Mini Encounter Contest: Heat Four

Spirit of the Rules...

MavrickWeirdo said:

I'd like to respond to Mistwell's comments on "Imp in Sets Clothing", I am not the author, but I did vote for it, and while I respect Mistwell's opinion, I do not agree with it.

First.
While changing the margins may seem to break the "spirit" of the rules, you yourself said: There is no spirit of the rules, there is no sorta-follows-the-rules. You follow them, or you get rejected. Period.

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Well, I had some trouble with my entry, but instead of switching the page size to Architectural E (24" x 36" or something like that), I edited my entry for length. While there was no 'rule' on page size, there was some uncommon sense assumed of the entrants.

-Fletch!

Many, many really good ones this time.

Fooled and Fooled Again
This got my vote. It took me a while to make up my mind.
There wasn't a location, but I really liked how simple the
idea was. This could be picked up and done at any time on
a moments notice.

Blood of Angels I liked the new devine sorcerer class. Perhaps a bit too powerful. The situation with the 2 gods and the clerics
was really interesting. This was more like an NPC and a campaign,
instead of a location.

An Imp in Set's Clothing Gets Help from Scaly Friends,
This grew on me and almost got my vote. The idea about getting
cought in a traffic jam of boats was great. I know the perfect
place for it in my campaign. I also liked having a battle on those
boats. The NPC motivation was also interesting.

Shrine to the Flying God, I liked the back story and motivation.
There were a few confusing things in the descriptions. He he
tried to trick the party just didn't seem right.

Quiet, Please! Normally I don't like uber powerful people. But she
seemed to fit well. The idea of a big library is mundane but it
was well described. I might use some for a library in my campaign.

The Last Kiss I really liked the trickery and back story. You would
HAVE to change the name of that inn though. It removes all
surprise. The problem is that it would be hard for the whole party
to fail their saves. So you would have to find a way to have her
try it on one member at a time and then make certain you didn't
kill the PC too badly.

Persephone's Glade, Quite interesting. It's always nice to create
an out of the way safe haven.

Response to:
=====================================
Imp in Sets Clothing (EL 6)
Unfortunately, the location has NO meaning apart from the encounter. It’s written right on the map the location of the PC’s and this particular NPC and other items in the location and encounter.
=====================

I didn't vote for this one but I did want to respond, the
location had a LOT of meaning without the encounter.
It was just a very unique location (part of why it was such
a good entry) A transient location. I imagine a place on the
river that would frequently get blocked up at certain times of
the year. Just because the writer marked the map with
the NPC and other info for the encounter doesn't mean
they are inextricably linked.

NPC: The cleric victim or the assassin.
Location: Boat jam.
Encounter: Assault of cleric.

All described separately.

Alright, before people take another wack at me for my "location has no meaning outside the encounter" comment, LOOK AT THE LOCATION. We have a page, with a paragraph at the top, a 5 point description, and a map. Of that, only part of the paragraph has any meaning outside the encounter. The entire rest of the page (which is about 75% of the page) is a description of the encounter itself, including the last several sentences of the paragraph at the top.

Now look at the rule about location being independant from the encounter. Tell me what that rule means. Tell me about a hypothetical location that YOU think would break that rule.

Now explain to me how this location, other than the idea itself of a boat-jammed river (and the balance rules given for boat movement), is useful. Tell me exactly how you would use it, not the idea, but this actual location. The map is geared to this encounter, part of the main description, and all five description points as well. How much would you have to change to make it useful outside the encounter? Do you really think you could just pick that page up and slip it into your game without major modification?

So far all I have gotten is "I can use a boat jammed river in my game, so the location can be used independant of the encounter". Sure you could. You could use ANY location idea in your game, as long as you are willing to make up your own details about it to MAKE it fit your game. The point is that you shouldn't have to modify it that much. More than half of the location should be generic, and not particularlized to the specific encounter in the entry.

And just in case anyone decides to suggest I am biased (nobody has so far), I do not have an entry in this heat, nor do I know anyone who does. I just think the rules should be followed.

Mistwell said:

I just think the rules should be followed.

Click to expand...

Anally so it would seem. Now settle down before the nice young men in their clean white coats decide to dose you. This is supposed to be for fun after all.

Regards,
Corporate Dog

EDIT: My last sentence admonition about fun.

Mistwell said:

Alright, before people take another wack at me for my "location has no meaning outside the encounter" comment, LOOK AT THE LOCATION. We have a page, with a paragraph at the top, a 5 point description, and a map. Of that, only part of the paragraph has any meaning outside the encounter. The entire rest of the page (which is about 75% of the page) is a description of the encounter itself, including the last several sentences of the paragraph at the top.

Now look at the rule about location being independant from the encounter. Tell me what that rule means. Tell me about a hypothetical location that YOU think would break that rule.

Now explain to me how this location, other than the idea itself of a boat-jammed river (and the balance rules given for boat movement), is useful. Tell me exactly how you would use it, not the idea, but this actual location. The map is geared to this encounter, part of the main description, and all five description points as well. How much would you have to change to make it useful outside the encounter? Do you really think you could just pick that page up and slip it into your game without major modification?

So far all I have gotten is "I can use a boat jammed river in my game, so the location can be used independant of the encounter". Sure you could. You could use ANY location idea in your game, as long as you are willing to make up your own details about it to MAKE it fit your game. The point is that you shouldn't have to modify it that much. More than half of the location should be generic, and not particularlized to the specific encounter in the entry.

And just in case anyone decides to suggest I am biased (nobody has so far), I do not have an entry in this heat, nor do I know anyone who does. I just think the rules should be followed.

Click to expand...

While I am inclined to be somewhat liberal in my interpretation of the rules of the contest I think Mistwell might have a point here.

The standards for being able to use the location "independently" of the NPC and the encounter that those on the otherside espouse would seem to be so broad that they could be applied to ANY location. That being the case if it was impossible to not conform to that particular standard what was it's point?

I myself am trying to think of a locaation that wouldn't fit in with these standards and I can't. I suppose the location could be inside the NPC, but then I get the impression that it would still be argued that the location was independent because it didn't HAVE to be inside the NPC it could be inside anyone...

I agree that there is latitude in evaluating what the rules mean, but for there to be a purpose to the rules there must be something which doesn't apply....

A reply to Mistwell

I do not think you are biased. In fact on most of you evaluations I agree with you. I am still looking forward to you evaluating my entry.

To answer your question. I believe that no matter how good a character, encounter or location is, the DM will make changes to make it fit his world better, so I don't expect the locaton to be used without changes. The way I would personally define "the location could be used indepentdantly" is that the location is an origional, or usefull description. So while "Hiding behind a tree", or "In a dark alley" could technicly be a location, it is not something the DM couldn't have made up himself.

And the winner of this heat is...

An Imp in Set's Clothing Gets Help from Scaly Friends

The next heat will be posted tomorrow.

Congrats to the author of Imp in Sets Clothing!

Mistwell said:

Alright, before people take another wack at me for my "location has no meaning outside the encounter" comment, LOOK AT THE LOCATION. We have a page, with a paragraph at the top, a 5 point description, and a map. Of that, only part of the paragraph has any meaning outside the encounter. The entire rest of the page (which is about 75% of the page) is a description of the encounter itself, including the last several sentences of the paragraph at the top.

Click to expand...

I'm pausing before I whack
I haven't gone back yet again to look. So I don't know what was
on the location page. But I remember several points about the
location. First the boat jam itself was a novel idea. I *think* the
author had text on why the jam ocurred. But there was
information about all the vendors taking the opportunty to sell
food and drink. There were minstrells as well. And there was
a map. Which would be needed in case there was some fight.
And there was at least one boat described. The one with the
cleric and his entourage.

Mistwell said:

Now look at the rule about location being independant from the encounter. Tell me what that rule means. Tell me about a hypothetical location that YOU think would break that rule.

Click to expand...

Now I can't remember if the location decription was clearly
seperated from the encounter. But my only point was that it
*was* a location. And I think it is a very interesting one. I didn't
vote for this entry, but I thought it had one of the best locations.

Well one that would BREAK the rule would be one that had
no location. In fact the entry I voted for (Fooled and fooled again)
pretty much broke the rule. I don't recall any location.
I guess there was a fountain and statue. The description of it wasn't even a full sentence.

Mistwell said:

Now explain to me how this location, other than the idea itself of a boat-jammed river (and the balance rules given for boat movement), is useful. Tell me exactly how you would use it, not the idea, but this actual location.

Click to expand...

I don't see much else about the location that would be useful.
The vendors selling food. The minstrells. beggars. Nothing you
wouldn't find elsewhere. The travelling cleric might be interesting,
but he wouldn't be there the next time you passed this point
in the river on busy day.
(Aside... Maybe another encounter idea is one of the vendors
or minstrels or beggars is somehow causing the boat jam?
Felling trees down river. putting a hole in a large boat??)


hope all my attempts a quotation worked...