall impression: is the adventure cool?  Is it something that you would pay money for?  Does it tell an awesome story?  Can it hold the reader's interest?

Different judges will give each category different weight in choosing a winner.  It is recommended that all contestants read through the judgments of last year's contest to get a feel for what different judges will be looking for.

*Which edition of D&D are we supposed to use?*
This contest is edition-neutral; you may use any edition you want.  Most entries will probably be 3.x or 4E, but we have seen older editions before, as well as d20 Modern, Pathfinder, and even Star Wars (and I can't remember for sure, but I think there was a G.U.R.P.S. entry a while back.)  So go with your favorite.

Keep in mind that one of the things you will be judged on is "playability."  So if you write an adventure for a non-D&D system, consider adding some conversion notes.  This is not a requirement; merely a suggestion.


If you have any other questions, please drop me a line!


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## Wicht (May 6, 2010)

Count me in.


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## howandwhy99 (May 6, 2010)

I'll throw my battered hat into the ring.

By adventures, do you mean a situation with a plotline for the players or just a situation?


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## Vyvyan Basterd (May 6, 2010)

Shoot! June 1st is my "late night" of month-end close. Otherwise I'd be totally willing to embarass myself.


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## CleverNickName (May 6, 2010)

Vyvyan Basterd said:


> Shoot! June 1st is my "late night" of month-end close. Otherwise I'd be totally willing to embarass myself.



Well, I can put you in toward the end of Round 1.  That would have you starting around the 8th of June, at the earliest.

Would that work?  Let me know.


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## Vyvyan Basterd (May 6, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Well, I can put you in toward the end of Round 1.  That would have you starting around the 8th of June, at the earliest.
> 
> Would that work?  Let me know.




It would. As long as I start anywhere after the 4th of June I'm golden.


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## CleverNickName (May 6, 2010)

howandwhy99 said:


> By adventures, do you mean a situation with a plotline for the players or just a situation?



It can be either.  Some people only submit a single encounter, others do entire adventures complete with maps.

Check out some of the entries (and judgments) from last year.  They should help you get a feel for it.


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## Wik (May 6, 2010)

Oh, HELL YES.  I am absolutely in.  

I came close to the finals last time around, and would love another stab at Iron Sky.


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## howandwhy99 (May 6, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> It can be either.  Some people only submit a single encounter, others do entire adventures complete with maps.
> 
> Check out some of the entries (and judgments) from last year.  They should help you get a feel for it.



Oh, I've competed three times before.  Everything from a side quest being thrown out for not being an adventure, ditto on a conversion of the six elements into a known children's story as plagiarizing, to losing for being incoherent because there was no plotline.  

Not that any these were all that great. But simple element usage hasn't been the primary reason for my downfall in the past.  I always seem to find a new way to lose. 

No expectations here. I'll give it my best again and let the chips fall where they may.

...which means other competitors may want to jockey to get paired up against me.


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## renau1g (May 6, 2010)

In June you say? Hmm.... too bad that's my busiest time of year at work with corporate tax season in crunch time. Ah well...I'll follow along for fun again.


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## blargney the second (May 6, 2010)

clevernickname said:


> for an archive of past tournaments -- which make for a great read -- see here:
> http://www.aquerra.com/iron_dm/main_archive.htm



== 404


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## Pro-Paladin (May 6, 2010)

I followed the last one and this time I'm registering so I can compete!


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## humble minion (May 6, 2010)

I'd like in.  I participated last time (but was booted in the first round!), so give preference to people who've never had a go if you like.


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## Allenchan (May 7, 2010)

After refreshing my memory by browsing the archived threads, I'm going to toss my helm into the ring!


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## InVinoVeritas (May 7, 2010)

It was tons of fun the first time around, but I think I'll have to bow out this time. (Heck, I just had to have the stamina to stat a flagstone and failed...)

And, for anyone else thinking of joining...
Ask me about my Unmentionable Services!


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## Green Dice (May 7, 2010)

I watched the last Iron DM competition closely and I'd love to compete this time around.

Count me in!


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## CleverNickName (May 7, 2010)

Green Dice said:


> I watched the last Iron DM competition closely and I'd love to compete this time around.
> 
> Count me in!



Welcome aboard!  I've got you down.



InVinoVeritas said:


> It was tons of fun the first time around, but I think I'll have to bow out this time. (Heck, I just had to have the stamina to stat a flagstone and failed...)



Bummer...you were one of my favorite contenders!  (And I'm not just saying that because you defeated me in the second round last year, with your fancy beetles and feather tokens.)



InVinoVeritas said:


> And, for anyone else thinking of joining...
> Ask me about my Unmentionable Services!



Hmm?


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## InVinoVeritas (May 7, 2010)

My Unmentionable Services almost lost me the third round. It involved, er, appeasing an Unhappy Goatherd. Then the judges remembered that they were elements they had selected for the adventure.

I may be convinced to judge an Iron DM, but I'll be gone for the next two weeks.


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## CleverNickName (May 7, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> I may be convinced to judge an Iron DM, but I'll be gone for the next two weeks.



Judge would be cool.  I haven't heard from any of the Rat Bastard DMs yet...but that's my own fault.  (I haven't sent any of them any messages or e-mails, but will endeavor to do so in the next few days.)

I'll pencil you in as a judge.


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## Nifft (May 7, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> I haven't heard from any of the Rat Bastard DMs yet...but that's my own fault.  (I haven't sent any of them any messages or e-mails, but will endeavor to do so in the next few days.)



 I left a note at the Residence of the Baseborn Rodents, but I wouldn't expect any response before Monday.

Cheers, -- N


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## MortalPlague (May 7, 2010)

I want a shot at redemption!  Count me in!


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## Radiating Gnome (May 8, 2010)

I'm happy to return as a judge for this round. If you'll have me.


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## CleverNickName (May 8, 2010)

For the most part, I would like to run this competition the way it always has been done.  Except for these small changes.

What do you guys think?


*CONTESTANT PAIRING*
Instead of pitting the contestants against each other in the order that they registered, I am going to randomly determine who competes with whom.  In case you care how this will be done....


Spoiler: Random Selection



Each contestant will be assigned a random number between 1 and 100 (using d%).  Any ties will be rerolled.

Contestants will then be grouped in order of highest to lowest results.  The highest will be pit against the lowest; the second-highest against the second-lowest, and so forth.)



*TIME LIMITS*
In my experience, the quality of an adventure idea is not likely to improve past the first couple of hours of inspiration...but the word count will grow like a magic beanstalk.

In the first competition, Iron DMs only got an hour to come up with an adventure concept.  In last year's competition, we had 48 hours to do the same.  A single hour is not nearly long enough, IMO, and 48 hours is probably too long.

So for this competition, I think I will make each round last 24 hours.  Sound good?


*WORD COUNT*
Someone suggested in the last competition that we impose some sort of word limit, to keep these entries from becoming too cumbersome to read.  I don't really see the need for a word length restriction, at least as a hard rule.  Some judges might take the length of your submission into consideration, others might not.  So go with your gut.

Just remember: the writer who can say the most with the fewest words will likely win.


*INGREDIENTS*
In each round, contestants will be given six ingredients.  The categories for these ingredients (and examples of each) are as follows.



Spoiler: A Person



absent-minded professor
pastry chef
Elvis impersonator
three beautiful widows
eladrin merchant
unemployed assassin
President Abraham Lincoln
12th level rogue
disfigured veteran





Spoiler: A Place



ice cave
pie factory
abandoned coal mine
burning building
medieval Europe
desert island
a collapsed bridge
The Black Temple of Azaroth
The Sears Tower





Spoiler: A Thing



magic potion
fresh pumpkin pie
the Hope Diamond
alabaster necklace
the letter "Q"
toenail shavings
three letters to the same princess
_wand of fireballs_
pool of acid
sonic boom





Spoiler: An Idea



unabated hunger
revolution
burning passion
eagerness to please
horror
urban renewal
embarrassing honesty
that sinking feeling you get when the waiter tells you that they have sold out of your favorite pie





Spoiler: A Monster



rabid blink dog
half-dragon scorpion
fiendish purple worm
Godzilla
a pet earthworm
an intelligent ooze
vampire bat
halfling pie-thrower
Pennywise the Clown
six-headed hydra





Spoiler: A Random Ingredient



This could be any of the above...a second monster, or a second location, or another idea.  It could also be a special writing requirement ("Include a poem at least four lines in length") or a "meta" ingredient ("create and show the stats for a pie golem") that must be included in your submission.


Ingredients will become more challenging and specific as the competition wears on.  In the final rounds, expect to have more proper names and specific locations, in combinations that border on the insane.

-----

Does this all sound agreeable?


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## CleverNickName (May 8, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> I'm happy to return as a judge for this round. If you'll have me.



Hooray!  Welcome back, RG!  I'll put you on the list.


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## CleverNickName (May 8, 2010)

blargney the second said:


> == 404



I'm at a loss.  At first I thought I mis-typed the entry, but turns out, they have mysteriously vanished from the server.  I've tried scouring the Google for clues to their whereabouts, but have come up empty.  Sorry about that.


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## Wicht (May 8, 2010)

I like the random selection of opponents.


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## MatthewJHanson (May 9, 2010)

I'd be game. If there's a chance I could have my first round not on a Tuesday I'd appreciate it.


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## Iron Sky (May 9, 2010)

I'll have another go, though if it fills up and someone who hasn't done it before wants to jump in, they can take my place (want everyone to get a chance!).


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## Pro-Paladin (May 9, 2010)

I like the idea of a random draw. 24 hours to post should be enough, I would think.


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## Pour (May 10, 2010)

Is it that time already? Sign me up! And if I can make a request regarding scheduling, any time but Tuesdays and Thursdays are good for me. 

And Invino, roll out of that judges box and enter the arena. We have unfinished business!


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## CleverNickName (May 10, 2010)

Wicht said:


> I like the random selection of opponents.



Yeah, I thought you would like that.  IIRC, you and Wulf got thrown into the ring right off the bat last year.  Don't get me wrong, it was plenty fun and exciting...but it would have been good to see more of both of you.



MatthewJHanson said:


> I'd be game. If there's a chance I could have my first round not on a Tuesday I'd appreciate it.





Pour said:


> Is it that time already? Sign me up! And if I can make a request regarding scheduling, any time but Tuesdays and Thursdays are good for me.



Welcome aboard, gentlemen!  I'll see what I can do to accommodate your schedules.  Beyond Round One, there will be little I can do about which days you end up competing on, though.



Iron Sky said:


> I'll have another go, though if it fills up and someone who hasn't done it before wants to jump in, they can take my place (want everyone to get a chance!).



Welcome back, Champ!  I've got you on the list.


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## Pbartender (May 10, 2010)

If you'd like another member of the RBDM Club to serve as judge, I'd be willing.


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## CleverNickName (May 10, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> If you'd like another member of the RBDM Club to serve as judge, I'd be willing.



Most excellent!  We now have enough judges for this year's competition...

..._or do we?_

I don't know if InVinoVeriatis is a member of the RBDM Club or not...in fact, it is hard to find any information at all on this club (organization? fraternity?  secret society?  cult?)  But this event has always been judged by the RBDMs, and...well, I'd hate to be the one to break so noble of a tradition.  Is it cool for a legitimate, non-rodent game master to be a judge?


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## Wicht (May 11, 2010)

Actually, I almost volunteered to judge but my membership in that club has probably lapsed as its been some years since last I walked its dread halls, so I wasn't sure.


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## Radiating Gnome (May 11, 2010)

Nah. Once you're a rat, you're a rat for life. Come back anytime...


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## Pbartender (May 11, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> I don't know if InVinoVeriatis is a member of the RBDM Club or not...




Honestly, neither do we...  I believe we sent him an invitation to join after the last Iron DM competition, but I'm not certain he ever got back to us one way or the other.


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## CleverNickName (May 11, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Honestly, neither do we...  I believe we sent him an invitation to join after the last Iron DM competition, but I'm not certain he ever got back to us one way or the other.



Hey, that works for me.  I just want to keep things on the up-and-up.

I'm not a RBDM, so I won't be judging any matches.  I might chime in with comments and predictions from the peanut gallery, but I have no say in who wins or loses.  I'm just the host of the show, announcing the categories and charming you with my witty banter.  

Only four slots remain!


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## Nifft (May 11, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Honestly, neither do we...  I believe we sent him an invitation to join after the last Iron DM competition, but I'm not certain he ever got back to us one way or the other.



 Piratecat was going to send them. Ask him perhaps?

Cheers, -- N


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## Sanzuo (May 11, 2010)

If you have any spots left, I'd like to enter.


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## CleverNickName (May 12, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> If you have any spots left, I'd like to enter.



You're in...welcome to the competition.  Best of luck to you, sir!

A question to the judges: do you want to pick your own ingredients, or would you like me to do it?


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## Iron Sky (May 16, 2010)

I would think picking the ingredients would be half the fun of judging (I know that would be true if I was judging!).

We still need 3 I'm assuming?


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## CleverNickName (May 18, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> I would think picking the ingredients would be half the fun of judging (I know that would be true if I was judging!).



  I agree completely...although coming up with a good mix of ingredients isn't as easy as one would think.  

It is just that I noticed in some past matches, the person judging the round was not necessarily the person who came up with the list of ingredients.  I wasn't trying to hog all the fun.



Iron Sky said:


> We still need 3 I'm assuming?



Yep.  The competition starts in two weeks...so the clock is ticking.


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## Pbartender (May 18, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> A question to the judges: do you want to pick your own ingredients, or would you like me to do it?




Suit yourself...  I'm easy.


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## Radiating Gnome (May 19, 2010)

I can go either way, too.


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## Waylander the Slayer (May 20, 2010)

I'd like to enter if there is a spot still available.


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## CleverNickName (May 20, 2010)

Waylander the Slayer said:


> I'd like to enter if there is a spot still available.



Welcome to the competition, Waylander...glad to have you!

Now, only two slots remain.  Once everyone has signed up, I will put together the roster and post it over in the Plots and Places forum.  I will IM everyone when it is ready.


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## Vyvyan Basterd (May 20, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Now, only two slots remain.




Another project has come across my desk and I need to withdraw.


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## CleverNickName (May 20, 2010)

Vyvyan Basterd said:


> Another project has come across my desk and I need to withdraw.



[VADER]
*NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!*
[/VADER]

Bummer, V...sorry to hear that.  But not really; it is always good to get new projects.  Is it an awesome project, at least?


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## Vyvyan Basterd (May 20, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Bummer, V...sorry to hear that.  But not really; it is always good to get new projects.  Is it an awesome project, at least?




Awesome in terms of continued job security, but awesome fun? No. Maybe next year.


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## ender_wiggin (May 20, 2010)

If there's still a slot open I will compete.


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## CleverNickName (May 20, 2010)

Vyvyan Basterd said:


> Awesome in terms of continued job security, but awesome fun? No. Maybe next year.



Well, some projects are definitely more fun than othes.  I hope this one pleasantly surprises you.



ender_wiggin said:


> If there's still a slot open I will compete.



Welcome!  I've got you on the list, in VB's old slot.  Best of luck to you, sir!

We still have room for two more contestants.


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## ender_wiggin (May 20, 2010)

Sweet. I did have a question: how much time do we have between rounds assuming we move on?


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## CleverNickName (May 21, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> Sweet. I did have a question: how much time do we have between rounds assuming we move on?



Usually, you have several days.  All of the first-round matches have to be completed before the second-round ones start, and all of those have to be completed before the third-round, etc.  And since it takes a day or two for the judges to review the entries and submit their decisions...well, it can take a while.

But don't worry about getting caught unaware.  On the evening before each match, I will post an "Are You Ready?" question in the thread.  The match won't start until both contestants respond.

Is there a scheduling conflict you are trying to avoid?


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## ender_wiggin (May 21, 2010)

I have a big test on June 14 and 15, and then a few days after that I'm driving cross country to where I'm going to be for the summer. So for about a week around the 14th is probably not the best for me.

But I sounds like you guys are pretty flexible and I'm willing to work with what's available.


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## InVinoVeritas (May 25, 2010)

By the way...

I'm not a RBDM. I hadn't received an invite.


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## CleverNickName (May 25, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> By the way...
> 
> I'm not a RBDM. I hadn't received an invite.



Well...at least two of the RBDMs have vouched for you, and I haven't heard any objections.  So I don't think it will be a problem if you want to help judge the competition.

BTW, I think Pour has his fingers crossed, hoping that you will step into the ring.


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## InVinoVeritas (May 25, 2010)

If asked, I will serve. I'd love to do it in any case. I'm cooking up a number of ingredients as I think...


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## Tremorsense (May 25, 2010)

I'll take one of those last spots.


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## CleverNickName (May 25, 2010)

Welcome to the competition, Tremorsense!

The match will begin in one week.  As soon as I have all of the names of the contestants put together, I will type up the roster and post it up in the Iron DM Thread.  That way, everyone will be able to see who they are competing with, and on what days.

We have room for only *ONE* more player.  First come, first serve!


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## CleverNickName (May 25, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> If asked, I will serve. I'd love to do it in any case. I'm cooking up a number of ingredients as I think...



Please do.  If another RBDM steps up and wants to judge, we will just slide you over to the Alternate Judge role.

Picking ingredients is fun, isn't it?  I find myself looking around my desk, sizing things up, and trying to figure out how they would work in an adventure.  "Hmm, let's see.  An antique hatpin, hot coffee, plastic gargoyle, ogre slavedriver, crushing despair...."


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## blargney the second (May 25, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> crushing despair....



If that's sitting on your desk, it might be time for a new job.  Does it at least make a good paperweight?


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## CleverNickName (May 25, 2010)

blargney the second said:


> If that's sitting on your desk, it might be time for a new job.  Does it at least make a good paperweight?



_Around_ my desk, not on it.  I work for a probate law firm.






kidding, kidding


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## InVinoVeritas (May 26, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> _Around_ my desk, not on it. I work for a probate law firm.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Ooh, my mother used to work in probate! Genealogical shenanigans were always the best.

(ETA: Genealogical Shenanigans could have been such a fun ingredient... Sigh...)


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## CleverNickName (May 26, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> Ooh, my mother used to work in probate! Genealogical shenanigans were always the best.
> 
> (ETA: Genealogical Shenanigans could have been such a fun ingredient... Sigh...)



Wow, it would have.

So would "Mother In Probate."

I don't work in probate law, or any other form of law.  I actually work for a consulting engineering firm.


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## CleverNickName (May 28, 2010)

The match begins on Tuesday!  We have room for one more talented, twisted, crafty Dungeon Master...

...go on, you know you want to.


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## CleverNickName (May 28, 2010)

I put together the preliminary play roster, to give everyone a chance to look it over before the match starts.  If you spot any scheduling conflicts, please let me know.

Using my trusty Chessex d%s, I assigned each player a random number.  Then I grouped highest with lowest, 2nd highest with 2nd lowest, 3rd highest with 3rd lowest, and so forth.  The end result looks like this:

Sanzuo (94)
humble minion (8)

Wicht (78)
Green Dice (13)

MortalPlague (76)
ender wiggin (14)

Pour (72)
MatthewJHanson (18)

Iron Sky (70)
Tremorsense (23)

Waylander the Slayer (14 60)
Pro-Paladin (24)

Allenchan (56)
<open> (28)

Wik (46)
howandwhy99 (29)

You will notice that we still have an open slot. If you would like to try your hand at Iron DMing, drop me a line and I'll put you in, competing against Allenchan. If we don't have a contender by the time the match starts, I reckon I will compete.

I am going to separate each match by about 2 days, and alternate the judges.  That will give each judge almost a week to review and post their judgment for each round.  Does this sound like a comfortable pace? or should I speed things up a bit?


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## ender_wiggin (May 28, 2010)

Sounds good to me. I'm ready to go.


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## Wicht (May 28, 2010)

So my match begins around June 3rd, correct?


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## CleverNickName (May 28, 2010)

So far, yes.  Unless someone comes forward with a scheduling conflict and I have to swap your match with another one, you will be competing in about six days.


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## Sanzuo (May 28, 2010)

How long will we have once the round starts to post our actual entry?


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## CleverNickName (May 28, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> How long will we have once the round starts to post our actual entry?



The round begins as soon as the ingredients are posted.  From that moment, you have exactly 24 hours to get your entry posted.  Don' be late!


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## MatthewJHanson (May 28, 2010)

Works for me.


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## Radiating Gnome (May 29, 2010)

FWIW, I have a trip coming up in mid-june.  I expect to be online some during that time, but might not be as reliable as I can be at other times.  I'll be a lot more specific and clear as we get closer (it's the week of June 12th), but that will probably be a spotty week for me. That shouldn't be the end of the world for judging, but I will do what I can to minimize the impact. 

-rg


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## CleverNickName (May 29, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> FWIW, I have a trip coming up in mid-june.  I expect to be online some during that time, but might not be as reliable as I can be at other times.  I'll be a lot more specific and clear as we get closer (it's the week of June 12th), but that will probably be a spotty week for me. That shouldn't be the end of the world for judging, but I will do what I can to minimize the impact.



Thanks for letting us know, RG.  We can work around the schedule if we need to, or I can recruit an alternate judge to step in for you.  Just keep us posted!


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## Pour (May 29, 2010)

Excellent! Looking forward to this.


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## Wik (May 29, 2010)

Dr. Mr H. Andwhy:

Prepare to be destroyed.  

...That is all.

Sincerely,

Wik (A.K.A. Your Worst Nightmare)



(let the trash talking begin!)


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## CleverNickName (May 30, 2010)

The roster has changed a bit, to accommodate for some busy schedules.  Look it over and let me know if I have only made the problem worse...


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## Wik (May 30, 2010)

Looks good to me.  But why isn't the Iron DM thread in General Discussion?  Just kind of curious.


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## Allenchan (May 30, 2010)

Surely there's somebody else out there interested?  I dont smell (that) bad. Honest!


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## CleverNickName (May 30, 2010)

Wik said:


> Looks good to me.  But why isn't the Iron DM thread in General Discussion?  Just kind of curious.



I'm not sure...last year's Iron DM thread was over in the Plots and Places forum, so I just assumed that would be the best place for it.  After all, the Iron DM competition is mostly about creating adventure plots and stories out of random ingredients.  Why do you ask?


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## howandwhy99 (May 31, 2010)

Wik said:


> Dr. Mr H. Andwhy:
> 
> Prepare to be destroyed.
> 
> ...



Hey! I'm 0 and 3 in these competitions, so take that!

Uhh, wait.  Trash talking?  

Expect the unexpected.


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## Iron Sky (May 31, 2010)

Garbage.  Refuse.  Litter.  Waste.  Flotsam.  Filth.  Compost.  Junk.  Jetsam.  Debris.  Wreckage.

Beat that.


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## CleverNickName (May 31, 2010)

You forgot detritus, rubbish, and rubble.


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## humble minion (May 31, 2010)

Bilge, midden, slag, spoil and discharge!

(Yeah, I'm starting to stretch here!  Being the first one up is a bit on the daunting side, but I suppose I can't get any worse than my current 100% losing record...)


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## humble minion (Jun 1, 2010)

Actually, looking at the scheduled time for my round, that's going to be really difficult.  Any chance I could swap out (any non-Tuesday day is ok), or even better, delay the start of the round by 6 or 8 hours?  In my timezone, 12pm PST is 5am Wednesday morning, and Wednesday night is a bit of a write-off for me since I'm GMing my regular game.  A few hours later means I can at least have a go at things on Thursday morning.


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## MortalPlague (Jun 1, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> *Round 1, Match 3
> Saturday, June 5*
> MortalPlague vs. ender wiggin
> Judge: Pbartender




Exciting!  Thanks for putting me on the list.

On that note, is it possible to switch me to a different day?  The only day I work this week is Saturday.  If not, I can swing it.  I'll just have my mind elsewhere while at work.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 1, 2010)

Hrmm....I'll see what I can do.  *MortalPlague/ender wiggin* and *Sanzuo/humble minion*: would it be alright to switch you two around?  Please let me know as soon as possible; the first match starts in less than six hours!


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## humble minion (Jun 1, 2010)

Cheers for that.  If you can't organise a change, I'm ok with keeping the original schedule.  I'll still be able to produce *something*, it'll just probably be rather poor and rather rushed.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 1, 2010)

humble minion said:


> Cheers for that.  If you can't organise a change, I'm ok with keeping the original schedule.  I'll still be able to produce *something*, it'll just probably be rather poor and rather rushed.



Thanks for understanding.  If there were only one person in each match, it would be easy to swap them around.  But each schedule change impacts four different people, so it can get complicated.

As for the "rather poor and rather rushed" product, remember: the Great Iron DMs of Old only had one hour to produce an adventure.  Just _one hour!_  So working against such a tight deadline, scrambling to condense the ingredients and bind them together in a story...it's probably closer to the heart and soul of the Iron DM Competition.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 1, 2010)

The official Iron DM 2010 thread is up!  Let the competition begin!


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## Sanzuo (Jun 1, 2010)

Oh, I've been moved.  Well see you saturday.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 1, 2010)

The ingredients will be posted once I hear from our two competitors, MortalPlague and ender wiggin, here in this thread.  Gentlemen, are you ready?


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 2, 2010)

I'm down.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Ingredients are ready, burning a hole in my clipboard.  MP, you out there?


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Well, I'm off to bed soon. Will check back one more time, but odds are this round will have to start tomorrow. 

-rg


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

We will have to try to coordinate starting up tomorrow, perhaps with an alternate contestant. See you all in the AM.

-rg


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## MortalPlague (Jun 2, 2010)

Whoa!  I didn't see this till right now.  My bad.

I'm good to go for tomorrow, if that's an option.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Okay, I'm good for a Noon Eastern start time today if we can get MP and EW to check in again and let us know that they're good with that time frame.  So, let's hear it, guys! If noon does not work for you, let us know, too. 

-rg


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## CleverNickName (Jun 2, 2010)

Hey, these things happen.  That's why we don't post the ingredients until both contestants chime in and say they are ready.  (And it's why I scheduled all of the matches so that they are two days apart.)

We will just call it a rain delay, and bump it up a day.  Which is fitting, since it is raining cats and dogs over Portland right now...

*Also, a friendly reminder:* we still have room in the competition for one more contestant.  So if you love competitive writing contests, and if you want to flex your Creativity muscles, step forward and join the fun!


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 2, 2010)

I'm good to go. Let me at it.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Okay, it's an hour to my proposed go-time.  Mortal, I'm sorry, but I need a confirmation that you're ready to go at my proposed time (Noon Eastern). I could just take the "i'm ready to go tomorrow" as a go, but I'm not sure about the time, and I'd hate for you to lose a chunk of your time because I posted before you would be ready. 

-rg


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 2, 2010)

If MP checks in after noon, we can just go at the next hour. I'm down in advance for that.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Thanks for being flexible!


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Okay, I don't want to drag this out much longer.  MP indicated that he was okay with doing it today, so I'm going to go ahead and post ingredients.  I'm going to post them now, for my own convenience, but we'll call the "official" start time 3 pm Eastern (about 45 minutes from now).  That means, if you see this right now, you'll get a little bonus time.  Live it up! 

I'll edit this post in a few minutes with the link to the actual starter post in the contest thread. 

-rg


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 2, 2010)

Okay, I don't want to drag this out much longer.  MP indicated that he was okay with doing it today, so I'm going to go ahead and post ingredients.  I'm going to post them now, for my own convenience, but we'll call the "official" start time 3 pm Eastern (about 45 minutes from now).  That means, if you see this right now, you'll get a little bonus time.  Live it up! 

Here's the starting post!

-rg


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## CleverNickName (Jun 2, 2010)

And we're off!

Excitement is buzzing through Kitchen Stadium, where Chairman Radiating Gnome has just revealed our six ingredients for the competition.  Let's head down to the floor for a closer look!



Spoiler



First, I see a *weretiger*, a nasty and fantastic beast inspired by the old werewolf tropes of European myth.  It is a meaty ingredient with lots of flavor.  Part man, part beast, all awesome!

And what's this...an _*Aerial Swamp??*_  Where does he find this crazy stuff!  It will be very interesting to see how our contestants cook up these seemingly contradictory elements--the temptation of course, will be to emphasize one and diminish the other.  You can bet our judges will be watching this ingredient very closely.

And here we have...*Human Slavers!*  I know that many of you might assume this ingredient has a plain, vanilla-like flavor, but you are so very wrong!  See, here in this kitchen, most DMs think of slavers as decidedly _non_-human!

There seems to be a bit of a disturbance over on the other side of Kitchen Stadium...some struggling, some rioting...I'm not sure what's going on, but I'll try to get a closer look... ... ...oh this is very interesting.  Chairman Radiating Gnome has brought out *Universal Suffrage* as an ingredient!  This is one of the game's most savory motivators.  DMs used to cook with this a great deal back in the 70s, but you don't see it all that often anymore.

And on the far table, the Chairman has placed two more ingredients...I don't really know how to describe them.  They...wait, the Chairman is speaking now.  I'll try to translate the Japanese...it's difficult; I don't really speak it fluently...but...oh my.  I am told that these items are a "*Broken Chronometer*" and a "*Songbow*!"

A broken chronometer!  This is the sort of ingredient that can bring robust, delicious flavor to the meal, or it can send it right into the trash.  The chef must be very careful when handling this, because it can easily overpower the dish with unwanted sci-fi aromas or bad 80s TV flavor.  If handled correctly, though, the dish will absolutely sing with flavor!

And speaking of "singing," the Songbow here is impressive.  This is the sort of ingredient that is selected to challenge the chef's creativity.  Is it a thing?  Is it a person?  Can it be anything else?  The temptation will be to pigeonhole the Songbow into a single place, and season it heavily.  But doing so runs the risk of burying all of those delicate layers of flavor that the Songbow could bring.


We will pause now for a brief commercial break.  When we come back, we will have an exclusive interview with the judge, and hopefully sample a bit of what our chefs are cooking!


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## MortalPlague (Jun 2, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Okay, I don't want to drag this out much longer.  MP indicated that he was okay with doing it today, so I'm going to go ahead and post ingredients.  I'm going to post them now, for my own convenience, but we'll call the "official" start time 3 pm Eastern (about 45 minutes from now).  That means, if you see this right now, you'll get a little bonus time.  Live it up!
> 
> Here's the starting post!
> 
> -rg




Awesome!  Thanks for the ingredients, the terms are perfectly acceptable.  And these ingredients are certainly a challenge...


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 2, 2010)

Agreed. Good luck.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 3, 2010)

Welcome back.  Our contestants are working hard on the floor, crafting story lines and plot arcs from the seemingly random list of ingredients.

Chairman Radiating Gnome, a quick question if you have the time.  You have provided the chefs with a very nice, very..._diverse?_...selection of ingredients here.  Do you have a favorite?


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 3, 2010)

I'm going to decline to answer that -- I think it would tend to encourage players to focus on one ingredient more than others.  

I will say that I try to be careful NOT to have a preconceived notion of how I would put the ingredients together -- far more fair.  What I'm looking for from all contestants is   good use of ingredients (they're not garnish, they're integral pieces), interesting game play potential, and just enough whipped cream on top to make it festive.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 3, 2010)

So, while the first match percolates and we get ready for the second...

IronSky and Tremorsense, I plan on posting the ingredients tomorrow, June 4, at 9:00 PM EDT. That's about 24 hours from now. Will you be ready?


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## Iron Sky (Jun 3, 2010)

I'll be ready.


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## MortalPlague (Jun 3, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> Agreed. Good luck.




You too.

I should be typing my entry up very shortly.  Those ingredients were a real doozy.


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## Pbartender (Jun 3, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


>




I'd almost forgotten I had this...


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## MortalPlague (Jun 3, 2010)

My entry is up.  As always, it's been a real challenge, but I enjoyed every minute.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 3, 2010)

Both entries for Round 1 have been posted, and they look absolutely delicious!  I'd love to comment on them, maybe even offer up a prediction of the winner...but I dunno.  Maybe I should wait until after Radiating Gnome has entered his judgment.


Spoiler



Nah.  I'll just put it inside a Spoiler tag.  So if you're not judging the round, read on!


Spoiler: My observations



My thoughts on two of the ingredients:

My favorite ingredient in this round is the Aerial Swamp.  And in my humble (and insignificant) opinion, it is the ingredient that was used the best, in both of the entries.

MortalPlague uses a creative interpretation for this ingredient.  It is almost like he asked himself, "what would a swamp in the sky be made of?" and the answer he came up with is "a pool of clouds, full of decaying cloud-stuff.  Like cloud giants."  Ender_wiggin uses a more literal interpretation.  He put an actual swamp--water, plants, noxious gasses and all--right up in the air.

The aerial swamp is the setting of both adventures.  In "Where Clouds Go To Die," the party must trudge through a stagnant swamp made of clouds, to get to their destination (which is brilliant, but expected.)  But in "Greed In Greencloud," the aerial swamp is not just where the action takes place, but also why: the swamp produces a valuable gas, which is the reason people are being enslaved.  I think that will give Ender_wiggin a bit of an edge.

A chronometer is a device that measures time...it could be a sundial, an hourglass, a grandfather clock, a waterclock, whatever.  It had such potential...but both contestants dropped it.  Radiating Gnome ain't gonna like this...he hates McGuffins.  

In "WCGtD," the broken chronometer could have been replaced with nearly any broken object...two pieces of a broken sword, two halves of a friendship bracelet, etc., and the story wouldn't notice.  And in "GiG," the chronometer isn't a chronometer at all, but a sextant or compass or something more suited to measuring distance or location, not time.  And even so, it could have been replaced quite easily with a map.  Time, or the need to measure it, isn't a significant part of either story.

Anyway.  It will be interesting to see if RG agrees with me on these points.  I'm not going to venture a prediction here, though...the contest will likely come down to how the other four ingredients get used.  Good luck, contestants!


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 3, 2010)

Interesting and fair comments. I have a few of my own, spoilered so that the RG can judge things impartially.

[SBLOCK]
I would say that the most challenging aspect I faced was the time frame. It's certainly a lot of time to write the number of words we put out, but in addition to running our busy lives there's also the question of creativity, which doesn't always come when we want it to.

The idea of my swamp came to me instantly, yet it was hours later that I settled on the use of other ingredients that I knew weren't as cool, thoughtful, or integral. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, as I focused on writing a piece that was thematically cohesive and philosophically challenging for the players. If I could do it again, I would spend a bit more time detailing the mechanics of how everything works, as the setting I've created is a little different than what you might see in a typical D&D game.[/SBLOCK]


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## CleverNickName (Jun 3, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> [SBLOCK]
> I would say that the most challenging aspect I faced was the time frame. It's certainly a lot of time to write the number of words we put out, but in addition to running our busy lives there's also the question of creativity, which doesn't always come when we want it to.
> 
> The idea of my swamp came to me instantly, yet it was hours later that I settled on the use of other ingredients that I knew weren't as cool, thoughtful, or integral. Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, as I focused on writing a piece that was thematically cohesive and philosophically challenging for the players. If I could do it again, I would spend a bit more time detailing the mechanics of how everything works, as the setting I've created is a little different than what you might see in a typical D&D game.[/SBLOCK]





Spoiler



I know what you mean about the time constraint.  Even with twice the amount of time last year, I ended up scrambling at the last minute...and I still couldn't figure out how to get 2 or 3 ingredients to gel.

But: I really liked the adventure that I wrote, so I put a little bit of polish on it (the one about the plantation owner), and ran it a month later as a weekend Pathfinder game.  It was a lot of fun...once I got rid of the ingredients that were tripping me up.  

I have a question for both contestants:  if you could have eliminated one ingredient in this contest, which one would you have chosen, and why?


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 4, 2010)

I have yet to hear from Tremorsense, and the round is due to start in an hour. If I don't hear from Tremorsense, we will have to delay.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 4, 2010)

Tremorsense has not posted here.

Has Tremorsense been around?


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## Iron Sky (Jun 4, 2010)




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## CleverNickName (Jun 4, 2010)

I sent him a private message yesterday, but I haven't heard back from him.  It's your call, judge.


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## humble minion (Jun 4, 2010)

Phew, that's possibly the most brutal set of ingredients I'd ever seen in all the time I've been reading (and participating in) Iron DM competitions!  Really, really, _really _ nasty, whoever dreamed that lot up.

I try to make a habit of mentally planning out what I'd do with a set of ingredients (it's good practice!), and this one was really rough. 

[sblock]
The tough bit I've always found in these things is making everything directly relevant - it's very easy to have the items just be McGuffins and the NPC/creatures be disposable enemies.  Why is it important that the ingredient is a songbow rather than a flaming sword?  Why is the 'chronometerness' of the broken chronometer significant?  Why a weretiger, rather than an ogre, hag or doppleganger?  This is made doubly hard when so many ingredients are double-barrelled.  Both songness and bowness need to be important, both aerialness and swampness, both humanness and slaverness.  Like I said, this was one of the tougher ingredient set I've ever seen.

If I was judge (and I'm not!) I'd probably give it to MortalPlague.  His chronometer and songbow are his weaker ingredients, but he's integrated his weretiger and universal suffrage together really nicely, and the crusty old scholarly noble running a retreat for lycanthropes from his hoary old mountain manor is a memorable character in a memorable setting.  I think both players had a bit of trouble with the human slaver - MP's renegade son doesn't do much slaving, while it doesn't seem to be important that ender's repellent robber baroness is human.  Those double-barrelled ingredients are very tough.  ender's gas-belching swamp floating over a grubby industrialising city is wonderfully pulp-Victorian/Eberronian, but I'm not sure that the universal suffrage inherent in the setting is particularly central to what the PCs actually do.
[/sblock]

Excellent effort first up though.  I was originally scheduled for this ingredient set, and I have to admit I was very glad indeed that my match had been shifted once I saw the ingredients...


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 4, 2010)

I'll allow 24 hours for this first round, as the contestants get used to the format, then the ingredients appear tonight at 9 PM EDT no matter what.


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## Pbartender (Jun 4, 2010)

humble minion said:


> I have to admit I was very glad indeed that my match had been shifted once I saw the ingredients...




I wouldn't be.



Sanzuo, humle minion:  This is your only warning.  My ingredients will be posted at 9:19 am CST tomorrow morning.  From then, you will have 24 hours to complete your submissions.

And let me just say that I'm glad I know neither of you personally.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 4, 2010)

I've posted my first round judgement for Mortal Plague and Ender Wiggin's match.  Now it's time to get caught up on THIS thread. 

-rg


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## humble minion (Jun 4, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> I wouldn't be.
> 
> Sanzuo, humle minion:  This is your only warning.  My ingredients will be posted at 9:19 am CST tomorrow morning.  From then, you will have 24 hours to complete your submissions.
> 
> And let me just say that I'm glad I know neither of you personally.




*gulp*

Ok, bring it on.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 4, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> I wouldn't be.
> 
> Sanzuo, humle minion:  This is your only warning.  My ingredients will be posted at 9:19 am CST tomorrow morning.  From then, you will have 24 hours to complete your submissions.
> 
> And let me just say that I'm glad I know neither of you personally.



Oh, snap.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 4, 2010)

I'm glad I didn't let myself look at this thread until I'd written my response!



CleverNickName said:


> A chronometer is a device that measures time...it could be a sundial, an hourglass, a grandfather clock, a waterclock, whatever.  It had such potential...but both contestants dropped it.  Radiating Gnome ain't gonna like this...he hates McGuffins.
> 
> In "WCGtD," the broken chronometer could have been replaced with nearly any broken object...two pieces of a broken sword, two halves of a friendship bracelet, etc., and the story wouldn't notice.  And in "GiG," the chronometer isn't a chronometer at all, but a sextant or compass or something more suited to measuring distance or location, not time.  And even so, it could have been replaced quite easily with a map.  Time, or the need to measure it, isn't a significant part of either story.




Just FWIW, A chronometer was an important part of a navigator's toolkit -- the sextant is used to determine latitude, and to help determine the exact moment of solar noon.  Once you have solar noon, you can check your chronometer to determine noon at Greenwich, and use the difference between the two to determine your longitude.  And, reliable time was also incredibly important for ships when they need information about the tides -- which is how the chronometer is used in this case in GG.  I found it very well used in that case, actually.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 4, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> I'm glad I didn't let myself look at this thread until I'd written my response!



That's why I double-bagged it in SBLOCKs.  



Radiating Gnome said:


> Just FWIW, A chronometer was an important part of a navigator's toolkit -- the sextant is used to determine latitude, and to help determine the exact moment of solar noon.  Once you have solar noon, you can check your chronometer to determine noon at Greenwich, and use the difference between the two to determine your longitude.  And, reliable time was also incredibly important for ships when they need information about the tides -- which is how the chronometer is used in this case in GG.  I found it very well used in that case, actually.



Holy crap, you are absolutely right.  I totally forgot about solar or tidal navigation, and I had no idea you could find Lon that way.  Apologies, ender!  (And thanks for not calling me out for my ignorance in your reply.  XP for you!)


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 4, 2010)

humble minion said:


> Phew, that's possibly the most brutal set of ingredients I'd ever seen in all the time I've been reading (and participating in) Iron DM competitions!  Really, really, _really _ nasty, whoever dreamed that lot up.




Gosh, thanks!  Am I blushing?   

The nice thing about Iron DM is that the contestants get the same set of ingredients, and you're not measured against each other -- so an easy or hard set is not necessarily unfair to a particular set of contestants.  

IMO, an easy set of ingredients will allow mediocrity to skate alongside excellence, while challenging ingredients shed bright light on minor differences between very talented contestants.  So, in this case, I'm glad I whipped up a tough set.  Both were cool, developed, creative entries -- no mediocrity there.

-rg


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## Iron Sky (Jun 4, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> I'll allow 24 hours for this first round, as the contestants get used to the format, then the ingredients appear tonight at 9 PM EDT no matter what.




Bummer.  I had a bunch of time yesterday and tonight to work on it, but tomorrow I'm busy the majority of the day, including getting up early...  Extra challenge: complete Iron DM Challenge in 2-3 hours!


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks for the praise, and for the criticism as well. To MortalPlague: I think you made a stellar adventure and I'll definitely be borrowing some material from it in my future games.

I think it might be relevant to ask for a "check-in" at this time from all players; just so we know who's around and generally ready to go and who's potential absence to worry about. It's what I like to do in my Play-by-Post games when things get a little slow.

What do you think, CNN?


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## CleverNickName (Jun 4, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> Thanks for the praise, and for the criticism as well. To MortalPlague: I think you made a stellar adventure and I'll definitely be borrowing some material from it in my future games.
> 
> I think it might be relevant to ask for a "check-in" at this time from all players; just so we know who's around and generally ready to go and who's potential absence to worry about. It's what I like to do in my Play-by-Post games when things get a little slow.
> 
> What do you think, CNN?



The check-in-by-post thing hasn't been working out for us so far.  So for the time being at least, I think I will just keep sending private messages instead.  If someone sends me a note or e-mail saying they can't make it, etc., I will poke in here and spread the word.  But that doesn't look like it will do much good at the moment.

About the schedule...

You will notice that the judges of both weekend matches started issuing "hard" dates and times for their matches.  It was bound to happen, sooner or later: match delays can be exploited to create an unfair advantage, and they are frustrating to the judges who are waiting to post the ingredients.

It doesn't really matter one way or the other to me...I just update the roster as needed.  The schedule can be treated like a rough guideline, or it can be The Law of the Land.  I leave it up to the judges to decide.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 5, 2010)

I will be ready tomorrow at 9:19am CST


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## Tremorsense (Jun 5, 2010)

Sorry about all this. Flooding caused me to forget about internet-y things for a couple days. But basements are cleaned and I'm ready now. My apologies again.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 5, 2010)

Ah, there you are!

This will be the only delay any of us get, so enjoy it.

Hope the flooding wasn't too bad.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 5, 2010)

Looking ahead . . I'm getting ready for match four, on Monday.  Pour vs. MatthewJHanson

Given the new atmosphere, I think I'm going to plan to drop the ingredients at Noon EST on monday.  Please chime between now and then and let me know that you'll be able to work with that, or if you need something else.  

-rg


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 5, 2010)

And... the ingredients for Round 1, Match 2 are up!


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## Pour (Jun 5, 2010)

Noon on Monday is good for me.


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## MortalPlague (Jun 5, 2010)

Congratulations to Ender, you had a fantastic entry.  All the best in future rounds!

The one element I wish I could've dropped?  Probably the songbow.  I had trouble making it an integral part of the adventure.  Also, as for *human slaver*, I took it to mean slaver who is a human, rather than a slaver who deals in humans.  That's why I had a human leader for the storm giants.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 5, 2010)

Welcome to the second match of Iron DM!  Chairman InVinoVeriatas has just brought out one of the most insane collections of adjectives and nouns that has ever been seen!  Grab your dictionary, thesarus, and a half-dozen other textbooks, and walk with me down to the floor of  Kitchen Stadium for a closer look!


Spoiler



My inner Geology geek is squealing like a litle girl over the first ingredient: *Urban Sinkhole!*  This has lots of potential as an ingredient, primarily because it is terrifying. I have wanted to see one of these get used in an Iron DM competition for a good long while...let's see what our chefs can cook up with it.

Then we have a punk...pulk...pelch...perchiferous, no, oh forget it.  *Some sort of Waif.* I have no idea what this means, but it sounds diabolical. A quick look at my dictionary tells me that it's...perfect. 

My neighborhood is absolutely a-flutter with the next ingredient, *Helicopter Seeds.*  Of course, I didn't know that is what they were called until I looked it up in my North American Wildlife field book.  Growing up, we called them something else entirely.

We are back on track with more traditional Iron DM ingredients, with *Historical Doppleganger.*  This double-barreled ingredient is very versatile, and can be used in many different ways in a story depending on which word you want to emphasize.  A DM could have lots of fun with a Historical _Doppleganger,_ for example, or he could use his History textbook find lots of real-world examples of _Historical_ Dopplegangers.  This ingredient is the literary equivalent of tarragon: it can bring the whole dish together, or it can make everything taste weird.

Now, we dig out our Psychology textbook for our next ingredient, the *Self-Destructive Spiral.*  Aside from being the basis for punk rock, this spicy little pepper can be used in all sorts of ways when it is pulled out of the real world and stuffed into a fantasy setting.  It could be a place.  Or a thing.  Or a monster.  Or a type of treasure.  Or the music style of choice for a violent band of bards named the Sex Crossbows.

Our last ingredient is an  *Out-of-tune Cello.*  I guess compared to the other five ingredients, this one sort of sounds flat (rimshot), but don't underestimate it.  An Iron DM knows to avoid cliche at all costs, and every time there is a musical instrument in a story, the temptation is to start packing in sprites and bards along with it.  Beware!


One thing is for certain: with a list of ingredients this insane, the contestants will be pushing their creativity to the limit.  Good luck, fellas.  Glad it's not my list.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 5, 2010)

Tremorsense said:


> Sorry about all this. Flooding caused me to forget about internet-y things for a couple days. But basements are cleaned and I'm ready now. My apologies again.



Wow, that sucks.  Sorry about your basement...hope there wasn't much damage.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 5, 2010)

Holy crap.  The stew that's brewing in my brain from these ingredients is boggling my mind.  I have the feeling it's going to be epic, though whether epic-win or epic-fail, I have no idea.


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## MortalPlague (Jun 5, 2010)

Also, thanks to Radiating Gnome for judging!  I can't believe I forgot to mention you; your contribution to this competition is huge.

Looking at this new batch of ingredients, I can see that this will be a challenging and memorable Iron DM competition.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 5, 2010)

Whew, got it done.  I'm going to sit on it over night so I can look at it tomorrow with fresh eyes.  Definitely had no idea I'd end up creating something like it when I signed up for Iron DM, that's for sure!


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## Pbartender (Jun 5, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Given the new atmosphere...




Oop!  I wasn't really trying to establish an "atmosphere".  I just wanted in on the trash talking...


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## Pbartender (Jun 5, 2010)

Ingredients for Round 1, Match 3 have been posted.


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## MatthewJHanson (Jun 5, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Looking ahead . . I'm getting ready for match four, on Monday.  Pour vs. MatthewJHanson
> 
> Given the new atmosphere, I think I'm going to plan to drop the ingredients at Noon EST on monday.  Please chime between now and then and let me know that you'll be able to work with that, or if you need something else.




Works for me.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 5, 2010)

It's an exciting and busy Saturday morning in Kitchen Stadium, where through a freak scheduling conflict, we have TWO competitions running at the same time!  Already in the kitchen since yesterday, the contestants in Chairman InVinoVeriatas's competition have been cooking up their adventures at a feverish pace, and have less than 8 hours to plate their dish.  Now, Chairman Pbartender has entered the stadium, bringing six new ingredients of his own.  Let's go down to the floor and take a closer look...


Spoiler



The first thing I see is an interesting combination of adjectives called a *Foppish Dandy.*  What an excellent ingredient!  Its combination of words, each with multiple definitions, will really give the contestants some flexibility and creative freedom in their stories.  I hope we see more ingredients like this one in the future.

And time is of the essence, with a *Collapsing Bridge!*  This ingredient was obviously picked for its complexity and action potential.  It will certainly bring a sense of danger and urgency to whatever dish the chef cooks.  Or perhaps our contestants will see a different interpretation of these words, and bend it to their will?  Is it a card game gone awry?  A metaphor for failed negotiations?  Again, the possibilities are wide open.  This might be my favorite ingredient of this round.

And it appears that we have our first "meta" ingredient in the competition, and a 1E ingredient at that....a *Demon, Type V.*  Notice what the Chairman has done here: he selected a demon, but narrowed down the options with an out-of-character, metagame descriptor ("type V.")  Unless the demon is running a printing press, or belongs to a military organization that names its ranks "Types," or some other twist, that is.

There is also *Apotheosis,* which is the meat-and-potatoes of many published first- and second-edition adventures...and the ultimate finale of at least a couple seasons of _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_.  With the right interpretation, it could also be the name of a popular non-D&D roleplaying game.  It will be interesting to see how this ingredient is used in conjunction with the others...particularly the one described above.

And this is interesting: a *Hungover Mountain Range.  *  Unless the contestants split the first word into two separate words, we will almost certainly be dealing with an intoxicated geological formation.  And _that_ will be something to see!

Last but not least, we have *Plum Dumplings*.  Delicious, rich, and fruity, this ingredient is the perfect conclusion for any rich meal: roasted lamb, chicken pot pie, or even corned beef and cabbage.  In a story about demons and mountains, however, it can be fiendishly difficult to stomach!


With ingredients this versatile and flavorful, this competition is almost guaranteed to yield spectacular results.  Best of luck, fellows!  I can't wait to see what you come up with.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 5, 2010)

Been plugging away at this all afternoon.  My god but this is an exercise in creativity.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 5, 2010)

MortalPlague said:


> Also, as for *human slaver*, I took it to mean slaver who is a human, rather than a slaver who deals in humans.  That's why I had a human leader for the storm giants.




I need to apologize for not giving you appropriate credit for that ingredient.  

It would not have changed the judgement, but my report should have give you credit where credit was due.  I am still of the opinion that the setting of the floating swamp, and the use of other ingredients like the chronometer, gave the other entry the edge over yours.  But it is sure aggravating to have gotten something wrong in my report. 

Sorry for that. 

-rg


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## Tremorsense (Jun 6, 2010)

Alright, I just spent the past couple hours writing like mad, only to realize that my entry is completely lacking in helicopter seeds. Clearly I'm more of a Pewter DM, maybe Tin. I'm sorry, Iron Sky, that I can't give you a run for your money, but congratulations anyway


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 6, 2010)

Tremorsense said:


> Alright, I just spent the past couple hours writing like mad, only to realize that my entry is completely lacking in helicopter seeds. Clearly I'm more of a Pewter DM, maybe Tin. I'm sorry, Iron Sky, that I can't give you a run for your money, but congratulations anyway




Post what you have anyway, Tremorsense. We're all suckers for adventures anyway.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 6, 2010)

My entry, The Tannhauser Effect is up.



Tremorsense said:


> Alright, I just spent the past couple hours  writing like mad, only to realize that my entry is completely lacking in  helicopter seeds. Clearly I'm more of a Pewter DM, maybe Tin. I'm  sorry, Iron Sky, that I can't give you a run for your money, but  congratulations anyway




By all means, post it anyway, I'd enjoy seeing what you created at least!


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## humble minion (Jun 6, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Been plugging away at this all afternoon.  My god but this is an exercise in creativity.




No kidding.  The collapsing bridge is giving me the absolute #^%&@!!


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 6, 2010)

Man, the bridge? I can't wait to see what you did with the hungover mountain.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 6, 2010)

Wow, Iron Sky.  Just...wow.  I can't believe you got a cohesive story to fall out of that potpourri of random words.  I'm still baffled by the waif.

Come on and post what you've got, Tremorsense.  I'm curious to see how you put that mess together into an adventure, even without the seeds.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 6, 2010)

Whew, done.  I just got back from a grueling work shift, so I'm just going to go over this again and make sure I'm satisfied with it.  Let me know when it is ok to post it.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 6, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Whew, done.  I just got back from a grueling work shift, so I'm just going to go over this again and make sure I'm satisfied with it.  Let me know when it is ok to post it.



It's okay to post it whenever it is finished, up to the last minute of the deadline.  There is no penalty for posting it early.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 6, 2010)

Well, it's posted.  I could probably pick at it all night but I'm not sure if it would get me anywhere.  Enjoy!


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## humble minion (Jun 6, 2010)

Have had a bit of a domestic crisis today, only just getting to the entry now.  I'll be pushing the deadline right to the very edge...

edit: I'm aware Sanzuo has posted his entry, and am deliberately avoiding reading it!


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## humble minion (Jun 6, 2010)

I'm not going to make the deadline.  I'll post what I've done when I've done it, but it will probably be an hour or two late.  If the judges want to award the match to Sanzuo by forfeit, that's probably perfectly fair...


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## Wik (Jun 6, 2010)

Ah, the first round hesitations.  Memories...  *sniff*

Yeah, it can be rough putting out your first entry.  Especially when you start trying to shoehorn in that last ingredient.  And the ingredients this year seem particularly brutal.  I feel your pain, Tremor - but post anyway.  There is always a chance you'll catch something - and it's pretty easy to shoehorn in "Helicopter seeds" if you must.  

I had a few halfway decent ideas for that ingredient set, but the ingredient that really confused me was the combination of the "spiral" and "Urban Sinkhole".  That was pretty brutal.


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## humble minion (Jun 6, 2010)

http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-...10-all-submissions-judgments.html#post5203742

Entry posted.  Two and a bit hours late.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 6, 2010)

humble minion said:
			
		

> I'm not going to make the deadline. I'll post what I've done when I've done it, but it will probably be an hour or two late. If the judges want to award the match to Sanzuo by forfeit, that's probably perfectly fair...



It is up to the judge to decide whether the deadline will count against you...and how severely.  I don't think it is an auto-fail, but these matches can be so close to call that any little thing can tip the scales.  Anything that might give the judge a reason to pick your opponent's entry over your own should be avoided like the plague.

@Sanzuo, Humble:  I think it is interesting that both of you chose to write an OA-style adventure.  Could you tell us a bit about why you made this decision?  (It was the plums, wasn't it?)


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## Sanzuo (Jun 6, 2010)

Pretty much.  I was at a loss until I thought about the plum dumpling ingredient.  Although plum dumplings aren't necessarily oriental-themed, it led me to think about a "Journey to the West" style adventure.  Just replace the peaches with plums and there you go.  I've also played some Exalted before and this project reminded me of those days.


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 6, 2010)

I plan designing a module, which means including at least one drawn spatial map (and perhaps some other types of maps), numbered rooms, and a key.  Is this within the rules like including pictures in the submission posts?

EDIT: It will probably be hand-drawn, grid paper maps scanned in, if it matters.


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## humble minion (Jun 7, 2010)

CleverNickName, yep, it was 100% the plums for me.  I just wanted to have a reason why it mattered that the plum dumplings were *plum* dumplings, rather than, say, pork dumplings, or even rollmops or some other random food item.  The only other cultural touchstone I could come up with for plums was the whole Oriental 'plum blossom' aesthetic.  That left me a bit of a problem, because as far as google could tell me plum dumplings are an eastern European food item, but then I realised that linking the two cultures gave me my 'bridge' and I could fit the rest in from there.

Just rereading my entry the next morning, which is always a mistake.

[sblock]Why didn't I make it clear the nature of the fey in the adventure, that the fey ARE the location, and that when Chih Xuan dies he will, due to his connection to the Orchard, become one?

Why did I have Czevak get killed in that particular way, when Rukxillana only killed her previous victims that way to stop people using speak with dead on them?  By the time Czevak dies, none of that matter any more.

Why didn't I explain better why Rukxillana needed the mountain fey incapacitated?

Why did I give it such an inaccurate title?[/sblock]

Ah, post-entry regret.  No matter how many times you read through it, it would always have been nice to just have the time to do it once more...


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## MatthewJHanson (Jun 7, 2010)

Just to let you know, I won't be able to get online until after three-ish tomorrow, but go ahead an post the ingredients without me. I have to finish before I go to bed that night anyway.


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## Pour (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm actually in the same boat. I won't be able to glance at the ingredients till 4ish, but post them anyway.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 7, 2010)

howandwhy99 said:


> I plan designing a module, which means including at least one drawn spatial map (and perhaps some other types of maps), numbered rooms, and a key.  Is this within the rules like including pictures in the submission posts?



The only thing that you are required to submit, according to the rules anyway, is an adventure, side-trek, or encounter.  If you have the time to create highly-detailed maps, then by all means do so.  

But just so you know: it might not give you much of an edge in the competition unless your map also incorporates one or more of the ingredients in a major way.  You are being judged on how well you use the ingredients given and how creative you are with them...not necessarily on how "complete" your adventure is.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 7, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Pretty much.  I was at a loss until I thought about the plum dumpling ingredient.  Although plum dumplings aren't necessarily oriental-themed, it led me to think about a "Journey to the West" style adventure.  Just replace the peaches with plums and there you go.





humble minion said:


> CleverNickName, yep, it was 100% the plums for me.  I just wanted to have a reason why it mattered that the plum dumplings were *plum* dumplings, rather than, say, pork dumplings, or even rollmops or some other random food item.



Spoken like a true Iron DM.  It's generally pretty easy to incorporate food into a story...but the judge selected a specific type of food.  It's up to you to figure out why that particular type of food is necessary in the adventure.



humble minion said:


> Just rereading my entry the next morning, which is always a mistake.
> 
> Ah, post-entry regret.  No matter how many times you read through it, it would always have been nice to just have the time to do it once more...



Yep.  I know exactly how you feel.  FWIW, I thought that both of you had very excellent entries, even if they have a lot in common.   So, chin up!  You probably did much better than you think you did.  Pbartender is going to have his work cut out for him in this round.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 7, 2010)

So, question.  Do I still get a "judgment" (a review I guess since it's just me), say, against a hypothetical ideal use of the ingredients?  I'd appreciate the criticism to help sharpen me up for the upcoming rounds.  If not, that's cool, was just curious.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 7, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> So, question.  Do I still get a "judgment" (a review I guess since it's just me), say, against a hypothetical ideal use of the ingredients?  I'd appreciate the criticism to help sharpen me up for the upcoming rounds.  If not, that's cool, was just curious.



Yep, you should still get a review from the judge, for exactly that reason.  Iron DM is about more than winning; it is also about honing your creativity and building up your storytelling skills.  To this end, anyone reading this thread is also encouraged to write some reviews of their own.  The judge's opinion matters most as far as the competition goes, but everyone else's feedback can be just as important in the bigger picture.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 7, 2010)

Sorry to be a little late: Round 1 match 4 ingredients are now up.  

I'll give you all until 1 pm EST tomorrow. 
-rg


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## Pbartender (Jun 7, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> So, question.  Do I still get a "judgment" (a review I guess since it's just me), say, against a hypothetical ideal use of the ingredients?  I'd appreciate the criticism to help sharpen me up for the upcoming rounds.  If not, that's cool, was just curious.




Both submissions will be judged, and consideration will be given for the lateness of one.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 7, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Both submissions will be judged, and consideration will be given for the lateness of one.




By lateness, I'm assuming you also mean an entry so late it doesn't exist?


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## Pbartender (Jun 7, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> By lateness, I'm assuming you also mean an entry so late it doesn't exist?




Bleargh...  Right problem, wrong contestants.   Sorry for my confusion.


That said, IVV does have space reserved for the judgment.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 7, 2010)

Welcome back to the part of the Iron DM Competition where I pretend to be a Food Network game show host!  I'll rehash my usual schtik, talking about the ingredients of the next round like they are actually being displayed in an imaginary Kitchen Stadium, and offer witty musings and wild predictions on how they could be used!  It's great fun, because since I'm not competing, I can afford to be objective!  And I get to use lots of exclaimation points!

So let's get started!


Spoiler



Our first ingredient is a powerhouse of danger: a *Mercury Dragon.*  A dangerous metal, mixed with a dangerous monster?  It's so dangerous!  If you play Forgotten Realms, you might have already seen this beast.  You others are at your leisure.

Then we have a *Crystal Sepulcher.*  It's elegant, it's fragile, and it's full of bones!  Graverobbing is a time-honored tradition (obligation?) among adventurers...but how can they plunder something made of valuable minerals?  More to the point, why would someone make a tomb out of valuable minerals?!  Nothing says "Rob Me!" like a diamond-crusted grave.

And look, it's a *Corrupt Prophet.*  This is another extremely flavorful ingredient that brings to mind all manner of schemes, plots, and deceit.  The language is that of politics and religion, which I will not utter here.  The first thing I thought of was the Madoff scandal, but that's probably the wrong kind of profit.

Who doesn't love *Abstinence?*  Well, pretty much every teenager in the American Midwest.  But the key to using this ingredient lies in the context: who is doing the abstaining, and what are they abstaining from?

*Loaded Dice.*  I actually have a set of these, right here on my desk.  They belonged to my ex-wife, who needed them for a production of _Guys & Dolls_ back in Colorado Springs: the dice are weighted so that they favor landing on "snake eyes." (If you've seen the play, you know why.)  Obviously, they haven't seen much game-time.  But they are a pretty cool conversation piece, anyway.

Hopefully our contestants can find a much more interesting use for them than this horrible story of mine.

I don't know why I hate the *Ebon Fly* so much.  I mean, as far as wondrous items go, it is definitely above-par (at least it's not a feather token, right?)  I guess it's the lack of an attack that bothers me.  All the stats of a hippogriff, with none of the awesome?  Meh.  And if you don't dismount before the time is up, you will be plummeting all the way back to earth with a toy wooden insect between your legs.


Best of luck to our contestants!  And on a personal note, I am hoping that the two of them can change my opinion of that last ingredient.  Show me what I'm missing!


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 7, 2010)

Round 1, Match 2 judgment is up.

I have to ask, though... what made this particular set of ingredients so "crazy"?


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 8, 2010)

Wicht and Green Dice, get ready.

Your ingredients will be posted at 9 PM EDT on Wednesday.


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## MatthewJHanson (Jun 8, 2010)

Random thoughts while working:

I see some interesting connections between the various ingredients. I know that a location is not on the list of things that we are supposed to create, but I have an idea brewing in my head for a location that could contain most of the ingredients. It will probably end up being the launching pad for my adventure.

I'm also thinking of using some of my ingredients twice. Once in a straightforward way, and another in more abstract way.


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 8, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> Round 1, Match 2 judgment is up.
> 
> I have to ask, though... what made this particular set of ingredients so "crazy"?




You know, after figuring out what all of the ingredients were, I actually really would have liked that set. Pretty much all of them fit very nicely in a rich "setting-within-a-setting" I've worked on and run successfully in the past.

In the beginning, however, I actually had no idea what a helicopter seed was. So I was thinking about goblins riding around in magical helicopters. It was pretty bad.


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## humble minion (Jun 8, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> You know, after figuring out what all of the ingredients were, I actually really would have liked that set. Pretty much all of them fit very nicely in a rich "setting-within-a-setting" I've worked on and run successfully in the past.
> 
> In the beginning, however, I actually had no idea what a helicopter seed was. So I was thinking about goblins riding around in magical helicopters. It was pretty bad.




I probably would have used something more metaphorical - probably some sort of steampunk helicopter plans drawn up by a fantasy Leonardo da Vinci.  It's EASY to do self-destructive spirals once helicopters are involved... And I probably would have lost, because Iron Sky's tying together of everything using maple wood, and the cello's connection to the earth is absolutely masterful.

Of the ingredient sets so far, I think I would have found the first set the most fun.  I had this whole big high-powered wuxia thing dreamed up, where the chronometer is a vast celestial mechanism that keeps track of and defines 'ages' of an empire (in a massive Vlad Taltos ripoff), and the current emperor (the Tiger emperor) dispatches his weretiger agents to sabotage the chronometer and defy the will of Heaven by prolonging his dynasty's reign forever, and the sinister Western bard (from a barbaric land where rulership is hereditary in perpetuity) who gave the emperor all these ideas uses his songbow to slay the old songs, proverbs and oral histories which talk about how the Celestial Bureacracy decreed that the Age of the Tiger would make way for universal suffrage in the Age of the Rabbit...


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## Iron Sky (Jun 8, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> In the beginning, however, I actually had no idea what a helicopter seed was. So I was thinking about goblins riding around in magical helicopters. It was pretty bad.




My original idea was a group of PC wind-surfing on giant seeds down a spiraling chasm underneath a ruin, chasing a shape shifting child prodigy flying on a magic cello.  Fortunately, I got a better idea.

My new idea straight out of an over-the-top horror game I ran in d20 Modern where if the party was giving a seed that they could plant in the ground and spontaneously grow a helicopter, they wouldn't be surprised (or wouldn't be surprised for long at least).  Thankfully I got past that idea too.  I was, however, then fixed on doing it as a Modern adventure.

In my experience with Modern adventures, however, it's way too easy to travel and get around, so even geographical "railroading" is rarely possible.  That's why I tried to make the adventure more idea based than location based.  I could see why that would be considered a weakness and looking back, that part could use a a lot more polish.

I probably spent 30% of my time brainstorming, doing research, and tying elements together, 30% writing the back story from those bare ideas, 20% writing the adventure part, and 20% editing/rewriting.  It shows.

The assassin part could have been easily tied in by having Tannhauser going for the Pope, as well as Rome.  A couple sentences to that effect would have made a big difference.  I would say that the uses of the Cello to create earthquakes are historical as well (since it was Historical Doppelganger rather than Historical Doppelganger Assassin), but I definitely see the weakness of the assassin part I tied in there.

In retrospect, removing the hook with the Vatican hiring the PCs would have been a good idea, instead of half-assedly trying to keep it shoe-horned in later.

If anyone is curious, I think I spent about 6-7 hours on it in one  sitting, then picked it up again 12 hours later and did another  hour-or-so of editing and revising before (double) posting it.

Anyway, thank you for judging InVinoVeritas, I appreciate it.  Hope all's well with the basement thing Tremorsense and I hope we'll see you around in future Iron DM challenges.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 8, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> I have to ask, though... what made this particular set of ingredients so "crazy"?



I think it was the deliberate randomness of the ingredients.  And the very specific nature of the ingredients, too...each ingredient had a descriptor that made it even more random:  a sinkhole is tough...an urban one is even tougher.



humble minion said:


> I probably would have used something more metaphorical - probably some sort of steampunk helicopter plans drawn up by a fantasy Leonardo da Vinci.  It's EASY to do self-destructive spirals once helicopters are involved... And I probably would have lost, because Iron Sky's tying together of everything using maple wood, and the cello's connection to the earth is absolutely masterful.



Seriously.  When I saw the list of ingredients for that round, I was baffled...and so very thankful that I didn't have to compete in that round.   But the more I looked at it, the more fun I think I could have had with it.  I would have done some sort of fey-type adventure, where a forest city of griggs is threatened by a sinkhole.  And I would have lost, because like you said: Iron Sky's use of maple is brilliant.

Let it be known throughout the realm: Iron Sky knows how to use his wood.



Iron Sky said:


> I was, however, then fixed on doing it as a Modern adventure.



I think this was a brilliant decision.  And not just because I like to run the occasional D20 Modern game.   It is refreshing to read a story that doesn't involve the same party of adventurers, traveling through the same high-fantasy realm and fighting the same demons and undead.

It's risky, but everyone loves a risk-taker.  It can certainly give you an edge in the Creativity department.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 8, 2010)

And remember folks: we have room in the contest for ONE MORE PLAYER!  If you have been intending to register, but wanted to wait until the very last minute...well, this is it.

If nobody steps forward by Friday evening, I will rise to the challenge.   I hate to do this, because I am truly awesome and my writing skill is unmatched.  It would be like playing chess with Lex Luthor, or sparring with River Tam.  You won't just lose; you will each be broken and humiliated, crying, with your pants pooled around your ankles like an ocean of shame.

If you would be the hero to spare the contestants this fate, please step forward.  Otherwise, you have only yourself to blame.


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## Pour (Jun 8, 2010)

Hats off to all contestants, and my skilled opponent! Oh how I wish I could have had maybe 48 hours to spruce my submission up, but, therein lies the challenge hehe. Looking forward to the judging and future matches.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 8, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> or sparring with River Tam




You nerd.


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## ajanders (Jun 8, 2010)

I will step into the breach and compete.
I'm not River Tam, but I once had a beer with one of the extra Marauders. 
This is my only claim to nerd fame, and I would dearly like another.


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## Wicht (Jun 8, 2010)

Just dropping by to let the judges know that barring a power outage, tornado or some other mayhem, I'll be ready anytime tomorrow.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 9, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> I think it was the deliberate randomness of the ingredients. And the very specific nature of the ingredients, too...each ingredient had a descriptor that made it even more random: a sinkhole is tough...an urban one is even tougher.




Bah, an Urban Sinkhole is easier to use than an Aerial Swamp.

Besides, I was inspired by this:




 

How can you not use that?


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## CleverNickName (Jun 9, 2010)

ajanders said:


> I will step into the breach and compete.
> I'm not River Tam, but I once had a beer with one of the extra Marauders.
> This is my only claim to nerd fame, and I would dearly like another.



Awesome...welcome to the competition!  You are scheduled for Sunday's match, competing against Allenchan.  (And in all honesty: I am so very glad to see someone step forward.  I was worried that I was going to have to back up all of that smack I was talking.  )

That's pretty cool about the extra Marauder.  Was he in costume?  I browsed old D&D books with Wil Wheaton at Powell's, which is probably the geekiest and most awesome thing I've done this year.



			
				Sanzuo said:
			
		

> You nerd.



If loving _Firefly/Serenity_ is wrong, I don't want to be right.



InVinoVeritas said:


> Bah, an Urban Sinkhole is easier to use than an Aerial Swamp.
> 
> Besides, I was inspired by this:
> 
> ...



Woah.  I heard about the sinkhole, but the article I read didn't have the pictures with it.  You are absolutely right...that picture is begging to be used in an Iron DM round.

I wouldn't have typed it out, though.  I would have just posted a link to the picture in the list of ingredients, like this:



> *Ingredients:*
> Pulchritudinous Waif
> Helicopter Seeds
> Historical Doppleganger
> ...


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## ajanders (Jun 9, 2010)

clevernickname said:


> awesome...welcome to the competition!  You are scheduled for sunday's match, competing against allenchan.  (and in all honesty: I am so very glad to see someone step forward.  I was worried that i was going to have to back up all of that smack i was talking.  )




squee!


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 9, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Woah. I heard about the sinkhole, but the article I read didn't have the pictures with it. You are absolutely right...that picture is begging to be used in an Iron DM round.
> 
> I wouldn't have typed it out, though. I would have just posted a link to the picture in the list of ingredients, like this:




The competition is young, my friend. The competition is young.


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## Green Dice (Jun 9, 2010)

Green Dice is ready to go!


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 9, 2010)

I've just posted my judgement for round 4.


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## Pour (Jun 9, 2010)

Thanks for the critique, RG, and good luck Matt on further rounds. One of these days, I will get past the preliminaries haha.


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## Wicht (Jun 9, 2010)

I'm good to go at 9.


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## MatthewJHanson (Jun 9, 2010)

Thanks you Radiating Gnome for the feedback, and thank you pour for the competition. I look forward to the next round!


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## Pbartender (Jun 10, 2010)

The judgment for round 1, match 3 has been posted.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 10, 2010)

The ingredients for Round 1, Match 5 are posted!


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## Wicht (Jun 10, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> The ingredients for Round 1, Match 5 are posted!




I've got them and am working on it now.


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 10, 2010)

Damn, another set I really like. Karma is going to catch up and punch me in the face when it's my turn. In any case, good luck, contestants. I'm looking forward to what you guys cook.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 10, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> The judgment for round 1, match 3 has been posted.




Thanks for handling this match Pbartender.  You're a pretty tough customer.


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## Pbartender (Jun 10, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Thanks for handling this match Pbartender.  You're a pretty tough customer.




Thanks...   I think?  

Just remember, "That which does not kill you, only delays the inevitable."  



For me, I think the most difficult thing is distilling the entire judgment down to the salient points.  There were a lot of things that I could have rambled on about forever, but necessarily shorted for the sake of brevity in the official judgment.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 10, 2010)

Okay, I have a week of being mostly out of touch coming up -- I'm off to Alaska.  

My next match to judge starts Sunday at noon, and is between Allenchan and Ajanders.  I have provided CNN with a set of ingredients that he can post for me on Sunday.  

The problem with my being on the road is that it's going to be hard to get to the judging in a timely manner.  I expect to be working from the hotel a couple of days in the middle of the week, so I would hopefully be able to get the judgement posted Tuesday or wednesday next week, but that may hold things up. And, if the internet is not reliable up there in the Klondike (or at least in the hotels we're staying in), I might not be able to get to judging this until the following weekend.  

I hate to be the cause of that kind of delay. 

Will one of the other judges take over this slot for me?  I'll trade it for a slot later in the contest, and/or buy you a drink a Gencon.  

Oh, and looking ahead, please don't schedule me for second round contests before Saturday.  (or, well, you could start a contest on Friday that I would get the results of on Saturday, I guess). I'll provide a second set of ingredients to CNN, just in case. 

-rg


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## CleverNickName (Jun 10, 2010)

Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen, to Kitchen Stadium, where Match 5 is well underway.  Dungeon Masters Wicht and Green Dice are chopping, dicing, and pan-searing the ingredients that Chairman InVinoVeritas has provided, and the smell is...fascinating.  Let's go down to the floor for a closer look.



Spoiler



No, that's not calamari...that is a *Fertile Illithid.*  I have seen this aberration cooked up in many different ways, from high-fantasy villainy to sci-fi crossovers of deep-space treachery...but never in a maternity ward (hatchery? nest? containment pod?)  In general, these brain-sucking, mind-flaying monsters add a strong Lovecraftian flavor to any dish.  But a "fertile" one?  That is a very specific, very disturbing type of illithid.  Until today, I had never given much thought to the reproductive cycle of these horrible things...and now it's the only thing I can think about.

Thanks a lot. ::shudder::

Wicht is hammering away at what appears to be a *Dilapidated Stableyard.*  Is he attempting to clean or repair it for its intended use?  Or is he merely moving the detritus around a bit to suit his fancy?  Whatever he is doing, the horses don't seem to mind.

Meanwhile, Green Dice is chatting with one of the show's suppliers, our *Kindly Fishmonger.*  I suspect they are discussing an aquatic location of sorts...let's listen in...

GD:  But I don't want it to be TOO fishy.  Do you have anything a little less...aquatic?
KF: You realize I am a fishmonger, right?  I am all about fish and money.
GD: Yes, yes, but I want to avoid the usual cliches...Atlantis, mermaid cities, talking fish with coins in their mouths...
KF: Are you sure?
GD: No...

Chairman InVinoVeritas has called for *A Thousand Lotus Blossoms* to be brought in.  There is much discussion about this ingredient; each word seems to require a judgment call on the part of the DM.  A thousand:  is this an exact number or a vague concept?   Lotus:  there are dozens of types of lotus out there, and they are all very different.  Blossoms:  what kind of blossom, and why the focus on this specific part of the plant?  When you put this plant into a fantasy story, what does it look like?  An ingredient like this gives the DM a great deal of flexibility (and liability.)

Next we have a classic ingredient, *Interrogation Techniques.*  In all of my years of playing D&D, I have seen this ingredient get used in adventures and it rarely works.  DMs seem to like this ingredient far more than the players do--there will be an intricate situation where a hostile NPC has information that the heroes need, but the PCs just hack him to bits on sight.  The challenge with this ingredient will be to make it necessary without railroading...the judge will be looking for situations where interrogation techniques are not just a means to an end, but are the ONLY means to an end.

Our last ingredient is a wonderful, dazzling little plot device called *The Solitary Flame at the Center of It All.*  The first thing I thought of when I saw this ingredient was the magical Clan Relics of the old BECM days...the Forge of Power maybe, or the Crucible of Blackflame.  Ah, those were the days!  But dwarves and halflings have come a long way since the Companion Rules Boxed Set...clans are little more than a footnote in a character's background, if they are mentioned at all, and these awesome relics have faded from the game.

But I digress.

This ingredient is a trap for the DMs.  The temptation will be to turn it into some sort of McGuffin that doesn't really do anything, or to over-metaphorize it into something that tries to do too much.


As always, best of luck to our contestants!  This is a great list of ingredients...I can't wait to see what you cook up.


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## Pbartender (Jun 10, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Will one of the other judges take over this slot for me?  I'll trade it for a slot later in the contest, and/or buy you a drink a Gencon.




Oof...  Unfortunately, we'll be right in the midst of closing on a new house and moving next week.  If IVV can't trade with you, though I will.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 10, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Oh, and looking ahead, please don't schedule me for second round contests before Saturday.  (or, well, you could start a contest on Friday that I would get the results of on Saturday, I guess). I'll provide a second set of ingredients to CNN, just in case.



Got it...thanks for the heads-up.  I'll move you to the end of the rotation when it is time to schedule Round 2.


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## ajanders (Jun 10, 2010)

Where do people come up with these lists of ingredients?


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## Pbartender (Jun 10, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Where do people come up with these lists of ingredients?




Ask again when it's over, and I'll tell you.


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## Wicht (Jun 10, 2010)

My entry for round 5 is up.


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 10, 2010)

I'm fired up for tomorrow, but after seeing some of the ingredients in the first matches I'm also pretty scared. It should be fun, I'm hoping to manage at least a credible effort.


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## Pbartender (Jun 10, 2010)

Pro-Paladin said:


> I'm fired up for tomorrow, but after seeing some of the ingredients in the first matches I'm also pretty scared. It should be fun, I'm hoping to manage at least a credible effort.




Speaking of which...

The ingredients for Round 1, Match 6 will be posted tomorrow at 7:35 pm CST.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 10, 2010)

Wicht said:


> My entry for round 5 is up.





Spoiler



Wow, that was a lot of fun!  I am totally going to steal this and run it as a little side-trek adventure.  It's simple, it's clean, and it will fit just about anywhere.

I absolutely love how you tied the Fertile Illithid and the Solitary Flame together.  The two ingredients work together to create both urgency and terror.  Well played.

I'm a little worried about the use of the other ingredients, though.  They don't seem to shine quite as brightly...


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 11, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Oof... Unfortunately, we'll be right in the midst of closing on a new house and moving next week. If IVV can't trade with you, though I will.






Radiating Gnome said:


> Will one of the other judges take over this slot for me? I'll trade it for a slot later in the contest, and/or buy you a drink a Gencon.




No problem, I've got lots more ingredients and plenty of constructive criticism where that came from! I'll judge whatever rounds anyone needs! We shall all eat like kings!

(Memo to self: Eliminate King Cannibal from the list of ingredients.)


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## Green Dice (Jun 11, 2010)

My entry for round 5 is up!

And just in time too! This Iron DM thing is more difficult than I expected.


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2010)

Green Dice: Glad to see you made it in under the wire. I was starting to get worried.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 11, 2010)

Yup, both entries are in. Now I actually have to choose someone...

By the way, CNN, Pbartender, and Radiating Gnome, let me know where and how I'm needed to fill in gaps, and I'll be there.


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## Green Dice (Jun 11, 2010)

I honestly wasn't sure if I'd make it or not. Nothing like a little suspense


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2010)

Green Dice said:


> I honestly wasn't sure if I'd make it or not. Nothing like a little suspense




Turning in anything is always better than turning in nothing.  Nothing never wins but there have been a few surprises over the years from last minute, not quite complete entries.

And really, the goal is not to turn in a complete module, but just enough to make the Judge sit up and say, "That's a good adventure idea. And it uses all the ingredients well."


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## Pbartender (Jun 11, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> Yup, both entries are in. Now I actually have to choose someone...
> 
> By the way, CNN, Pbartender, and Radiating Gnome, let me know where and how I'm needed to fill in gaps, and I'll be there.




I'm fine...  Next week is busy, though, and I don't think I'll have the spare time to cover RG's round.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 11, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:
			
		

> By the way, CNN, Pbartender, and Radiating Gnome, let me know where and how I'm needed to fill in gaps, and I'll be there.



Radiating Gnome already sent me the ingredients he wants to use; I've got them right here.  I will post them at the scheduled time if RG isn't able to get an internet connection.  Then, if both contestants have posted their entries and RG hasn't dropped by, it will pass to you for judging the match.  Does this sound good?


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 11, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Radiating Gnome already sent me the ingredients he wants to use; I've got them right here. I will post them at the scheduled time if RG isn't able to get an internet connection. Then, if both contestants have posted their entries and RG hasn't dropped by, it will pass to you for judging the match. Does this sound good?




Done, that sounds good.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 11, 2010)

Honestly, if IVV is willing, it might just make sense to have him judge the round.  Then I don't have to sweat it, and you don't have to wait around to find out if I'm going to turn up or not.  

-j


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## CleverNickName (Jun 11, 2010)

Okay, I've revised the schedule over in the competition thread.  We now have IVV judging 3 out of the last 4 competitions in Round 1, which might be a bit much.  But I'm cool with it if you guys are.

Would it be a good idea to put Pbartender in to judge Match 8?  Or should I just leave well enough alone?


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 11, 2010)

I'm ready for my match...at least I think I am.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jun 11, 2010)

Pro-Paladin said:


> I'm ready for my match...at least I think I am.




Me as well.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jun 11, 2010)

Pro-Paladin said:


> I'm ready for my match...at least I think I am.




Me too.


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## Wicht (Jun 11, 2010)

I always forget what its like to be waiting for a judgment, so full of hope, so filled with doubt. Wondering if they're typing it out or they're just busy with life, making you wait in helpless anticipation.


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## humble minion (Jun 12, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Thanks for handling this match Pbartender.  You're a pretty tough customer.




Indeed!

Unfortunately, Pbartender managed to spot _all_ the areas in my entry which I wasn't entirely happy with, or which my post-submission reread revealed that I needed to fix up!  Annoyingly, a lot of the criticisms were perfectly justified given what I actually submitted, but were things I'd actually thought about and solved when designing the entry (the reason Rukxillana couldn't just kill Chih Xuan, for instance, was that she had to be possessing him when he died in order to hijack the ascension), but which I didn't manage to put into words or articulate clearly.  That's the handicap of being as rushed as I was, I guess - you don't get the time to look over it again and fix that stuff.  

Congratulations Sanzuo, and best of luck for the rest of the comp.  Hopefully I can put up a better showing next time.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 12, 2010)

Wicht said:


> I always forget what its like to be waiting for a judgment, so full of hope, so filled with doubt. Wondering if they're typing it out or they're just busy with life, making you wait in helpless anticipation.




I've just gotten off an extremely busy week, so yes, I have been busy. The judgment will be tomorrow.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 12, 2010)

Has anyone heard from Pbartender?

I'll move the start day/time back to noon tomorrow.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 12, 2010)

Time is always your enemy in this competition.  Because of the 24-hour limit, there are several different ways that a judge can make a match challenging.

One way is to build a list of obscure, highly-specific ingredients that challenges your vocabulary.  With a list like this, you will spend (waste?) a great deal of time looking up words in a dictionary, researching topics in an encyclopedia, and otherwise trying to figure out what each ingredient is and how to use it.  ("What the heck is an _Overcaptious Patih_, and what does it have to do with a _Barmy Pulque_?  In _Downtown Nandavaram_--wherever the hell that is!")   

Another way to make a difficult list is sort of the opposite: use extremely versatile, flavorful ingredients that everyone has seen many, many times.  These things inspire tons of ideas all at once, and can drag your story all over the place if you aren't careful.  With a list like this, you will spend (waste?) most of your time writing yourself in circles, and most of what you write will end up getting deleted or going nowhere.  ("Alright.  I've got six pages on the _Rogue Griffon_ and its _Psychotic Paladin_ rider, but I don't know how to link them to the five pages I've already written on the _Ancient Shipwreck Lair_ and the _Conch Shell_...and I've only got thirty minutes!!!")

Yet another way is to use words that have double (or triple) meanings.  _Wind_, for example, can be something that blows or something that you do to a watch.  _Bow_ can be a weapon, a part of a ship, or a Japanese greeting.  _Read_ can be something you have already done, or something you need to do.  And so on.  Each one of these can potentially give you bonus points if you incorporate multiple derivatives of the words into your story...but aren't six ingredients hard enough?  ("For my _Clown School_ ingredient, I will use both a school of clownfish AND the Clown Conservatory!  Brilliant!  Now, for the _Sex Pistols_...")

There are other ways, of course.  But of the three that I have listed here, which one is your favorite? least favorite?


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## Pbartender (Jun 12, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Has anyone heard from Pbartender?
> 
> I'll move the start day/time back to noon tomorrow.




My sincerest apologies.  We had a minor emergency involving the gas company last night.    No worries...  Everything turned fine.  Just a lot of hassle and wasted time in the end.

I'll post my ingredients later this morning (Waylander and Pro-Paladion, please check in, if you're awake).


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## Pbartender (Jun 12, 2010)

Guh.


Jane!  Stop this crazy thing!


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## Wicht (Jun 12, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> There are other ways, of course.  But of the three that I have listed here, which one is your favorite? least favorite?




I've always been a fan of the double use, when possible. Its like hedging your bets - if the judge doesn't like one use maybe he'll like the other.  Of course the danger is in trying to do too much.

The main problem with obscure ingredients is often they are so specific in meaning they have only one definition and thus make it more likely that both writers will use it in very similar ways.  I actually prefer the ingredients more open to interpretation as it allows the contestants to turn in very different adventures.


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 12, 2010)

I'm still here, ready to go.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jun 12, 2010)

My one year old woke me up, so I am here too.


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## Pbartender (Jun 12, 2010)

Since both of you are here, I'll post the ingredients now.

To give you a little time to notice this, submissions will be due at 9:00 am CST tomorrow.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 12, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Since both of you are here, I'll post the ingredients now.
> 
> To give you a little time to notice this, submissions will be due at 9:00 am CST tomorrow.



I have updated the schedule, showing 9:00 a.m. as the "official" start time.  Good luck, fellow gamers!


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 12, 2010)

My entry is now up. Time to go collapse somewhere!

Here it is.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jun 13, 2010)

Entry done. 15 minutes late.


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## Allenchan (Jun 13, 2010)

I should be around tonight for my match!


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## ajanders (Jun 13, 2010)

Cry havoc and release the DM's of Iron DM!


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 14, 2010)

I AM HERE.

Your ingredients will be up shortly.


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## Green Dice (Jun 14, 2010)

IVV, we havn't heard from you... I was getting worried


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 14, 2010)

It's been a busy weekend.

Allenchan and ajanders, here are your ingredients.

My judgment will be up tonight--it's almost done.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 14, 2010)

Here's the judgment for Round 1, Match 5.

Thanks to both participants! I had to think about the adventures and ingredients in particularly odd ways, I found. Well done.


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## Wicht (Jun 14, 2010)

Congragulations Green Dice.


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## Wicht (Jun 14, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Wow, that was a lot of fun!  I am totally going to steal this and run it as a little side-trek adventure.




I didn't want to comment on this before the judgment but thanks CleverNickName for the compliment. The best one can say about an adventure seed is that it makes one want to use it.


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## Green Dice (Jun 14, 2010)

IVV, thank you for the judging. I appreciate all your feedback. I'll take what you said with me into the next round. 

Wicht, you did a great job. I enjoyed reading your story. You put up quite a fight.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 14, 2010)

Wicht said:


> I didn't want to comment on this before the judgment but thanks CleverNickName for the compliment. The best one can say about an adventure seed is that it makes one want to use it.



It is just so easy to use...it can fit into almost any game world with minimal adjustment.  One could drop it in as a quick little side-trek if desired, or one could run it as a stand-alone series of adventures.  Either way, it has enough suspense and action to keep everyone engaged for as long as you like.

But that said, I agree with IVV's judgment.  You made the best use of two ingredients in your entree, but the others were more like garnish.  GD's adventure used all of the ingredients equally.



Green Dice said:


> IVV, thank you for the judging. I appreciate all your feedback. I'll take what you said with me into the next round.



Congratulations!  You just won a very tough round.  Best of luck going forward.

@both contestants:  if you could have changed one ingredient into something else while writing your adventure, which one would you change (and what would you have changed it into)?


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## CleverNickName (Jun 14, 2010)

Man, what a busy weekend.  I have limited internet access on the weekends, and I am WAY behind on my yard work, etc.  Plus, this was the first sunny weekend in Portland in like forever, and there were several World Cup watch parties and barbecues to attend.

But enough excuses.  I'll pick up the pace.

-----







Only two more matches remain in Round One!  We have seen some incredible entries so far, especially over the weekend.  Let's take a closer look!


Spoiler



I try to be impartial in this competition.  But apparently I need to try harder, because Pro Paladin's adventure "Good Clean Fun" just might be my favorite adventure I've seen so far in the competition.  You don't see enough solo adventures these days, IMO, and you almost never see them for D20 Modern.  This one is straightforward, with lots of horror, suspense, intrigue, and slimy evil buckets.  And the whole thing was written in like, nine hours.  I still can't believe it.

But that's not to say that Waylander the Slayer's entry wasn't good.  "The Loving Daughters of Khalid Shah" isn't a modern horror story; it is the retelling of a classic love story, with lots of action and intrigue and delicious Arabian flavor throughout.

Pro Paladin serves up some smoky Texas (chainsaw)-style barbecue; Waylander gives us a spicy Middle-eastern curry.  Both are quite delicious...but if you saw them on a menu, which one would you order for dinner?  It would come down to what you are in the mood for at the moment, I suppose.  It might be hard to adapt a solo D20 Modern adventure to most peoples' game worlds. The same could be said for an Arabian-style culture, but not nearly as much.

PBartender has his work cut out for him.

Speaking of which, let's give it up for our three judges.  It is hard work, reading all of these adventures, reviewing them, and writing pages-long critiques.  And they do it for us, to help us refine our craft and make us better writers.  So thanks, guys!  I'd give you all some XP, but apparently I have to spread some love first.


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## humble minion (Jun 14, 2010)

Interesting set of ingredients in the latest round!  I don't envy the contestants (well, actually, I do, cos they're still in the competition and I'm not!   )

I have to admit I'm a bit ambivalent on the really quirky ingredients like The Dark God's Dirty Dishes.  Might just be me being unimaginative, but it seems that something so specialised and bizarre will pretty much inevitably become the focus of the entry by the sheer virtue of its unusualness.  Is this a limitation on creativity, or a test of it?  I'm not really sure, personally.

There seems to have been a real focus this year on ingredients which point towards non-traditional-D&D adventures.  I'll be fascinated to see what the contestants do with this batch...


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## Pour (Jun 14, 2010)

From what I can tell, the ingredients and the difficulty of their strangeness is the major hurtle of matches (admittedly I only participated 2 years, and never got beyond Round 1, but I've read back logs and it seems to be uniform throughout). Last year I had a 'holy frying pan' or something like that as one of my ingredients, and boy was that hard to pull off haha. Keeping in mind both contestants must use all the ingredients kind of allows for a lot, I think, when reading and when judging. I'd like to think it sort of inspires creativity instead of impedes it. Working with limitations often does that for some designers, instead of being given open and free reign.

This year I had a solid set of ingredients and I still couldn't pull them all off like I wanted hehe. Just the nature of the game. This year is also unique for having a very short time span to formulate and write, too. But from the looks of the entries thus far, most people are unperturbed, hell, these entries have actually been rather outstanding. Keep on keeping on, all!


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 14, 2010)

I am ready to go for tomorrow's contest. This is my check in.   Tuesday morning is pretty full for me, but I should be available by lunchtime to pick up the ingredients (and hopefully do something with them).  But whatever works for the judge will work for me.  Please give a heads up on the planned posting time and I'll snag 'em.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 14, 2010)

humble minion said:


> I have to admit I'm a bit ambivalent on the really quirky ingredients like The Dark God's Dirty Dishes.  Might just be me being unimaginative, but it seems that something so specialised and bizarre will pretty much inevitably become the focus of the entry by the sheer virtue of its unusualness.  Is this a limitation on creativity, or a test of it?  I'm not really sure, personally.



These little zingers are usually my favorite ingredients on the list.  I remember the one you are thinking of, the "Flaming Frying Pan of the Master Chef."  Myself, I had to contend with "The Symbol of the First Spirits."

You are right; the ingredient can easily become the focal point of the whole adventure if you let it.  And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Here is what I would do, if I were in this round:



Spoiler



Let's take a look at "The Dark God's Dirty Dishes."  Now, at first glance, I imagine a big tub of plates, forks, goblets, and so forth, stained from some horrible ritual or something.  Why do we care about dishes?  What does a Dark God eat?  Who is this Dark God, anyway, and why does he even have a collection of dirty dishes in the first place?

I can continue down this road, shoehorning in the other ingredients along the way, and I would probably end up with a great adventure that takes place in, say, the kitchen of Vecna's temple.  Nothing wrong with that.  But if I deconstructed that ingredient word-by-word, I might find a scenario that allows three or four more ingredients to slip into place a little easier.

The: specific, implies that there is only one.

Dark: could be evil, sinful, or sinister, sure.  But this could also mean black in color, or lacking humor, or closed for business.

God's: belonging to or possessed by a superior, supernatural being.

Dirty: not clean.  Or: earthy, as in "made of dirt."  Or impure, esp. concerning morality or ethics (a dirty politician, or a dirty lover.)

Dishes: could be dining utensils, true.  But "dish" is also a prepared recipe, or the act of serving one.  It could also be slang for gossip, or slang for an attractive female.  In more modern terms, "dish" is a popular brand of satellite TV service.

So if we pick and choose among these different definitions, we could end up with a tub of Vecna's dirty plates and silverware.

...or, a rather loose, seductive trio of succubi that serve Orcus, who must be tricked into giving up some juicy gossip on the temple priests.

...or, a meal made of gravel and soil, to be served to The Dark God...an earth elemental who is worshipped as a god.  (Get it?  Dishes, made of dirt!  Dirty dishes!)

...or, a television station that gets hijacked by a hacker known only as "DarkG0d," who uses the satellite array to transmit smut all over the world.

And so on.  In this instance, I would probably go with the succubi.





humble minion said:


> There seems to have been a real focus this year on ingredients which point towards non-traditional-D&D adventures.  I'll be fascinated to see what the contestants do with this batch...



I dunno...maybe.  I guess that part of the challenge is to force you to look outside your comfort zone, and try something new.

At any rate, most of what we have seen can be used in just about any adventure style.  We have yet to see any highly specific stuff like "Michael Jackson's Thriller Album" or "Space Shuttle Atlantis."

But like IVV said, the competition is young.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 14, 2010)

I was actually slightly worried about posting a non-D&D adventure since I don't remember seeing one before I posted the Tannhauser Effect.  Maybe they were there and I missed one from last year, but part of my research time was rereading the initial thread to see if non-D&D adventures were allowed!

CNN, looks like you do the same thing I do when I get ingredients; break down each one into individual words and find as many different denotations (and connotations) as possible for each, then play with ways of combining them.  Having a decently broad and deep understanding of what you can do with each ingredient is key, in my experience.


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## Wik (Jun 14, 2010)

Ready for my turn!  I can see you've saved the best for last!  It's gonna be AWESOME!

...provided I don't get stuck with super weird ingredients.  But hey, what're the odds of THAT happening, right?


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## Allenchan (Jun 15, 2010)

Ugh! Got stuck extra late at work. I posted, but am very disappointed with it! Better than nothing, though.


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## ajanders (Jun 15, 2010)

Oh man.

931 pm exactly.

That was not easy.

Allenchan, I didn't even take time to read yours yet, but I know mine's kind of incomprehensible.
Definitely looking forward to seeing what you did with the Dark God's direty dishes and the underwater path...


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## ajanders (Jun 15, 2010)

IronSky, I keep trying to play IronDM with your .sigfile...


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## Iron Sky (Jun 15, 2010)

ajanders said:


> IronSky, I keep trying to play IronDM with your .sigfile...




Be careful with that, mine ended up being 300 pages long and it's not done yet.


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 15, 2010)

Checking in for the Tuesday contest.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 15, 2010)

humble minion said:


> Interesting set of ingredients in the latest round!  I don't envy the contestants (well, actually, I do, cos they're still in the competition and I'm not!   )



Well, you never know.  If a Round 2 contestant has to bow out, we will have our first-ever Wild Card round...which could give you another shot at the title!


Spoiler: Wild Card



In a Wild Card round, all losing contestants from the previous round will compete against each other in a single, winner-take-all match.  They will be given at least 48 hours' notice of the event, by private message, and the match will proceed at the scheduled time no matter what.  (We aren't going to wait to hear back from everyone.)

On the day of the match, six brand-new ingredients will be provided at the pre-determined day and time, and all contestants will have 24 hours to complete an adventure, side-trek, or encounter.

All three judges will read the submissions, and will consult with one another to select a single winner.  They will not critique and review every singe entry; they will merely name the winner and possibly say a few words about how they reached their decision.  The entry they select will advance to the next round, in place of the player who had to resign.


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## Wik (Jun 15, 2010)

I'm looking for my set of ingredients, and haven't seen them yet.  I have a few things to do tonight, so I probably won't be able to get started on them now until around 9 pm PST.  Just giving the head's up.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 16, 2010)

The ingredients will be up at 9 pm EDT, as with my other rounds.


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## Pbartender (Jun 16, 2010)

If I might make a small request...

If anyone wants to give XP praising a submission, I don't mind.  But, could you please wait until after the judgment has been made?  Those sorts of comments make it that much harder to stay objective when judging an entry.

Thanks.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 16, 2010)

Ingredients for Round 1, Match 8 are up!

...maybe I went a little too far. Ah, well, no turning back now.


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 16, 2010)

Hey guys, 

I hope this doesn't throw too much of a corkscrew in the tournament, but I'm going to be traveling via car for the next couple of days (across the country) and will probably be away from internet/computer until friday. Seeing as the second round is about to begin, I was wondering if we avoid scheduling my match in the next couple of days.

Let me know. Thanks, and sorry for any inconvenience.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 16, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> If I might make a small request...



Sorry about that; I think I set a bad precedent.    I will withhold XP merits until after judgment.



InVinoVeritas said:


> ...maybe I went a little too far. Ah, well, no turning back now.



Are you kidding?!  I love this list of ingredients!  I can't wait to see what our contestants come up with.



ender_wiggin said:


> I hope this doesn't throw too much of a corkscrew in the tournament, but I'm going to be traveling via car for the next couple of days (across the country) and will probably be away from internet/computer until friday. Seeing as the second round is about to begin, I was wondering if we avoid scheduling my match in the next couple of days.



I think we can work around that.  We probably won't be ready to begin Round 2 until Thursday at the earliest.


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## Wik (Jun 16, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Are you kidding?!  I love this list of ingredients!  I can't wait to see what our contestants come up with.




You and me both.  I have only the haziest idea of what to do.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 16, 2010)

For ingredient #6, I just have to say: WTF?


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## CleverNickName (Jun 16, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> For ingredient #6, I just have to say: WTF?



I know...I still chuckle when I see it.   Still, I wonder...



Spoiler



...how many different components of that video will get used?  Sure there is "beer," that much is obvious.  But depending on how serious the contestants take it, there is also:

The Bug-Eyed Chairman
Three Huge Portraits
Iron Chef Bobby Flay
Refrigerated Table
Blue Silk Handkerchief
Live Studio Audience
American Flag
Orchestra Crescendo
Fog Machine
Mound of Cubed Ice
Absurd Repetition

(...did I miss any?)


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 16, 2010)

Hey all -- just wanted to say I'm back. I should be able to pick up my duties again . . . Which looks like I'll be starting with round two matches.

It's nice to see nothing crazy happened while I was in the high mountains . . . .  Oh wait, WTF??  

-rg


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## Wik (Jun 16, 2010)

I just want to say, now that I'm about halfway done, that I'm probably going to lose this round.  But it will be totally worth it. 

I haven't had this much fun writing an adventure... EVER.  It will be amazing.

This will be the best adventure written since 2e's Gargoyle!  It follows in the grand tradition of Dungeonland, Castle Greyhawk, and that time my friends and I bought a bunch of Mountain Dew and played D&D in a crackshed trailer before realizing we were all high on Mescaline.  

Wait, what?


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## Wik (Jun 16, 2010)

So, I've got a day to do this in, right?  Because I'm dead tired.  I'm going to have to do the rest tomorrow.  But I like what I've got so far.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 16, 2010)

Beer!
*beer!*
beer!
*beer!@!*
beer!


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## CleverNickName (Jun 16, 2010)

A very exciting match is underway in the Kitchen Stadium, where Chairman InVinoVeritas has presented one of the most interesting combinations of ingredients I have ever seen.  Let's go down to the floor for a closer look!


Spoiler



Chairman IVV must be a fan of Shakespeare, because he has presented us with six ingredients taken directly from the Bard himself!  While I am not much of a Thespian personally, you could say that I have been romantically involved with the theatre for the last twelve years...I hope this list of ingredients will be as challenging for our contestants, as it is warming to my heart.

But enough about me.  Let's get to the good stuff!


Our first ingredient, *Honorable Man* can be found in "Julius Caesar," Act 3 Scene 2.  In this play, Brutus is the "honourable man" that Anthony is referring to...even though Brutus was a key conspirator in the murder plot against Caesar!  Why was he considered honorable, then?  Because he had the courage to do what he thought was right.

_Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man._

Will our contestants agree?


The *Heavenly Station* comes from my personal favorite play..."Hamlet."  It can be found in Act 3, Scene 4, but it is a paraphrase, not a direct quote.  The actual text reads,

_A station like the herald Mercury
New-lighted on a heaven-kissing hill;_

Of course, in this competition, it could be something else entirely.


Also from "Hamlet," we have the *Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune.*  This one comes from the famous monologue in Act 3 Scene 1.

_To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?_

This might be my favorite ingredient of all in this competition.  That's the good stuff.  Bottle that.


For our fourth ingredient, *Winter of our Discontent,* we go to "Richard III," Act 1 Scene 1.  In fact, they are the first lines uttered in the play:

_Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house
In the deep bosom of the ocean buried._

Here, Shakespeare does not describe what the "winter of discontent" is; instead he uses it to contrast the current season (which is "glorious summer.")  It is behind the action, not before it.


Our fifth ingredient, the *Bugbear of Small Minds,* is a whimsical little device that is often attributed to Shakespeare, but was actually written by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Hey, it's an honest mistake; Puck (from "A Midsummer Night's Dream") is the world's most famous hobgoblin, and Emerson borrowed Shakespeare's use of iambic pentameter when he wrote that famous quote:

_A foolish consistency is
the hobgoblin of little minds,
adored by little statesman and
philosophers and divines._

But!  See what our Chairman has done?  IVV has added a unique little twist, by switching goblinoids on us.  That's a bugbear, not a hobgoblin as per the original text.  The two words might mean the same thing in some legends and stories, but they are quite different in the world of D&D.


Our last ingredient, *Beer,* can be found all over Shakespeare's work...but my personal favorite comes from "King Henry V," Act 3, Scene 2:

_Would I were in an alehouse in London!
I would give all my fame for a pot of ale, and safety._

Indeed, who wouldn't?

But what is most interesting about this ingredient isn't its origins, but the manner in which it was presented to the contestants.  Chairman InVinoVeritas chose to embed a video clip into the ingredient list, rather than simply typing out the words.  This leaves the ingredient WIDE OPEN to interpretation by the contestants...there are many, many things in that video besides beer, and the Chairman did not specify.  Just from watching the clip, I could pick out a dozen fun ingredients that could be used...Bug-Eyed Chairman, Blue Silk Handkerchief, Refrigerated Table, Absurd Repetition, Fog Machine, Mound of Cubed Ice...the list could go on forever!  Will our contestants use only the obvious ingredient named in the video clip, or will they strip-mine the video it for random ingredients to suit their needs?


Best of luck to both contestants!  To borrow a line from my favorite Shakespearian play:  "Come, give us a taste of your quality."


----------



## ajanders (Jun 16, 2010)

Five of six suddenly clicked with me, but the Bugbear is tricky.

I would also suggest that Mark Antony's reference to Brutus as an "honorable man", it's sarcastic. It could almost be a monologue on the Daly show.

I don't know if sarcasm opens up new avenues or not...


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## Wik (Jun 16, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Five of six suddenly clicked with me, but the Bugbear is tricky.
> 
> I would also suggest that Mark Antony's reference to Brutus as an "honorable man", it's sarcastic. It could almost be a monologue on the Daly show.
> 
> I don't know if sarcasm opens up new avenues or not...




The bugbear was very tricky.  I think I have it set up right now.  My big problem was "why is it a BUGBEAR, and not, say, a Hobgoblin?  Or a goblin?  Or an orc?  

I don't know if I nailed it or not.  But it makes sense in my head.

I'll have my post up in six hours, when I get off work (currently on lunch break).


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 16, 2010)

Yeah, the monster is commonly twisted Emerson, not Shakespeare, but hey, you know what they say about a foolish consistency.

(I considered using the Weird Sisters in the monster slot, or Brutish Beasts, or the Green Eyed Monster, or Bottom, but I liked the twist on Emerson the best.)


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## Wik (Jun 17, 2010)

Phew.  Done.  This was the weirdest adventure I've ever written.


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## Wik (Jun 17, 2010)

And, holy crap.  I only had five minutes to spare, didn't I?


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 17, 2010)

That was a mind-twisting set of ingredients.  I didn't get to use the format I wanted, but oh well...


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## Wik (Jun 17, 2010)

howandwhy99 said:


> That was a mind-twisting set of ingredients.  I didn't get to use the format I wanted, but oh well...




Good luck to you, sir!  It was a really hard set of starting ingredients.  I feel I nailed a few, and missed a few.  

Yours is an interesting read.  I'm curious to see how the judges look on it!


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## Pbartender (Jun 17, 2010)

The judgment for round 1, match 6 has been posted.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 17, 2010)

Round 2 has been scheduled!  The official schedule is posted in the Competition Thread, but I copied it here for quick reference.  Contestants and judges, please look it over and make sure I haven't screwed anything up.

Congratulations to the Round One survivors!

Also, this Saturday is "Free RPG Day."  Is this going to be a problem?  I know that participation in this event is spotty at best, and tends to vary depending on your location and how cool your FLGS is.  But I want to support it in any way that I can.

Ender wiggin, Iron Sky, Radiating Gnome: if you guys are going to be hanging out at the local game shop, trying out new and awesome RPGs and snagging buckets of free stuff, I am totally fine with pushing the match to Sunday.  Just let me know.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 17, 2010)

I'll be able to start the match on saturday, but that's the easy part. 

Is that schedule right? Match three looks a lot like match one....

-rg


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## Pbartender (Jun 17, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> *Round 2, Match 1
> Saturday, June 19*
> ender wiggin vs. Iron Sky
> Judge: Radiating Gnome
> ...




Doing it this way, IVV will end up judging one extra match, and I'll get short changed by one.

Going with your original pattern, It would look like:  Pbar, RG, IVV, Pbar

If you want each of us judging 5 matches, both RG and I need to judge 
 two matches in this round, with RG swapping in for IVV's match.

Perhaps, go with RG, Pbar, RG, Pbar?


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## ajanders (Jun 17, 2010)

There seems to be a problem with the contestants, too.


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## Pbartender (Jun 17, 2010)

ajanders said:


> There seems to be a problem with the contestants, too.




I just noticed that, too... Match 3 should probably be Green Dice vs. Pro-Paladin.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 17, 2010)

Woops!  Sorry about that.


----------



## CleverNickName (Jun 17, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> If you want each of us judging 5 matches, both RG and I need to judge two matches in this round, with RG swapping in for IVV's match.
> 
> Perhaps, go with RG, Pbar, RG, Pbar?



Woops again; I didn't even think about that.  I have fixed the judging roster as well, per your recommendation.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 17, 2010)

I'm not planning on going to gaming day(though that doesn't mean it won't happen), but Sundays work way better for me in general since we usually game Saturday night...


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 17, 2010)

Here's some of my thoughts on my first round match. First of all, *Pbartender* did an absolutely outstanding job analyzing and judging. I found myself nodding along to the criticisms and I'm certainly going to implement many of them if I get the chance to run this adventure (hopefully soon!). 

I might have to resist the urge to finish fast next time. Inspiration hit and I just hammered it out. I missed some things that really could have elevated the end result and also a little editing to tighten things up. "Falled" the roll...ugh!

I think the hardest ingredient turned out to be "jealousy." The "oh, that won't be hard to use" straightforward nature of it caused me to treat it as an afterthought and bolt it on rather then integrate it and make sure it really stood out. Oddly enough the most "D n D" specific ingredient, the Otyugh, was the one that I think worked the best. It lives in filth and eats corpses...perfect!

My favorite aspect of *Waylander the Slayer's* entry was the use of the alembic, another ingredient I struggled with. Alchemy is, after all, supposed to be a process that transforms materials. The concept of using it to "fix" people raises a lot of interesting possibilities. I imagine everything from "Clockwork Orange" criminal rehabilitation to dealing with "traitors" to creating soldiers who won't experience fear, pain, or remorse. Then add to that by making it a dungeon of sorts that is large enough to poke around in and perhaps be menaced by...there's a lot of cool stuff here.

Thanks again to the judges, *CleverNickName* for organizing and everyone who had kind words for my entry. Best of luck to all the competitors in the next round, I'll see you there! Beeeeeee-aaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!11


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 18, 2010)

I'm at my destination and I'm good to go. Sat / Sun works for me, though if it's on Sunday I would like to request that it start as early as possible that day, as I can't work on it at all during work on Monday. Thanks for your understanding.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 18, 2010)

Okay, guys ... Listening to Ender and Iron, it sounds like an early start on Sunday is the best fit for the two of you.

I will post the ingredients before 8am Eastern on Sunday morning, it that sounds workable for both of you. 

-RG


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 18, 2010)

Sounds good to me. Looking forward to it.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 18, 2010)

Works for me!


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 19, 2010)

I'm willing to take a back seat during Round 2.

Match 7 will be judged tonight and Match 8 this weekend.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 19, 2010)

Match 7 is judged.

It was a tough assignment. Honestly, well done to both contestants.


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## Waylander the Slayer (Jun 19, 2010)

Pro-Paladin said:


> Here's some of my thoughts on my first round match. First of all, *Pbartender* did an absolutely outstanding job analyzing and judging. I found myself nodding along to the criticisms and I'm certainly going to implement many of them if I get the chance to run this adventure (hopefully soon!).
> 
> I might have to resist the urge to finish fast next time. Inspiration hit and I just hammered it out. I missed some things that really could have elevated the end result and also a little editing to tighten things up. "Falled" the roll...ugh!
> 
> ...




Echo the same sentiments here. Unfortunately, I didn't realize how much writing time is needed to do justice to the entry. As such, I had to leave out a lot of the detail, not just with the Alembic, but also with key encounters (Barber Assassins, the descriptive of the Ashram, notes on all the NPCs, a rough sketch of the Alembic and the bucket chain, The Cheap Trollop Troop). I also made the critical mistake of talking about encounters rather that writing them out (as aptly pointed out in the judgement). Even if I had had the time to produce a finished product, I still think that Pro-Paladin's entry would have been tough to beat- it is a very flavorful, playable and atmospheric Cthulusque entry. Well done Pro; you absolutely deserve to advance to the next round, and hopefully further. I'll be rooting for you.


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 19, 2010)

Wik said:


> Good luck to you, sir!  It was a really hard set of starting ingredients.  I feel I nailed a few, and missed a few.
> 
> Yours is an interesting read.  I'm curious to see how the judges look on it!



"You must spread some experience points around, if...."

Yours was a fun read.  Best of luck to you too!


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 20, 2010)

Sorry for the slightly tardy start.  

Round 2 match 1 ingredients are posted.


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## Pbartender (Jun 20, 2010)

The ingredients for Round 2, Match 2 will be posted tomorrow morning at 6:30 am, CST.


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 20, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Sorry for the slightly tardy start.
> 
> Round 2 match 1 ingredients are posted.




Received and working. Good luck, Iron Sky.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 20, 2010)

ender_wiggin said:


> Received and working. Good luck, Iron Sky.




Likewise!  Maybe it's because I just woke up, but at first I read "Ancestral Grotto" as "Ancestral Gazebo".  Was looking forward to an epic battle versus a mighty Gazebo.


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## ajanders (Jun 20, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> Match 7 is judged.
> 
> It was a tough assignment. Honestly, well done to both contestants.




Allenchan, good competing with you.

I'd like to thank my collaborators wikipedia.org and google.com and make two statements about the power of Google.

1. "Dark God's dirty dishes" is not a googlewhack. Never would have guessed.
2. You don't want to read any of the links it provides.

I look forward to round 2.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 20, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> The ingredients for Round 2, Match 2 will be posted tomorrow morning at 6:30 am, CST.




Good god, man.


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## MatthewJHanson (Jun 20, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> The ingredients for Round 2, Match 2 will be posted tomorrow morning at 6:30 am, CST.




Works for me.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 20, 2010)

Huh.  These ingredients gelled really quickly for me, but I'm finding I'm really uninspired today.  I know exactly how the adventure is going to go, but writing it just seems like work for some reason.  Maybe it's time to take a break and do something else for a while, come back with fresh eyes...


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## Iron Sky (Jun 21, 2010)

Ok, so my adventure's done, just trying to come up with a name.  Here's the rejected names so far:

F**king Centaurs!
They're Centarded!
The Centaur Cannot Hold
Excessive Centaurship
Centaurian

My roommate's suggestions:
Centaurs Gone Wild
See Centaur Run
For Natural Centaur Enhancement
Of Mice and Centaurs

Final answer:
Alpha Centauri


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## Pbartender (Jun 21, 2010)

The ingredients for round 2, match 2 have been posted.


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 21, 2010)

My entry is up.

Also, I forgot to mention that it's a 4th edition adventure, although that is evident by the reference to skill challenges.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 21, 2010)

Whew!  What a weekend.  Managed to finish about a dozen loads of laundry and move about a ton of furniture.  Moving is never very much fun.  I think the worst part is not having reliable internet access...I am way behind on my Iron DM updates!

But enough about me.  Let's check out the action in Round 2!

-----

We have two matches currently running in the Iron DM 2010 Competition.  In our first match, Chairman Radiating Gnome has served up a battle of centaurs, grottos, and bony needles for Ender Wiggin and Iron Sky.  Now as you will recall, Ender Wiggin narrowly defeated MortalPlague in the first round, with the creative use of an aerial swamp as the deciding factor.  Iron Sky, however, advanced to the second round by the disqualification of his opponent.  So while his entry was hands-down awesome, and his list of ingredients was (to quote another contestant) "insane," his skills remain unchallenged.

In our second match, Sanzuo "The Plum Dumpling Master", is squared off against Matthew "Epic Level" JHanson, with a diabolical stack of Chairman PBartender's ingredients.  Sanzuo defeated HumbleMinion in Round 1 through superior use of time management, Oriental Adventures flavor, and rope bridge architecture.  MatthewJHanson was victorious over Pour, in an epic-level adventure writing competition that proved ebony flies aren't so lame after all.

I wish I had time to do my usual page-long commentary on each list of ingredients, because they are absolutely wonderful!  But alas, it is Monday morning, and I have heaps of business to attend.  So I'm afraid I will have to give my abbreviated assessments.


Spoiler



For Match 1, we have a *Centaur Hunter*, an *Ancestral Grotto*, a *Secretive Matron*, a *Torc of Fortune*, some *Polygamy*, and a *Bone Needle*.

Of all of these ingredients, I think the most difficult one to work with will be Polygamy.  It's not that this ingredient is all that uncommon in stories; it is just very hard to make this ingredient _matter_.  Polygamy is almost always occurs in the background, and always involves NPCs...two of the things that players tend to disregard between dice rolls.  Each contestant will have to work extra-hard to make Polygamy interesting to the players and important to the story.

The ingredient I like the most?  The Secretive Matron, easy.  This ingredient has so much potential...as soon as I saw the ingredient in the list, my head started spinning a yarn about the dark secrets of a drow priestess.  (Okay, I admit, the Bone Needle might have influenced me a bit.)  Secrets are always awesome, and secretive powerful women are even moreso.

-----

For Match 2, we have *A Girl With Pigtails*, *The Happiest Place on Earth*, somebody's *Half-Eaten Lunch*, a *Snoop*, *A Snake, A Snake!*, and *Matt, the Insstigater*.  I wonder if it is by design or by coincidence, that the last ingredient has the same name as one of our contestants in this round?

The challenge with this ingredient list will not be so much the inclusion of all of the components, as it will be the way in which they are presented.  "A Snake, A Snake!" is a very specific presentation of the ingredient, for example.  This should be a red flag to each contestant, that the judge will be looking for this exact useage in the entry.  Because if it didn't matter, Pbartender would have simply listed "snake."

I think the last ingredient will be the hardest for our contestants.  For starters: why the apparent misspelling with the word "Insstigater?"  The contestants have no choice but to assume that the judge did this on purpose.  So each will have to decide why the word is misspelled, then either correct or explain it within the context of their story.

My favorite ingredient here is the girl with pigtails.  But that's probably because I read too much anime.  Come to think of it...with a little bit of elbow grease, we could easily have our first BESM adventure in an Iron DM Competition!


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## Sanzuo (Jun 22, 2010)

Entry Posted.  I hate you all.

Except you, MatthewJHanson.  If I could find you I would give you a high-five for merely completing this batty challenge.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 22, 2010)

Woah..._Exalted_?!  I don't think we have ever had an Exalted adventure before in an Iron DM competition!  And, I think this is the first time we have ever had a completely non-D&D match.  If you keep this up, we will have to change the name of the game to Iron GM!  

Exalted vs. Call of Chuthlu...interesting (and risky, considering one of the things you will be judged on is Playability.)  I gotta ask: what was it about this particular list of ingredients that made you both decide to write for a non-D&D game?


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 22, 2010)

Round 2, Match 3
Wednesday, June 23
Green Dice vs. Pro Paladin


Hey Green Dice and Pro Paladin -- you guys good with a 9:30 am EST start tomorrow?


----------



## Radiating Gnome (Jun 22, 2010)

My judgement for the first match of round two is posted.  

-rg


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## Iron Sky (Jun 22, 2010)

Thank you for judging Radiating Gnome!  Looking back I agree with both of your main criticisms, in fact, I was half-expecting those to be talked about.

Polygamy - Several times I was on the verge of adding in details about the functions of non-alpha males in the Herds, their important status as warriors and hunters, with embellishments to the Chief Hunter granting them one-time breeding rights as rewards to maintain his power, with further discussions about a "normal" Trial of Challenge being from these "lesser" males rather than outsiders, thus making Eurytion's challenge seem more predatory.

All that was going through my head as I did my final edit, but I was sitting at 8 pages already I wasn't sure whether extra detail would obscure the main-line of the adventure or enhance it.  I seem to have erred on my choice.

Playability - In initial conceptual draft, I had the players involved in all the trials in some manner, but I decided to "narratize" the three trials that seemed the least essential in tying together ingredients.

They would go on the hunt with Equus, talk to his wife-mares to collect testimony about his excellent husbandary(husbandry?) qualities, coach him for the Trial of Wisdom... Those three seemed less important than the two I chose and, if the party had done well enough (say, helped Equus win the first three trials), I decided the last two trials would have been rendered dramatically less interesting than the "he has to win both these trials or he loses!" scenario I set up.

I thought about it all again in the final edit, but ever since my first entry last year that ran nearly 13 pages, I've been hesitant to approach the 10 page mark that I would have easily hit or exceeded had I included all of the above.

It also didn't help that all the ingredients came together in my head within 15 minutes of looking at them, just clicked in a way that somehow took away most of the creative energy and excitement I get from trying to weave the ingredients together in these challenges.  I had almost no inspiration for the first hour or two after that I worked on it since it was just typing up what I'd already figured out.  I got a bit more into it later (the MT Dew probably helped), but I definitely felt uninspired to start.

Time-wise, this was probably the fastest entry I've done yet.  I'd estimate it at about 15-20 minutes of brainstorming, 3-4 hours of writing, and an hour-and-a-half of editing/revising.

Ender, I really dug your entry, especially the initial description - when I finished reading it, I stopped and thought, "uh oh".  The adventure as a whole reminds me of a cross between Fallout and Dark Sun that I really dig.  Great entry, I really had no idea who was going to win this one until I read the judgment.

Anyway, looking forward to the next round!


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 22, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Round 2, Match 3
> Wednesday, June 23
> Green Dice vs. Pro Paladin
> 
> ...




Sounds good, I'm ready to go.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 22, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Woah..._Exalted_?!  I don't think we have ever had an Exalted adventure before in an Iron DM competition!  And, I think this is the first time we have ever had a completely non-D&D match.  If you keep this up, we will have to change the name of the game to Iron GM!
> 
> Exalted vs. Call of Chuthlu...interesting (and risky, considering one of the things you will be judged on is Playability.)  I gotta ask: what was it about this particular list of ingredients that made you both decide to write for a non-D&D game?




Personally, I saw this arrangement as the wackiest set of ingredients in the contest so far.  While I think D&D may have worked just as well, when I started arranging the ingredients in my head the Exalted setting just seemed to fit really well.  I haven't played Exalted in a long time and this sort of rekindled my interest in it.  Also, as far as pre-established settings go, I think Exalted's was just colorful enough to make it all work.

Also, alcohol helps.  Wish I thought of that sooner.


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## Pbartender (Jun 22, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Also, alcohol helps.  Wish I thought of that sooner.




"Here's to alcohol!   The cause of -- and solution to -- all of life's problems."


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## ender_wiggin (Jun 22, 2010)

Congratulations, Iron Sky, and well played. Good luck in the rest of the tournament, and I'll hopefully see you next year.


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## MatthewJHanson (Jun 22, 2010)

My entry is also up. Right after I posted it last night, EN World went down or maintenance, or I would have posted something here sooner. 

Thanks to CNN for pointing out the extra "s" in "insstigator". I did not notice the the first time. I'd give you XP, but aparenty I need to spread some around.

Thanks also to Sanzuo, for not hating me, and e-high-five back.

Also, I need to say it was a little surreal working with a villain who had the same first name as me. I hope my brother and his wife still let me babysit.



Sanzuo said:


> Personally, I saw this arrangement as the wackiest set of ingredients in the contest so far.  While I think D&D may have worked just as well, when I started arranging the ingredients in my head the Exalted setting just seemed to fit really well.  I haven't played Exalted in a long time and this sort of rekindled my interest in it.  Also, as far as pre-established settings go, I think Exalted's was just colorful enough to make it all work.




My experience was kind of similar to Sanzou's. At first I tried to think of a way to use the ingredients in a traditional D&D setting, but I just couldn't make it work. It was when I decided to set in in Disneyland that everything started to gell. I debated using d20 modern, but when I decided that the kids might not make it out alive, I went with Call of Chuthlu because of the danger implied in the system.


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## Wik (Jun 23, 2010)

Hm.  CNN, what time would I be next scheduled for, if I've made it through round one?  I'll be gone July 1st through to the 4th.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 23, 2010)

Wik said:


> Hm.  CNN, what time would I be next scheduled for, if I've made it through round one?  I'll be gone July 1st through to the 4th.



If you survive Round 1, you will compete against Ajanders in Round 2 this Friday, June 25th.  (The exact time depends on your judge.)  I figured that most of us would be out of town or engaged with friends and family over the holiday weekend.  So, the championship match will begin on July 5th.

Speaking of the Championship Match, it will be handled somewhat differently from the way the others have been done.  Because it is the capstone of our competition, we want each contestant to put his/her best foot forward...so they will have twice as long (48 hours) to complete their entries.

Also, the final entries will be critiqued by all three of our judges, not just one, and the entry that wins over the most judges will win the game.  To ensure that all of our judges are working from equal footing, I will be providing the list of ingredients.
...mm hmm ha ha haw haww...

But we've got a little while before we have to worry about that.  If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, drop me a line.


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## Pbartender (Jun 23, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> To ensure that all of our judges are working from equal footing, I will be providing the list of ingredients.




Aw, man...  And here I had ingredients all picked out already.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 23, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Aw, man...  And here I had ingredients all picked out already.




Oh, I bet I know! A crabapple golem? Or a Pine Sol bottle filled with teriyaki sauce?  Or what about a were-dolphin playing a harpsichord??? Am I getting close???


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## Green Dice (Jun 23, 2010)

Green Dice, checking in for Round 2, Match 3.
9:30am EST start time is fine by me.


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## MortalPlague (Jun 23, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Oh, I bet I know! A crabapple golem? Or a Pine Sol bottle filled with teriyaki sauce?  Or what about a were-dolphin playing a harpsichord??? Am I getting close???




I'm sure Pbartender would come up with something less pedestrian.


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## Pbartender (Jun 23, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> Oh, I bet I know! A crabapple golem? Or a Pine Sol bottle filled with teriyaki sauce?  Or what about a were-dolphin playing a harpsichord??? Am I getting close???




Not even.

If I don't get to use them, I'll post them up as a closing credits "free for all bonus round".


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## CleverNickName (Jun 23, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Aw, man...  And here I had ingredients all picked out already.



I don't have a problem with it, honestly; I was just worried about fairness.  With all three judges critiquing the contest, it didn't seem fair to let only one of them pick the ingredients.  I didn't want to give one judge any kind of edge over the other two.

There are several ways we can do it, I guess...some of them are more complicated than others.

1.  We randomly select a judge to provide the ingredients;

2.  We let the contestants choose which judge will provide the list of ingredients;

3.  All judges work together to create a "Super List" of ingredients;

4.  Each judge submits 2 of their favorite ingredients (without collaborating), which I will then dump onto the contestants in the final round;

5.  The ingredients are chosen by an unbiased outsider who is neither participating nor judging (me);

6.  Each judge sends me 6 ingredients.  I write them on slips of paper, put them in a hat, and randomly draw 6 of them out; or

7.  We could roll 1d6 on this table. 

Judges: which option do you like best?  I only picked #5 because it was the easiest.  Besides, my list is rather...unorthodox.  I'll send you all a PM about it, and see if you guys think it is a good idea.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 23, 2010)

okay, round 2 match 3 ingredients are up.  

Why can't I ever seem to be completely on time?  I don't know . . . . since I was a little late, you guys have until 11 EST tomorrow to complete this entry.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 23, 2010)

Crabapple Golem is TEH AWESOME, and something I'm going to site down and build for my home game RIGHT NOW.

-rg


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## Pbartender (Jun 23, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Crabapple Golem is TEH AWESOME, and something I'm going to site down and build for my home game RIGHT NOW.
> 
> -rg




A Crabapple Golem:


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## Pbartender (Jun 23, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Judges: which option do you like best?  I only picked #5 because it was the easiest.  Besides, my list is rather...unorthodox.  I'll send you all a PM about it, and see if you guys think it is a good idea.




I, personally, think option 3 will be the simplest, easiest and best option.

If we are collectively judging the round, then we should collectively choose the ingredients as well.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 23, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> I, personally, think option 3 will be the simplest, easiest and best option.
> 
> If we are collectively judging the round, then we should collectively choose the ingredients as well.



It has been moved that Option 3 be used to select the final list of ingredients.  I second the motion.

All in favor, say "Aye."  Those opposed, say "Nay."


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 23, 2010)

#3 Aye.  Collaborative Super List for me, please. 

And can we get frickin lasers on the crabapple golem?


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## CleverNickName (Jun 23, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> #3 Aye.  Collaborative Super List for me, please.



Motion carried with 2/3rds majority.  I'll be in touch with you guys when the time is closer.

In the meantime, busy busy busy day at work....


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## Pro-Paladin (Jun 24, 2010)

My entry for Round Two is now finished. 

Here it is.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 24, 2010)

Round 1, Match 8 is finally judged. 

Too many things collided this week, gah.


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## Green Dice (Jun 24, 2010)

My entry for Round 2, Match 3 is up!

And I have a good half hour before the deadline is up, unlike last round where I had about a minute to spare 

I'd put up a link right to my entry... but I'm not really sure how to do that.

Anyway, I must admit, I struggled a bit with these ingredients. After seeing the "Selfless Pretender", I envisioned a Don Quixote type character traipsing across the country side causing havoc in his wake and the heroes of the adventure had to track him down and right his wrongs until they finally find him trying to rescue a Gelatinous Cube from a dungeon which he thinks is a princess. I wracked my brain for a few hours trying to make that story work but it just wasn't working out for me. 

So, I hope you enjoy what I cooked up instead. Buon Appetito!


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## Wik (Jun 24, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> Round 1, Match 8 is finally judged.
> 
> Too many things collided this week, gah.




Ha.  been there!  That was two weeks ago, for me - not a spare moment.  

Thanks for the judgement.  It was a very close call, I think - I loved howandwhy's use of ingredients.

When I wrote mine, I wound up throwing caution to the wind and just writing what came to mind.  But that's pretty much how I write my adventures (minus the super silliness, for the most part) when it's time for home play.  

Anyways, good play Howandwhy, and I'm looking forward to round two!


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## Pbartender (Jun 24, 2010)

Unless anyone has a strong objection, the ingredients for Round 2, Match 4 will be posted tomorrow morning at 11:50 am, CST.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 24, 2010)

Green Dice said:


> I envisioned a Don Quixote type character traipsing across the country side causing havoc in his wake and the heroes of the adventure had to track him down and right his wrongs until they finally find him trying to rescue a Gelatinous Cube from a dungeon which he thinks is a princess.




I might steal that for my L4W character, Sir Exsixten.  That sounds _exactly_ like something he'd do.


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## Green Dice (Jun 24, 2010)

Go for it, Iron Sky. Let me know how it turns out.

But if you end up writing a book about it, I expect some kickback.


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 24, 2010)

Wik said:


> Ha.  been there!  That was two weeks ago, for me - not a spare moment.
> 
> Thanks for the judgement.  It was a very close call, I think - I loved howandwhy's use of ingredients.
> 
> ...



Thanks, and congratulations to you on the win.  When we were paired I went back and read your entries from 2009 and knew I had serious trouble on my hands.  

My stumbling block was the small minds ingredient component of all things.  It just doesn't work well in terms of game rules for me.  Are they low volume craniums, small memory capacities, or particular NPC strategies? Anyways, I wove together the weave I used in the first hour or so and quit 'em because I really didn't like the result.  So I tossed it aside and tried to find something better.  That pretty much failed.  With about two hours left I knew I was either going to be submitting nothing or the original mix, so I opted for the "splash something up there to be judged" option.  The unedited rough draft posted is what I managed.

I think I may play the home game and write up another scenario just for my own benefit though.  My watchwords for designing a submission were Irreplaceable and Relevant for each ingredient component and I didn't think I did that well.  But the real reason I entered the competition was to try out a new format of adventure design ...and that really never came to fruition.  So, with no time restraint, I think I may write something up not to be posted.  Just so I can critique my own ideas on adventure design.

Anyways, give ajanders hell tomorrow.  I'll be rooting for you!


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## Sanzuo (Jun 25, 2010)

Green Dice said:


> Go for it, Iron Sky. Let me know how it turns out.
> 
> But if you end up writing a book about it, I expect some kickback.




Too late, you poor sucker.  I bet he's already trademarked it.


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## Pbartender (Jun 25, 2010)

The judgment for round 2, match 2 is posted.


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## Pbartender (Jun 25, 2010)

The ingredients for round 2, match 4 are posted.


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## ajanders (Jun 25, 2010)

Ingredients recieved.


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## ajanders (Jun 26, 2010)

*Submission for round 2*

Submitted.

http://www.enworld.org/forum/5224355-post50.html

Clearly someone was determined to make me regret being a business major...


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## Wik (Jun 26, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Submitted.
> 
> http://www.enworld.org/forum/5224355-post50.html
> 
> Clearly someone was determined to make me regret being a business major...




You and me both.  This was a BRUTAL night.  I need sleep.  Which isn't going to happen for a while, yet...

Good luck to you!


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 26, 2010)

Round 2 match 3 judgement is up.

Thanks!

-rg


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## CleverNickName (Jun 26, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Submitted.
> 
> http://www.enworld.org/forum/5224355-post50.html
> 
> Clearly someone was determined to make me regret being a business major...



"You must spread some XP around..."  Yeah, that was a pretty tough list.  It was practically begging for the SWSE treatment.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jun 27, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Submitted.
> 
> http://www.enworld.org/forum/5224355-post50.html
> 
> Clearly someone was determined to make me regret being a business major...




Getting my MBA was the one of the best things I've ever done. Hang in there! And don't forget the game!


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## Iron Sky (Jun 27, 2010)

I have a request for the judges; Sanzuo and I are room mates. If possible, I'd like to not go against the guy I'm living with until last. Also, I just got back from a two-day trip with family and they aren't leaving town until Monday night.  Is there any way I/we could go later in the week(even Tuesday would work much better)?

If not, I understand and I'll do my best, it would just be far more convenient for me...


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## ajanders (Jun 27, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> Getting my MBA was the one of the best things I've ever done. Hang in there! And don't forget the game!




No, if I'd been an electrical engineer, this would have been a much easier adventure to write.
*Sigh*
Graduate school is a much bigger challenge.


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## Green Dice (Jun 27, 2010)

RG - Thanks for judging!

Pro-Paladin - Congrats on the win! Knock 'em dead next round.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 27, 2010)

So what's going on with our supposed match today?


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 28, 2010)

Gha!  I had not looked far enough ahead to see the third round matches had been scheduled, and I was responsible for one of them.

I wll post ingredients tomorrow at 9am Eastern, if that's all right for you guys. Will you be available? 

-rg


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 28, 2010)

That is, of course, assuming CNN get the schedule adjusted based on Iron Sky's request. . . . or turns him down, one or the other. 

-rg


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## Iron Sky (Jun 28, 2010)

I'm not sure if we're doing family things Monday morning or not.  Doesn't matter much, since I've got 2 days to do it...  So, I'd prefer to start Tues, but I'll go Mon instead if needed.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 28, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> That is, of course, assuming CNN get the schedule adjusted based on Iron Sky's request. . . . or turns him down, one or the other.





Iron Sky said:


> I'm not sure if we're doing family things Monday morning or not.  Doesn't matter much, since I've got 2 days to do it...  So, I'd prefer to start Tues, but I'll go Mon instead if needed.



Sorry for the delay, fellas.  I'm in the process of moving right now, so my internet access is a bit wonky.

I have rescheduled the match for Tuesday, and adjusted the following matches accordingly.  Take a look, and tell me if it will work for you.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 28, 2010)

Works for me.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 28, 2010)

Iron sky and Sanzuo, are you guys happy to go head to head in roommate-on-roommate action? I may have to come up with a little something special in your ingredients!

rg


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## Iron Sky (Jun 28, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Iron sky and Sanzuo, are you guys happy to go head to head in roommate-on-roommate action? I may have to come up with a little something special in your ingredients!




Don't go out of your way on our account.  I get worried when judges talk about "special" ingredients.  Especially if "special" means our ingredients are fragments of two YouTube videos, an .mp3 fragment, a Van Gogh, a picture of some guy's foot, and the word "its".

We were actually joking around earlier that if we did go head to head, we'd just say "screw the ingredients" and make a crappy webcam video of us going head-to-head in challenges _we _make up, with cameos from our other (goofball) roommate.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 28, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:


> Iron sky and Sanzuo, are you guys happy to go head to head in roommate-on-roommate action? I may have to come up with a little something special in your ingredients!



"Two men enter! One man leaves!  Two men enter!  One man leaves!"

I say do it!


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## howandwhy99 (Jun 28, 2010)

For ingredients I suggest going straight to the nonsensical.  Barking fragrances, tender mauve, and howling shyness should instill long lasting Trichotillomania in the competitors.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 28, 2010)

All right, I won't go too far . . . no video, no audio, just words.  And only one ingredient inspired by the idea of roommates.  And it'll just have to be your guess as to which one that was . . . 

I'm going to send the ingredients to CNN in a PM just in case I'm not able to get online in the morning -- I'm heading out for a retreat for work for a few days, and we've been promised internet, but anything's possible -- it is, after all, in Oklahoma.  Okie Internet might mean tin cans and string. 

-rg


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm a bit early posting ingredients, but I can do it now and might not be able to later. 

Gentlemen, your special roommate edition of iron dm has been posted. You have until 9am EST tomorrow. 
http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-places/277580-iron-dm-2010-all-submissions-judgments-4.html#post5227366


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## Pbartender (Jun 29, 2010)

Like I said in other thread...  Terrible busyness is making me terribly late on the last judgment for round 2.  I'll do my terrible best to have it posted tonight.


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## CleverNickName (Jun 29, 2010)

Seriously, what is up with the workload spike?  I have gone from working 40 to 45-hour weeks, to nearly 60.  Add moving on top of that, and I'm about to stress myself into a coma.

Don't sweat the judgment dates, guys.  I'll keep the Championship Match scheduled for Monday the 5th, but if we don't have our contestants picked by that time, we can move the date back until we do.

Hopefully things will mellow out after the holiday.  Thanks for your patience, guys.


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## Pbartender (Jun 29, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Seriously, what is up with the workload spike?  I have gone from working 40 to 45-hour weeks, to nearly 60.  Add moving on top of that, and I'm about to stress myself into a coma.




We're buying a house on short sale, with an FHA mortgage, and a 203K rehabilitation loan on top of that...  And after four months, we're collectively scrambling to get in under the New Home Buyer Tax Credit deadline (tomorrow!).

I've gotten more gray hairs in the last month over this, than both my kids put together have given me in twelve years.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 29, 2010)

Radiating Gnome said:
			
		

> Two djinn one bottle




If that's a reference to what I think it's a reference to, then I'm definitely _not_ going to the source for inspiration...


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## Sanzuo (Jun 29, 2010)

))<>((


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## Radiating Gnome (Jun 30, 2010)

I should not be writing ingredient lists while watching Tosh.0 reruns, that's for sure.

Rg


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## arthurhoneyhill (Jun 30, 2010)

I;m new to this forum, but not gaming.  And this competition is honestly one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  Is it every year?  Or a little more often.  I would be so interested in participating next year.


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## Wik (Jun 30, 2010)

arthurhoneyhill said:


> I;m new to this forum, but not gaming.  And this competition is honestly one of the coolest things I've ever seen.  Is it every year?  Or a little more often.  I would be so interested in participating next year.




Yup.  Once every year.  And it's pretty damned awesome, eh?


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## Iron Sky (Jun 30, 2010)

My entry is up.  Strange having the guy you're competing against sitting next to you on the couch all night while you work on it.

If you want to get in the mood for mine before you read it, [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC1ZWQKgyMo&feature=related"]The arena[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDxn0Xfqkgw"]Eyevan da Djinnius[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5XEcFKfwms&feature=related"]Pan Neek[/ame]  Yes really.  Enjoy, I'm going to go pass out.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 30, 2010)

My entry is also up.  It's pretty short as I didn't have as much time to work on it as I would have liked, what with all the sleeping in till noon and playing super metroid.  I tried to have fun with this one, but it seems Iron Sky had more fun than me.


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## Iron Sky (Jun 30, 2010)

Hm... always fun re-reading your post the next day and finding all the mistakes that are stuck in there.  It's designed for paragon level play, but I suppose you could scale it down to upper heroic.

Also, the plural for cyclops is cyclopse.  Just so you know I wasn't on crack when I was doing that.  Of course, it being almost 3am when I finally posted it, a couple cyclops had extra 'e's on the end by mistake.  Ah well, what's done is done.


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## Sanzuo (Jun 30, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> Hm... always fun re-reading your post the next day and finding all the mistakes that are stuck in there.  It's designed for paragon level play, but I suppose you could scale it down to upper heroic.
> 
> Also, the plural for cyclops is cyclopse.  Just so you know I wasn't on crack when I was doing that.  Of course, it being almost 3am when I finally posted it, a couple cyclops had extra 'e's on the end by mistake.  Ah well, what's done is done.




You better change your name to Toby, boy.  Because you're about to get owned.


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## Pbartender (Jul 1, 2010)

The judgment for round 2, match 4 is posted.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 1, 2010)

Welcome, readers, to our Semi-Final Round!   We will now begin the delicate and important process of selecting our two finalists for the Iron DM 2010 Championship competition.

Now, those of you who have followed these tournaments in the past know that things are handled a little differently from now on out.

Each match from this point forward will be judged by our entire panel, not by a single judge.  The entry that wins the most judged will be declared the winner of the match.  Sometimes the judges will work together to create a super-list of ingredients, sometimes not, so the contestants never know who is calling the shots.

So best of luck to our semi-finalists: Iron Sky, Sanzuo, Pro-Paladin, and ajanders!  Time to bring the awesome.


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## Wik (Jul 1, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> The judgment for round 2, match 4 is posted.




Gah.  I hate to say it, but you were dead on the money.  I *really* didn't like my submission this time around... totally deserved to lose, and you were a lot nicer towards it than you necessarily had to be.  

I kinda figured I was gonna catch grief because what I figured was the most interesting feature of my submission (Sehanine's Tears) wasn't actually an ingredient.  And I completely missed how I used "fundamentals" instead of "foundations", or vice versa.... this is what happens when you write half asleep, kids!  

Good judging, and I wish Ajanders the best in the semi-finals.


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## ajanders (Jul 1, 2010)

Actually, when I read Wik's entry, two things jumped out at me.
1. Much better use of the tattooed hand than I had.
2. I felt better because I wasn't the only one without much of an idea about what to do with a straw hat. I toyed around with someone from Panama living in a part of Norway called Jar, but I couldn't get that to go anywhere.

The adventure was laid out pretty linearly for three big reasons.
1. I didn't want to NOT wind up with "An Alien in a Jar", getting instead "Alien tricked into Escape Pod" or "Alien converted into Morse Code and beamed into a convenient black hole".
2. I really got into an early Analog mode in this adventure: I like my adventures to feel like movies, or at least TV episodes. I went really old-school here as was shooting for radio serial.
Finding out PBartender actually knew about electricity was kinda terrifying.
3...closely linked to 2. Finance/Operations major, not physics or EE. I was afraid to add too much more science to the story. I suppose it would be realistic to allow high-energy wave communication with the lightning monster, but I was kind of afraid to put the words "realistic" and "lightning monster" in the same sentence: I thought it might crash the boards.

Good Job, Wik. I'll be stealing Sehanine's Tears.


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## Wik (Jul 1, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Actually, when I read Wik's entry, two things jumped out at me.
> 1. Much better use of the tattooed hand than I had.
> 2. I felt better because I wasn't the only one without much of an idea about what to do with a straw hat. I toyed around with someone from Panama living in a part of Norway called Jar, but I couldn't get that to go anywhere.
> 
> ...




I had a very hard time with this set of ingredients, and much like you, I have no scientific background (history + anthropology + first aid, here).  So, yeah.  I really didn't like how this one turned out for me, but even if I had all the time in the world, I don't think I would have been able to beat your entry.

I mean, the electicity monster is very cool, and the whole thing had this pretty cool vibe to it.  I know that, were I running it, I would be focusing on those gangs - a really cool touch.  

Best of luck to you in the semi finals!


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 1, 2010)

I've posted the first judgement on round 3's first match.  Remember that all three judges rate each match this round.

-rg


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## Pbartender (Jul 1, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Finding out PBartender actually knew about electricity was kinda terrifying... ...Finance/Operations major, not physics or EE.




That's part of the reason I went through the trouble of all the advice about using "pseudo-science"...  In all my years of DMing, I've found that being able to have the appearance of knowledge in a particular field is almost as good as having that knowledge -- and sometimes better.  That skill, no matter what the subject is, is really just about having the right pseudo-vocabulary, and being able to use it.  You just have to remember that nine times out of ten, your players won't know what you're talking about either.  Or if they do, they probably won't care.  For sciencey stuff, Star Trek is a great resource of verbiage.

For a great example of this phenomenon is action, check out this video:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVZ8Ko-nss4]YouTube - Turbo Encabulator - Rockwell[/ame]



ajanders said:


> I was afraid to add too much more science to the story. I suppose it would be realistic to allow high-energy wave communication with the lightning monster, but I was kind of afraid to put the words "realistic" and "lightning monster" in the same sentence: I thought it might crash the boards.




But that kind of my point...  The vast majority of science fiction is actually either science fantasy or space opera, neither of which focus real hard on the science part of it.  You can almost treat it like a D&D adventure, but with futuristic window dressing and it doesn't need to be realistic (most times, it shouldn't be). It just needs to sound realistic.  



Oh, and Wik...  don't sell yourself short.  Your tattooed hand more than made up for the straw hat, and the style of the adventure in general was excellent.  I also really liked the variation and combination of the "good guy out for vengeance starts going bad" and "a pact with an evil entity goes awry" themes.


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## ajanders (Jul 1, 2010)

Should I have a set of ingredients I'm working with today? It's fine if I don't, but I wanted to not miss things.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 1, 2010)

You'll have a list at my usual time, 9pm EDT.


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## ajanders (Jul 1, 2010)

OK.
Yesterday was a little weird, so I thought I might have missed something.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 2, 2010)

And...

The ingredients are up.


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## Pbartender (Jul 2, 2010)

My judgment for round 3, match 1 is posted.













Spoiler



Iron Sky, you can send cash, money order or certified check to P.O. Box 500, MS 306, Batavia, IL 60510-5011


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## Sanzuo (Jul 2, 2010)

> Iron Sky, Iron sky, Iron Sky




I believe electricdragon sums up my feelings about this contest!! 

[sblock=quote]







electricdragon said:


> i saw criticism of my entry but none of iron sky's; what's up with that, was his perfect?
> 
> I have two plot hooks for if the party is hq'd in the town or just passing through. Yes, the comet didn't come into the story at all except in passing, but the same is true of iron sky's comet. My comet caused a golem to go on the rampage, kidnapping people inadvertently freeing ancient people from a sleeping death of 15 thousand years.
> 
> ...



[/sblock]

Just kidding!  Obviously Iron Sky deserves this round.  I put very little effort into this entry.  Honestly, by this point I was starting to feel pretty burnt out.


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## Pbartender (Jul 2, 2010)

Sanzuo said:


> I believe electricdragon sums up my feelings about this contest!!
> 
> Just kidding!  Obviously Iron Sky deserves this round.  I put very little effort into this entry.  Honestly, by this point I was starting to feel pretty burnt out.




That's alright...  In all honestly, I've just been flipping coins to determine the winners, and then writing up some horse-hockey to justify the outcome after the fact.


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## Pro-Paladin (Jul 2, 2010)

My entry for the semi-finals is finished!

Here it is.


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## jaccky (Jul 3, 2010)

its really fun


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## ajanders (Jul 3, 2010)

Pro-Paladin said:


> My entry for the semi-finals is finished!
> 
> Here it is.




I think we need to get you some more alliteration.

"Saga of the Soviet Psi-Spores"
"Malevolent Marxist Mind-Controlling Mushroom Mission"

And more exclamation points.

Neat idea.


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## Pro-Paladin (Jul 3, 2010)

ajanders said:


> I think we need to get you some more alliteration.
> 
> "Saga of the Soviet Psi-Spores"
> "Malevolent Marxist Mind-Controlling Mushroom Mission"
> ...




I'm terrible at naming these. I was planning to get way too cutesy and call it "Fungus Among Us" but I settled on the 1950s drive in theme. 

It's always interesting to see how different two adventures with the same ingredients can get and yet still have things in common. There must be something in the collective unconscious that relates gaslights and fungus to zombified workers.  

I was originally going to try to go the post-apocalypse route, maybe even with the idea of fallen modern man as the distant past in a D 'n' D campaign. The deserted docks (heroes return from six months on a submarine, etc) and the fungus encroachment would have fit in very nicely (humanity wiped out by...fungus?) and maybe the woman with the aura and flying papers is some sort of spirit of goodness or evil like in "The Stand" but I just couldn't bring the other elements into harmony with the idea.

It's been my experience that once I settle on a theme that I think works (Cold War '50s, this time), I'm stuck with it and can just work within the framework of it. I wonder if that happens to everyone else, or if it's possible to basically "fillet" a theme that isn't working, keep a few elements and start fresh, despite being several hours in.


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## ajanders (Jul 3, 2010)

With these ingredients, yes. 
I considered taking those ingredients and writing the D&D version of "House on the Borderlands", but using the encroaching fungus as only a symbol of horror seemed kinda weak.
But I couldn't have done it in any of these other rounds.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 6, 2010)

Okay, long weekend is over.  My judgement is up. Remember, it's just one of three, so the other two judges need to chime in . . . 

-rg


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## Iron Sky (Jul 6, 2010)

We're not there yet, but I thought I'd request that for the championship round, we hold it over the weekend.  I just had several weeks worth of work come up so I'm going to have very little free time except during weekends while the work is here.

Thanks.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 6, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> We're not there yet, but I thought I'd request that for the championship round, we hold it over the weekend.  I just had several weeks worth of work come up so I'm going to have very little free time except during weekends while the work is here.



Sounds good to me; the only trouble is that I do not have reliable internet access on the weekends.  But that's okay.  I can deal.


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## ajanders (Jul 7, 2010)

*Help Request*

I'm really bad at naming adventures.
Does anyone have any tips about how to do it?


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## Iron Sky (Jul 7, 2010)

I tend to sit down and brainstorm a list of puns based off of the main themes of the adventure.  It's usually the last thing I do before hitting submit.

It also depends on how serious the adventure is, the more serious the adventure, the more serious the name I tend to go for (though it's not always the case).


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## CleverNickName (Jul 7, 2010)

ajanders said:


> I'm really bad at naming adventures.
> Does anyone have any tips about how to do it?



A quick trick is to take the name of a dominant NPC in the adventure, and then add a modifier to it.

Revenge of <name>
<name>'s Wrath
For the Love of <name>
The Son of <name>
<name>'s Quest
Storming <name>'s Castle
Children of <name>
<name's> Restless Spirit

and so on.  It's not poetry, but it will do in a pinch.

And I agree with Iron Sky: naming the adventure (or poem, or short story, or anything else you write) should be the absolute last thing you do.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 8, 2010)

My judgment is up. Pbartender to go.


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## Iron Sky (Jul 8, 2010)

If you want a few more ideas, here's the titles of all the entries I've had in Iron DM:

Children of Death
The Dreaming Lords
Operation: Lightning Storm
The Far City
The Tannhauser Effect
Alpha Centauri
Eat It, Sanzuo (only because he was my roommate).

Looking back, it's amazing how different the adventures end up being.  You really can't have a formula with the ingredients that the RBDMs whip up.  Definitely makes for some varied entries.


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## Pbartender (Jul 8, 2010)

Judgment is posted.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 8, 2010)

And the final die is cast!  Ajanders narrowly beats out Pro-Paladin in the semifinal round, and will step into the ring on Saturday against Iron Sky for a shot at the title!

The final round will begin on Saturday, at 12:00 p.m. PST.  Because the final round of ingredients will be considerably more difficult than the others, and because we want everyone to put their best feet forward and dazzle us with a polished product, you contestants will have *48 hours* to complete their entries.  But don't rest on your laurels: the judges know that you have this extra time, and will be expecting to see adventures that are more polished, more complete, and more cohesive than ever before.  So go forth, be creative, and hold nothing back!

All three judges will work together to create a list of six killer ingredients, the likes of which will make the others seem easy by comparison.  We're talking the stuff of nightmares here--things like Lesbian Ham, Whistle Herders, and Farnesyl Diphosphate.   Once I have the list, I will post it over in the Competition Thread at the given time.  So judges, please IM me your list as soon as you can.

Best of luck to you both!


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## ajanders (Jul 8, 2010)

Should I wear a special jacket?


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## ajanders (Jul 8, 2010)

More usefully, I appreciate everyone's thoughts and insights.
I have taken the liberty of copy editing my UE so the thing will be readable by those who come afterwards.
Thanks for all your help and support.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 8, 2010)

Hey InVinoVeritas -- I'm trying to include you in the PM discussion about what totally diabolical ingredients to use, and your PM inbox is full.  Clear our some room!  

-rg


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 8, 2010)

And now CleverNickName is also full.  Doh!


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 8, 2010)

I'm free, though.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 9, 2010)

Sorry, sorry...I wasn't expecting a half-dozen PMs all at once.  

I'm free.


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## Iron Sky (Jul 9, 2010)

Edit edit: it is tomorrow now and no ingredients?  I was hoping to have a chance to look at them before I ran off to do a bunch of errands... Is the match still happening today?


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 11, 2010)

I think we got ourselves into a bit of confusion. The other judges and I delivered the final round ingredients to CleverNickName last night. I was under the impression that he was going to post them himself today, but I don't see them yet. 

I'll post them right now. The is not ideal, since so much of the weekend has already passed, but at least you will have all fo Sunday to complete the entry, and Monday to finish it up, 

Any objections?  Actually, I'm probably not going to wait an appropriate amount of time for objections, since is is so behind anyway, but I will PM both contestants and let them know the ingredients are up. 

RG


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 11, 2010)

Thanks, RG. It looks like the correct solution in this particular case.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 11, 2010)

Okay, the ingredients are UP.  The Private Messages have been sent.  

For better or worse, I've pulled the trigger.  I hope this isn't too much of a problem for the two contestants.  

I can't take credit for the actual creation of the ingredients; they were a very collaborative joint effort by all three judges.  But, in my personal opinion, they're one helluva good batch . . . .

-rg


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## Iron Sky (Jul 12, 2010)

Blarg.  What a crazy busy weekend.  Had an hour-ish to brainstorm and jot a few notes earlier today, but aside from that haven't had any time to work on it.  Tomorrow I have an unexpected 12 hour day to work... looks like no sleep for me tonight!

Here goes nothing...


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## Iron Sky (Jul 13, 2010)

It's up.  I wanted to do more but I ran out of time.  Oh well, do what you can with the time you have.  I actually had less time to work on this one than I did any of the others this Iron DM.

All right, I'm off to go sleep since I've been running on fumes for a couple days.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 13, 2010)

Well, ladies and gentlemen, our competition is at an end!  Our final contestants have submitted their entries into the Iron DM 2010 thread, and we now wait for the judges to, um, judge them.  Will it be Iron Sky, or ajanders?  Stay tuned!  But for now, let's take a quick look at our final entries.



Spoiler: Iron Sky



Iron Sky gives us our first Star Wars adventure in this year's competition...an inspired choice, really, but risky.  Star Wars is a highly-specific game setting, and trying to shoehorn this adventure into the Average Gamer's campaign would likely ruin it.  I expect this to cost him a few points in the "playability" category.  But for the D&D gamers who also happen to play SW, well, this entry is solid gold.

This is probably my own personal hang-up, but I never like adventures that start out in a random bar.  "So you guys are, like, sitting in the Inn of the Galloping Gladiator, and this guy with a McGuffin walks in."  Yep.  That's the one.  This plot hook is a classic, to be sure, but it is also very over-used.

But you know what?  That's all I can complain about.  Because the adventure is truly awesome.  Action, intrigue, ancient relics, body-snatching...it's got it all.  Plus I really like the layers of human emotion that Iron Sky gives us, with the quest to restore a child to life...GMs and players who like deep roleplay have a great deal of material to work with here.

In all, this is a well-conceived adventure that tells a great story.  But since I don't play SWSE, I will probably never get to run it.





Spoiler: ajanders



Ajanders puts together a really fascinating 4E adventure, that revolves around an actual, evil heart...not a metaphorical one.  Compared to Iron Sky's entry, this one is much more adaptable and playable for the average gamer...but unfortunately, it was submitted late.  But hey--a late entry is better than no entry at all.  As if their job wasn't hard enough, the judges will also have to weigh playability vs. punctuality to pick our winner.

My favorite part of ajander's entry is the poisonous heart.  I like that it depends on the vulnerability and humanity of an NPC (Gaston), and I like the "we must stop the heart transplant!" plot.  There are a great deal of skill challenges to keep everyone engrossed, and enough combat to keep it exciting.

One thing that I would have liked to see is more of Her, the NPC woman responsible for Gaston's broken heart.  We are given absolutely nothing about her in this adventure, and it would have been great if she could have had at least a cameo.  Perhaps she could have been the one to contact the party out of concern for her ex, joined the party to help them find Gaston, and along the way realize her feelings for him had not faded.  In the finale, she helps the party to convince Gaston to keep his own heart, not because she fears him becoming evil, but because she still loves him.

What can I say, I'm a hopeless romantic.



Stay tuned for the judgments!


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## ajanders (Jul 13, 2010)

Errg. An hour late and no pictures.
Methinks I'm in trouble.

Could someone tell me what the Saga Edition of Star wars is? All I've ever seen is the d20 and d6 versions. I hear about the Saga edition as some mystic holy grail...


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## renau1g (Jul 13, 2010)

It's still a d20 version, just using a vastly (IMO) set of rules over the initially published set. From what I remember it even balances force users so not everyone wants to play the jedi 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Roleplaying-Game-Rulebook/dp/0786943564/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279042902&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Star Wars Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook, Saga Edition (9780786943562): Owen K.C. Stephens, Rodney Thompson:&#133;[/ame]


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## ajanders (Jul 13, 2010)

I always found the Jedi coolness pretty self limiting. The Jedi feels good their first two or three fights, but then all the villains start yelling "Quick! Kill the Jedi!"
Thanks for the clarification.
I thought it was some spiffy ruleset.


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## Iron Sky (Jul 13, 2010)

[sblock=Notes on the adventure]I was originally planning on making several hooks, including some for Jedi (the Senate wanting to see if the ash-Shtat are ready to enter the Republic yet) and a hook/side-mission from secretive corporate agents (hence the bit of info about Republic corporations near the beginning that never gets used).  The cantina hook was originally just going to be basic hook that I'd replace later with something more interesting.

I also was going to put modifications to make it compatible with other future systems (it would be trivial to port it to other versions of Star Wars, but thinks like d20 Future or Alternity).  I even thought about Dark Heresy, but there's virtually no chance a 40k party would give a flying leap about some dude's daughter dying - "Sickness is weakness waiting to be purged, for the Emperor! *murder*"

Alas, I was too wiped out last night to add those.  I wrote most of this between 11pm and 2:30am on Monday morning when I had to be up at 8am.  I finished it up between 9 and 11pm last night before having to run and take care of the two houses I'm house-sitting for and pass the hell out so I could get up for work again at 8.  Ironic that given 48 hours of time to write it, the universe conspired and left me 6 that I could use and I had to give up sleep for half of those![/sblock]


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## ajanders (Jul 13, 2010)

Without the Force, midichlorians, or any reference to Star Wars canon, it doesn't really need to be SW.
Probably makes a decent Traveler game -- all you need is FTL and cultural differentiation.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 15, 2010)

ajanders said:


> Without the Force, midichlorians, or any reference to Star Wars canon, it doesn't really need to be SW.
> Probably makes a decent Traveler game -- all you need is FTL and cultural differentiation.



Hmm, I guess you are right.  It could work for GURPS easy enough, or even D20 Future...but I think SWSE has the best mechanics.

Where'd the judges go?


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## Pbartender (Jul 15, 2010)

CleverNickName said:


> Hmm, I guess you are right.  It could work for GURPS easy enough, or even D20 Future...but I think SWSE has the best mechanics.
> 
> Where'd the judges go?




I don't know about the others, but I was...


...in a car accident.
...taking my son to the emergency room for broken foot.
...getting rained out at a baseball game.
...enduring the heat wave with no air conditioning.
...desperately trying to finish buying a house, before contractual deadlines run out.

Worst. Week. Ever.


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## Iron Sky (Jul 15, 2010)

No worries man, RL > internets.  Especially when it's "*RL!*"


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## CleverNickName (Jul 15, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Worst. Week. Ever.



Woah.  That is truly an awful week.  Mine was/is pretty bad too, but nothing like yours:


Apartment deal fell through; I now have but 32 days to find a new placeand get moved;
I started getting threats of assault and battery from one of my ex-wife's boyfriends;
My home computer was hit by two different computer viruses;
I had a migraine headache yesterday.

Saturday can't get here fast enough.


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## Iron Sky (Jul 18, 2010)

Any judges actually survive this last week?


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## Pbartender (Jul 18, 2010)

"I'm not quite dead yet, sir."


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## Sanzuo (Jul 18, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> "I'm not quite dead yet, sir."




H-hey, that's not a judgement!


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## renau1g (Jul 18, 2010)

Iron Sky said:


> Any judges actually survive this last week?




I'm a judge and I'm here...oh..wait, you mean an Iron DM judge... yeah...


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## Iron Sky (Jul 18, 2010)

Oh yeah, Dante is going to be hitting level 3 soon and is going to need an approval, then Sir Exsixten has a power I want to retrain... oh, right, wrong forum.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 19, 2010)

I judge as you read this.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 19, 2010)

Writing up my judgement now.  It was a helluva week on my end, too.  

I'm not leaving work until my result is posted, however.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 19, 2010)

And, one opinion is up. 

http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-...-all-submissions-judgments-5.html#post5250956


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## ajanders (Jul 20, 2010)

I feel like such a Philistine.
I was going for surreal, not Dadaist.

Also, I will never use the word bourgeois in an adventure, I can barely spell it and none of my players can pronounce it.


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## Radiating Gnome (Jul 20, 2010)

Don't worry about it -- when the theme for the ingredients was suggested I had to do a LOT of reading on Wikipedia . . . and I KNEW what the theme was.   

I still wonder what the match would have looked like if we went with my breakfast cereal theme.  

-rg


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## renau1g (Jul 20, 2010)

My guess is that it would have been.... "magically delicious"


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 21, 2010)

My judgment is up.

That took longer to consider and write up than I thought.


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## Pbartender (Jul 22, 2010)

Sorry for the wait, guys...  It's a long story, but we were semi-nomadic until last night, when we finally finished closing on the new house.  I've only got internet access at work, until sometime this weekend when the phones and net get hooked up at the new place.

I can post a super-short judgment, if you guys are impatient.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 23, 2010)

Pbartender:

RL comes first, so take the time you need. Also, we can survive with a super-short judgment if, once things settle down for you and your family, details can be discussed.


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## Pbartender (Jul 23, 2010)

InVinoVeritas said:


> RL comes first, so take the time you need.




Oh, no worries, now.  

Let me put it this way...  Our house buying experience was like something out of a John Landis movie.  Including, but not limited to, a madcap high speed dash all over town to collect each member of our family and arrive at the office to sign the final papers with only seconds to spare, before the deadline ran out and the contract was cancelled.

Crazy hijinks, I tell you.


EDIT: That said, my judgment is posted.


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## InVinoVeritas (Jul 23, 2010)

Pbartender said:


> Oh, no worries, now.
> 
> Let me put it this way... Our house buying experience was like something out of a John Landis movie. Including, but not limited to, a madcap high speed dash all over town to collect each member of our family and arrive at the office to sign the final papers with only seconds to spare, before the deadline ran out and the contract was cancelled.
> 
> ...




Don't worry, I've bought homes before. I know how those things work, how much pressure everything's under, and so forth. Congrats on getting it done!


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## Iron Sky (Jul 23, 2010)

I seem to get to be the first to congratulate my opponent.  Well done ajanders!  Great entry, well deserved victory.  The cabaret was especially well done - in mine one cabaret was the starting point of the adventure, another the ending point, in yours it was central.  The "acts" were entertaining as well - I got a good chuckle out of several of them and I could see them being fun to play through as a player.

That said, I have a proposal for next year's judging.

[sblock=Proposal]I think it might be a service to competitors if there  was a structured judging system that gave them an idea of what to aim  for as they are making adventures, something like the following:

Ingredients: 10 points each, 0 being it wasn't used, 2 being it was used  but just as a name-drop, 4 being it was weakly tied in, 6 being  important to the adventure, 8 being crucial/irreplaceable in the  adventure, 10 being inspired/inspiring.

Integration of ingredients: 40? points total, for a score of how well  the ingredients were tied to each other and the story itself.

Creativity: 20? points: for overall creativity and originality when creating the adventure.

Presentation and layout: 10? points: for easy to-read formatting and presentation of the adventure.  How hard would it be to go back and find info if you were running it?

Playability: 40? points: last year, playability seemed far less important than creative use in ingredients.  This year, playability seemed to by the single most important factor.  It being an adventure, it makes sense that it's important, but seeing a point value would help bring that point home.

 Timeliness: 10? 20? points.  So far, the one thing that I have disagreed  with most about judgments in general between this year's and last year's  competitions is that there seems to almost be _incentive_ to post a late entry_._   From what I recall, late entries have had no mention of  the fact that the entry was late in the judgments and it seemed to have no bearing to the judges when reviewing entries.

I'm almost OCD about  being on time to things (just ask my roommate Sanzuo about it - I set alarms on my cell phone for _everything_) and so  there being no penalty for being late troubles me somewhat.

Anyway, the points could be arranged so they make some neat total, 200 points for example.  The judges each year could talk briefly before hand and set the totals themselves depending on their own personal preferences. For the finals and semi-finals, the final scores could be the average of the three judges individual scores.

I've already seen a pretty remarkable increase in the quality of entries in general from skimming back over past years and I think having these point guidelines could be useful in raising the quality of entries and giving judges a framework for more consistent judging as a whole, rather than self-invented, "edges" "advantage" "point" "nods" and the like.[/sblock]

Thank you to all the judges and all my fellow competitors for another great Iron DM.  I look forward to next year's!

I think I'd like to try my hand at judging next time - I think I qualified as a RBDM, at least according to the "Are you an RBDM" thread that was kicking around here a while back - and I've got a couple years experience as a competitor in Iron DM itself.  Can talk more about it next year though...


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## ajanders (Jul 25, 2010)

I'd like to thank the judges for their kindness and Iron Sky for his graciousness.
There are a couple of times in this event when I would have disqualified myself if I was judging.

Big thanks to all: I hope you find these adventures enjoyable.


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## CleverNickName (Jul 28, 2010)

And I'm back from Mexico!

Sorry about disappearing there; I had hoped to have Iron DM wrapped up before my trip to Cabo San Lucas.  But I'm back, and we have a winner!

Congratulations, ajanders!


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## ajanders (Jul 30, 2010)

I'm starting to play with some open-source desktop publishing tools. Would anyone object if I made a .pdf compilation of all the adventures and posted it somewhere under a Creative Common license?
Obviously, everyone would be appropriately credited.


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## ender_wiggin (Jul 30, 2010)

That would be fine with me. And congratulations on your victory.


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## Iron Sky (Jul 30, 2010)

Go for it.


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