Wicht
Hero
Eight Go In, One Comes Out!
Sound the trumpets, strike the drums and unfurl the banners!
The IRON DM 2022 Tournament is upon us.
Let all rejoice!
This year’s judges will be:
@Deuce Traveler
Three times crowned Iron DM (2012, 2015, 2016), Deuce has more wins than any other participant. He knows what it takes to win, and takes that wisdom with him into the judge’s booth.
@Radiating Gnome
A competitor from the early days, a well-seasoned judge, and a gnome of wisdom and renown. Has he seen it all, or do you have what it takes to still impress him?
@Wicht
This year’s MoC. Two time Iron DM (2002, 2013), Wicht has been participating in the tournament as both competitor and judge from the very beginning. He knows what he likes, but does that include your entry?
Our Contestants:
1: @Gradine (IRON DM 2017, 2021)
2: @Andrew Anderson
3: @Rune (Iron DM 2002)
4: @Helena Real
5: @Snarf Zagyg
6: @FitzTheRuke
7: @Kobold Stew
8: @J.Quondam
The challenge begins!
Round 1: The Crucible
Match 1: J.Quondam vs. Rune; Wicht's Judgment
Match 2: FitztheRuke vs. Helena Real; Radiating Gnome's Judgment
Match 3: Andrew Anderson vs. Kobold Stew; Deuce Traveler's Judgment
Match 4: Gradine vs. Snarf Zagyg; Wicht's Judgment
Round 2: The Refinement
Match 1: J.Quondam vs. FitztheRuke; Radiating Gnome's Judgment, Deuce Traveler's Judgment, Wicht's Judgment
Match 2: Kobold Stew vs. Snarf Zagyg; Radiating Gnome's Judgment, Deuce Traveler's Judgment, Wicht's Judgment
Round 3: The Tempering
Championship Match: FitztheRuke vs. Kobold Stew; Deuce Traveler's Judgment, Radiating Gnome's Judgment, Wicht's Judgment
Sound the trumpets, strike the drums and unfurl the banners!
The IRON DM 2022 Tournament is upon us.
Let all rejoice!
This year’s judges will be:
@Deuce Traveler
Three times crowned Iron DM (2012, 2015, 2016), Deuce has more wins than any other participant. He knows what it takes to win, and takes that wisdom with him into the judge’s booth.
@Radiating Gnome
A competitor from the early days, a well-seasoned judge, and a gnome of wisdom and renown. Has he seen it all, or do you have what it takes to still impress him?
@Wicht
This year’s MoC. Two time Iron DM (2002, 2013), Wicht has been participating in the tournament as both competitor and judge from the very beginning. He knows what he likes, but does that include your entry?
Our Contestants:
1: @Gradine (IRON DM 2017, 2021)
2: @Andrew Anderson
3: @Rune (Iron DM 2002)
4: @Helena Real
5: @Snarf Zagyg
6: @FitzTheRuke
7: @Kobold Stew
8: @J.Quondam
The Basics
The tournament is set up in a single-elimination bracket style, with each match pairing determined according to scheduling availability among the eligible contestants within the match’s tier.
Each match consists of two contestants given a single set of ingredients with which to construct a brief adventure or adventure synopsis in any game system or genre. (A word of advice: You should waste neither time, nor words, on overly detailed stats, but you should also not assume familiarity with any given system or genre. Explain what you need to explain, and stop there!)
These entries will be evaluated on their own merits and those evaluations will then be compared to determine the winner of a match, who will then proceed to the next round.
All matches will be given a time-frame to submit the entries within. An entry that is late will still be accepted, but with a penalty applied to its word-limit. Late entries that are less than 1 hour late will have their word-limits reduced by 10% (meaning, for example, a first-round entry would have its word-limit reduced from 750 to 675, which is harsher than it looks). Entries that are at least 1 hour late, but less than 1 day late will have their word-limits reduced by 30%. Entries that are at least 1 day late will have their word-limits reduced by 50%. Entries that are at least 2 days late may be disqualified at the discretion of the other competitor and judges. Entries that exceed their word-limits will be considered to end once they reach that limit; judges will ignore everything after.
(Another bit of advice: Obviously, you really want to avoid being late, especially in the first round, but life happens, and sometimes you just can't make it. In such cases, you should take the extra time (before your next threshold) to polish your entry with your new word-limit in mind. It won't be easy, but you might still win. Even if you don't win, you may at least find the judgement enlightening for future IRON DM tournaments!)
Entries are expected to make good use of all of the ingredients submitted. The ingredients should be creatively applied, well-integrated, and fundamentally necessary to the adventure that they are used in. Ingredient use is the crux of the tournament, and contestants who fail to use the full compliment of ingredients will suffer for it in the judgement of the round.
Each of the first-round matches will use six ingredients. Second round matches will utilize seven ingredients and third round matches will have eight ingredients.
Formatting:
All entries are to be submitted with the list of ingredients at the top and are not to be edited, once submitted. To repeat: DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED IT! Check your work before you send it in. Then check it again, if necessary. But do not edit it, or you will risk disqualification, according to the edicts of the judges. Part of the challenge of IRON DM is in the development and use of discipline in editing and time-management.
Do not expect judges to follow links within your entry. You may include links for others to follow if you choose to do so, but understand that any information that is necessary to the entry must be in the actual entry. Judges will be reading each entry multiple times and, are unlikely to also be willing to go outside the entry to find context for it. More importantly, expecting outside sources to carry the load of exposition very much defeats the purpose of the word-limit.
If the author chooses to include a trigger warning in an entry, that warning will not count against the word limit. Such a warning is being offered as a courtesy to readers (not necessarily the judges) in a context where the author can never know who those readers will be. Further, the kind of information conveyed in a trigger warning may not be in a form that can be used to shortcut exposition in an entry. Any information which conveys exposition will count against the word count.
Entrants may also put a description of the match at the top, for example: Iron DM 2025, Round 3, Rune vs. Wicht. Such a description will also not count against the word limit.
To clarify: Word count will include any and all descriptive text and exposition. It will not include the title, basic ingredient list, any trigger warnings, nor the round information.
Judgement:
Each of the first-round matches will have a single judge. The second- and third-round matches will have a full panel of three judges. Each entry will be judged on its own merits and then the two competing entries' critiques will be compared for the final judgement. In the latter rounds, the majority opinion will determine the victor. Different judges have traditionally had different processes to arrive at such outcomes – for instance, some may use a point-based grading chart, while others may prefer a more abstract analysis.
Judges will endeavor to be Nemmerelesque in their judgements – critical, but also fair and constructive in that criticism. It's tradition. It is understood up front, however, that all judgments are subjective. That's the nature of the game. Traditionally, trying to figure out what a given judge may want to see is part of the game, though doing so is not always a recommended strategy. How well do you know your audience? After all, being a DM is not about simply pleasing self.
The tournament is set up in a single-elimination bracket style, with each match pairing determined according to scheduling availability among the eligible contestants within the match’s tier.
Each match consists of two contestants given a single set of ingredients with which to construct a brief adventure or adventure synopsis in any game system or genre. (A word of advice: You should waste neither time, nor words, on overly detailed stats, but you should also not assume familiarity with any given system or genre. Explain what you need to explain, and stop there!)
These entries will be evaluated on their own merits and those evaluations will then be compared to determine the winner of a match, who will then proceed to the next round.
All matches will be given a time-frame to submit the entries within. An entry that is late will still be accepted, but with a penalty applied to its word-limit. Late entries that are less than 1 hour late will have their word-limits reduced by 10% (meaning, for example, a first-round entry would have its word-limit reduced from 750 to 675, which is harsher than it looks). Entries that are at least 1 hour late, but less than 1 day late will have their word-limits reduced by 30%. Entries that are at least 1 day late will have their word-limits reduced by 50%. Entries that are at least 2 days late may be disqualified at the discretion of the other competitor and judges. Entries that exceed their word-limits will be considered to end once they reach that limit; judges will ignore everything after.
(Another bit of advice: Obviously, you really want to avoid being late, especially in the first round, but life happens, and sometimes you just can't make it. In such cases, you should take the extra time (before your next threshold) to polish your entry with your new word-limit in mind. It won't be easy, but you might still win. Even if you don't win, you may at least find the judgement enlightening for future IRON DM tournaments!)
Entries are expected to make good use of all of the ingredients submitted. The ingredients should be creatively applied, well-integrated, and fundamentally necessary to the adventure that they are used in. Ingredient use is the crux of the tournament, and contestants who fail to use the full compliment of ingredients will suffer for it in the judgement of the round.
Each of the first-round matches will use six ingredients. Second round matches will utilize seven ingredients and third round matches will have eight ingredients.
Formatting:
All entries are to be submitted with the list of ingredients at the top and are not to be edited, once submitted. To repeat: DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED IT! Check your work before you send it in. Then check it again, if necessary. But do not edit it, or you will risk disqualification, according to the edicts of the judges. Part of the challenge of IRON DM is in the development and use of discipline in editing and time-management.
Do not expect judges to follow links within your entry. You may include links for others to follow if you choose to do so, but understand that any information that is necessary to the entry must be in the actual entry. Judges will be reading each entry multiple times and, are unlikely to also be willing to go outside the entry to find context for it. More importantly, expecting outside sources to carry the load of exposition very much defeats the purpose of the word-limit.
If the author chooses to include a trigger warning in an entry, that warning will not count against the word limit. Such a warning is being offered as a courtesy to readers (not necessarily the judges) in a context where the author can never know who those readers will be. Further, the kind of information conveyed in a trigger warning may not be in a form that can be used to shortcut exposition in an entry. Any information which conveys exposition will count against the word count.
Entrants may also put a description of the match at the top, for example: Iron DM 2025, Round 3, Rune vs. Wicht. Such a description will also not count against the word limit.
To clarify: Word count will include any and all descriptive text and exposition. It will not include the title, basic ingredient list, any trigger warnings, nor the round information.
Judgement:
Each of the first-round matches will have a single judge. The second- and third-round matches will have a full panel of three judges. Each entry will be judged on its own merits and then the two competing entries' critiques will be compared for the final judgement. In the latter rounds, the majority opinion will determine the victor. Different judges have traditionally had different processes to arrive at such outcomes – for instance, some may use a point-based grading chart, while others may prefer a more abstract analysis.
Judges will endeavor to be Nemmerelesque in their judgements – critical, but also fair and constructive in that criticism. It's tradition. It is understood up front, however, that all judgments are subjective. That's the nature of the game. Traditionally, trying to figure out what a given judge may want to see is part of the game, though doing so is not always a recommended strategy. How well do you know your audience? After all, being a DM is not about simply pleasing self.
Round 1: The Crucible
All matches in the first round will have a 24 hour time-limit! All matches in the first round will have six ingredients, all of which are to be used in each entry. Entries in these matches will have a 750 word limit, not including the title and ingredients list. Contestants who win their Round 1 matches will proceed to Round 2.
Round 2: The Refinement
All matches in the second round will have a 48 hour time-limit. These matches will each have seven ingredients, all of which are to be used in each entry. Entries in these matches will have a 1500 word limit, not including the title and ingredients list. Contestants who win their Round 2 matches will proceed to Round 3.
Round 3: The Tempering
The third round match will also have a 48 hour time-limit. This match will use eight ingredients, all of which are to be used in each entry. Entries in this match will have a 2000 word limit, not including the title and ingredients list.The contestant who wins this match will become the IRON DM 2022!
Scheduling, Discussing, and Spectating:
To keep down the clutter, scheduling for all matches will take place elsewhere, in the scheduling thread.
This tournament thread will be used to list the ingredients and the judgements for each match, as well as the entries, themselves. Commentary and good-natured trash-talking will also be welcome in this thread, but, please, if you are commenting on an entry that has not yet been judged, hide that commentary with spoiler tags so that the judges can view the entries with fresh eyes!
If spectators would like to play the home game, please feel free to do that in another thread.
One final note:
Once these tournaments have been completed, we try to archive them on these boards for posterity, and so that the adventures can be run or plundered by future Internet generations. We make no claim of ownership over the entries, but we do request that you do not remove or alter your entries once the tournament has concluded.
All matches in the first round will have a 24 hour time-limit! All matches in the first round will have six ingredients, all of which are to be used in each entry. Entries in these matches will have a 750 word limit, not including the title and ingredients list. Contestants who win their Round 1 matches will proceed to Round 2.
Round 2: The Refinement
All matches in the second round will have a 48 hour time-limit. These matches will each have seven ingredients, all of which are to be used in each entry. Entries in these matches will have a 1500 word limit, not including the title and ingredients list. Contestants who win their Round 2 matches will proceed to Round 3.
Round 3: The Tempering
The third round match will also have a 48 hour time-limit. This match will use eight ingredients, all of which are to be used in each entry. Entries in this match will have a 2000 word limit, not including the title and ingredients list.The contestant who wins this match will become the IRON DM 2022!
Scheduling, Discussing, and Spectating:
To keep down the clutter, scheduling for all matches will take place elsewhere, in the scheduling thread.
This tournament thread will be used to list the ingredients and the judgements for each match, as well as the entries, themselves. Commentary and good-natured trash-talking will also be welcome in this thread, but, please, if you are commenting on an entry that has not yet been judged, hide that commentary with spoiler tags so that the judges can view the entries with fresh eyes!
If spectators would like to play the home game, please feel free to do that in another thread.
One final note:
Once these tournaments have been completed, we try to archive them on these boards for posterity, and so that the adventures can be run or plundered by future Internet generations. We make no claim of ownership over the entries, but we do request that you do not remove or alter your entries once the tournament has concluded.
The challenge begins!
Round 1: The Crucible
Match 1: J.Quondam vs. Rune; Wicht's Judgment
Match 2: FitztheRuke vs. Helena Real; Radiating Gnome's Judgment
Match 3: Andrew Anderson vs. Kobold Stew; Deuce Traveler's Judgment
Match 4: Gradine vs. Snarf Zagyg; Wicht's Judgment
Round 2: The Refinement
Match 1: J.Quondam vs. FitztheRuke; Radiating Gnome's Judgment, Deuce Traveler's Judgment, Wicht's Judgment
Match 2: Kobold Stew vs. Snarf Zagyg; Radiating Gnome's Judgment, Deuce Traveler's Judgment, Wicht's Judgment
Round 3: The Tempering
Championship Match: FitztheRuke vs. Kobold Stew; Deuce Traveler's Judgment, Radiating Gnome's Judgment, Wicht's Judgment
Congratulations to this years IRON DM: FitztheRuke!
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