Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
IRON DM 2022 The Tournament Thread
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 8776161" data-attributes="member: 221"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px"><u>IRON DM 2022 Round 3, Final Match</u></span></strong></p><p><em>FitztheRuke vs. Kobold Stew</em></p><p></p><p>I confess I like both of our final entries, though in different ways, which is fitting as they are for two distinct games and two distinct game styles.</p><p></p><p>[USER=59816]@FitzTheRuke[/USER] offers us the slightly misnamed, “<strong><em>Rumble in the Jungle</em></strong>” (hereafter <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong>); misnamed because a good bit of the action happens in fantasy-space. Taking primitive island adventurers (primitive but not powerless; these are some mighty mages) and then throwing them into space on the back of a giant flying crocodile to stop a deadly comet is slightly gonzo, but it works here for some odd reason</p><p></p><p>On the other hand [USER=23484]@Kobold Stew[/USER] goes for a Traveler adventure, “<strong><em>Azimuth Aflame</em></strong>” (hereafter <strong><em>Aflame</em></strong>), which I note is also not the best name since the adventure actually mostly involves crocodiles and there is a whole ‘nother planet involved. Herein, the space-faring PCs find themselves unable to leave a planet unless they agree to catch and haul an endangered giant crocodile to a new home.</p><p></p><p>Both entries were turned in on time, and under word-count. I’m going to start this judgment, not with ingredients, but with an examination of the adventures and their usability.</p><p></p><p>[SPOILER=”USABILITY AND APPEAL”]</p><p>When it comes to appeal, both adventures have appeal, though I think I slightly prefer the set-up of <strong><em>Aflame</em></strong>. There’s just something about trying to ship a giant beast through space that seems like a recipe for fun. I’m not as keen on the whole fleeing a romance story-line, and I suspect a lot of players will give the fleeing pilot the slip as soon as possible, seeing it as mostly someone else’s problem. Of the two adventures, this is the one I would probably rather flesh out and play.</p><p></p><p>That’s not to say I dislike <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong>. I think the cult’s motivations could be better fleshed out, and some of the gonzo elements may not work for every group, but overall there is a real pulp/action feel to the story and if the Players can buy into the story and what is expected of them, it will certainly be a memory maker. But I am not certain that it won’t trip a little bit over some of the elements as play unfolds.</p><p></p><p>Now, having said that, I think as far as straight up using it out of the box, I have to give a slight nod to <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong> over <strong><em>Aflame</em></strong>. I think the romance-jilted-lover story needs a little work to be more integral to the plot, and the events on Carradoc could be a little bit more fleshed out to give me some ideas of how the Marchioness is going to try and thwart the actions of the players. Likewise, I sort of think that a lot of groups might look for some other angle to getting off the planet, and plot-hooks could use a little polishing to make things go the way the outline wants them to go. This is not to say that Rumble is perfect here. There are a few heavy-handed moments in it where I don’t totally buy into the story-line (for instance, if the council is so powerful why can’t they just summon a spirit to aid them); and as I said, the cult needs some work. But <strong><em>Rumble </em></strong>does have better fleshed out NPCs and that’s no small thing, and it feels just slightly fuller as an adventure.</p><p></p><p>Which means, when all is said and done, its pretty even between the two in my estimation when I weigh useability and preference. Which means that this judgment is going to come down to ingredient use.[/SPOILER]</p><p></p><p>[spoiler=”THE INGREDIENTS”]</p><p>Let’s begin with the <strong><em>salt-water crocodile</em></strong> and here I think that <strong><em>Aflame </em></strong>is definitely the stronger of the two. While flying on the back of a crocodile is certainly a use, I am not sure why it has to be a giant crocodile which carries the spell-jammed ship. Granted, there are some other creatures which might also be used for endangered cargo in Aflame, but the difficulties in capturing and hauling the massive creatures begin to shape the story in a unique way to me, so advantage Aflame here.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, I think <strong><em>stolen airship</em></strong> is slightly stronger in <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong>, because it is the PCs having to steal it. Also, the <strong><em>stolen airship</em></strong>, and the stolen heart in <strong><em>Aflame </em></strong>just feel a little tacked on to the story to me. A caveat here, that the airship in <strong><em>Rumble </em></strong>is not actually an airship until after the PCs steal it, which knocks it down just a little, but still advantage <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong>. Likewise, since I already mentioned it, I do think the <strong><em>stolen heart</em></strong> of <strong><em>Rumble </em></strong>is stronger than in <strong><em>Aflame</em></strong>, though <strong><em>Aflame’s </em></strong>stolen heart does provide some nice potential complications to the events, even if I think it needs a little bit of polishing to really be more central to the story.</p><p></p><p>Concerning the <strong><em>Impending Asteroid</em></strong>, the use is definitely better in <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong>, albeit a bit cliched. The threat of impending doom is just a stronger use than a space port being temporarily shut down because of ever-falling rocks.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, the<strong><em> burning river</em></strong> in <strong><em>Aflame </em></strong>feels stronger to me, and the use of <strong><em>lava </em></strong>in Rumble a bit of a cheat. But having the players have to battle the flames while they rescue a crocodile is a nice use of the combined ingredients and preferable to me to the need to stop the flow of lava by battling a fire elemental elsewhere.</p><p></p><p>Regarding the <strong><em>alarming totem</em></strong>, I am not completely sold on either use as being fantastic. The totem in <strong><em>Rumble </em></strong>could be any sort of spirit-focused warning system. The totems in <strong><em>Aflame </em></strong>seem more suggestive to me of tangents to the main story rather than actually being alarming. So a bit of a wash there.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Reticent overlord</em></strong> is also something of a wash with me. I am not sure I prefer one over the other, and both are used in similar ways.</p><p></p><p>Which brings us then to <strong><em>foolish machinations</em></strong>. I am not sold on the machinations of the cult being foolish, so much as oppositional. Maybe they have good reasons for thinking the way they do. On the other hand, the machinations of the fleeing pilot do seem somewhat foolish; unnecessary even. I don’t think it’s a perfect use, but its slightly stronger than in <strong><em>Rumble</em></strong>.</p><p>[/SPOILER]</p><p></p><p>[SPOILER=”THE VERDICT”]</p><p>By the narrowest of margins, I find myself leaning towards <strong><em>Azimuth Aflame</em></strong>, and that adventure, and Kobold Stew is going to get my vote.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Rumble in the Jungle</u></strong></p><p><strong>Followed the Rules:</strong> 6 points</p><p><strong>Ingredient Use:</strong> 10.5 points</p><p><em>Salt-Water Crocodile 1</em></p><p><em>Stolen Airship 1.5</em></p><p><em>Impending Asteroid 2</em></p><p><em>Burning River 1</em></p><p><em>Alarming Totem 1</em></p><p><em>Reticent Overlord 1</em></p><p><em>Foolish Machinations 1</em></p><p><em>Stolen Heart 2</em></p><p><strong>Useability:</strong> 5 points</p><p><strong>Style:</strong> 4</p><p><strong><u>Total</u></strong>: 25.5/34</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Azimuth Aflame</u></strong></p><p><strong>Followed the Rules:</strong> 6 points</p><p><strong>Ingredient Use:</strong> 11 points</p><p><em>Salt-Water Crocodile 2</em></p><p><em>Stolen Airship 1</em></p><p><em>Impending Asteroid 1</em></p><p><em>Burning River 2</em></p><p><em>Alarming Totem 1</em></p><p><em>Reticent Overlord 1</em></p><p><em>Foolish Machinations 1.5</em></p><p><em>Stolen Heart 1.5</em></p><p><strong>Useability:</strong> 4 points</p><p><strong>Style:</strong> 5</p><p><strong><u>Total</u></strong>: 26/34</p><p></p><p>However, I see the other two judges went the other way, so by our first split decision, FitztheRuke wins this years Iron DM! Congratulations to our winner! [/spoiler]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wicht, post: 8776161, member: 221"] [B][SIZE=5][U]IRON DM 2022 Round 3, Final Match[/U][/SIZE][/B] [I]FitztheRuke vs. Kobold Stew[/I] I confess I like both of our final entries, though in different ways, which is fitting as they are for two distinct games and two distinct game styles. [USER=59816]@FitzTheRuke[/USER] offers us the slightly misnamed, “[B][I]Rumble in the Jungle[/I][/B]” (hereafter [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B]); misnamed because a good bit of the action happens in fantasy-space. Taking primitive island adventurers (primitive but not powerless; these are some mighty mages) and then throwing them into space on the back of a giant flying crocodile to stop a deadly comet is slightly gonzo, but it works here for some odd reason On the other hand [USER=23484]@Kobold Stew[/USER] goes for a Traveler adventure, “[B][I]Azimuth Aflame[/I][/B]” (hereafter [B][I]Aflame[/I][/B]), which I note is also not the best name since the adventure actually mostly involves crocodiles and there is a whole ‘nother planet involved. Herein, the space-faring PCs find themselves unable to leave a planet unless they agree to catch and haul an endangered giant crocodile to a new home. Both entries were turned in on time, and under word-count. I’m going to start this judgment, not with ingredients, but with an examination of the adventures and their usability. [SPOILER=”USABILITY AND APPEAL”] When it comes to appeal, both adventures have appeal, though I think I slightly prefer the set-up of [B][I]Aflame[/I][/B]. There’s just something about trying to ship a giant beast through space that seems like a recipe for fun. I’m not as keen on the whole fleeing a romance story-line, and I suspect a lot of players will give the fleeing pilot the slip as soon as possible, seeing it as mostly someone else’s problem. Of the two adventures, this is the one I would probably rather flesh out and play. That’s not to say I dislike [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B]. I think the cult’s motivations could be better fleshed out, and some of the gonzo elements may not work for every group, but overall there is a real pulp/action feel to the story and if the Players can buy into the story and what is expected of them, it will certainly be a memory maker. But I am not certain that it won’t trip a little bit over some of the elements as play unfolds. Now, having said that, I think as far as straight up using it out of the box, I have to give a slight nod to [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B] over [B][I]Aflame[/I][/B]. I think the romance-jilted-lover story needs a little work to be more integral to the plot, and the events on Carradoc could be a little bit more fleshed out to give me some ideas of how the Marchioness is going to try and thwart the actions of the players. Likewise, I sort of think that a lot of groups might look for some other angle to getting off the planet, and plot-hooks could use a little polishing to make things go the way the outline wants them to go. This is not to say that Rumble is perfect here. There are a few heavy-handed moments in it where I don’t totally buy into the story-line (for instance, if the council is so powerful why can’t they just summon a spirit to aid them); and as I said, the cult needs some work. But [B][I]Rumble [/I][/B]does have better fleshed out NPCs and that’s no small thing, and it feels just slightly fuller as an adventure. Which means, when all is said and done, its pretty even between the two in my estimation when I weigh useability and preference. Which means that this judgment is going to come down to ingredient use.[/SPOILER] [spoiler=”THE INGREDIENTS”] Let’s begin with the [B][I]salt-water crocodile[/I][/B] and here I think that [B][I]Aflame [/I][/B]is definitely the stronger of the two. While flying on the back of a crocodile is certainly a use, I am not sure why it has to be a giant crocodile which carries the spell-jammed ship. Granted, there are some other creatures which might also be used for endangered cargo in Aflame, but the difficulties in capturing and hauling the massive creatures begin to shape the story in a unique way to me, so advantage Aflame here. On the other hand, I think [B][I]stolen airship[/I][/B] is slightly stronger in [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B], because it is the PCs having to steal it. Also, the [B][I]stolen airship[/I][/B], and the stolen heart in [B][I]Aflame [/I][/B]just feel a little tacked on to the story to me. A caveat here, that the airship in [B][I]Rumble [/I][/B]is not actually an airship until after the PCs steal it, which knocks it down just a little, but still advantage [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B]. Likewise, since I already mentioned it, I do think the [B][I]stolen heart[/I][/B] of [B][I]Rumble [/I][/B]is stronger than in [B][I]Aflame[/I][/B], though [B][I]Aflame’s [/I][/B]stolen heart does provide some nice potential complications to the events, even if I think it needs a little bit of polishing to really be more central to the story. Concerning the [B][I]Impending Asteroid[/I][/B], the use is definitely better in [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B], albeit a bit cliched. The threat of impending doom is just a stronger use than a space port being temporarily shut down because of ever-falling rocks. On the other hand, the[B][I] burning river[/I][/B] in [B][I]Aflame [/I][/B]feels stronger to me, and the use of [B][I]lava [/I][/B]in Rumble a bit of a cheat. But having the players have to battle the flames while they rescue a crocodile is a nice use of the combined ingredients and preferable to me to the need to stop the flow of lava by battling a fire elemental elsewhere. Regarding the [B][I]alarming totem[/I][/B], I am not completely sold on either use as being fantastic. The totem in [B][I]Rumble [/I][/B]could be any sort of spirit-focused warning system. The totems in [B][I]Aflame [/I][/B]seem more suggestive to me of tangents to the main story rather than actually being alarming. So a bit of a wash there. [B][I]Reticent overlord[/I][/B] is also something of a wash with me. I am not sure I prefer one over the other, and both are used in similar ways. Which brings us then to [B][I]foolish machinations[/I][/B]. I am not sold on the machinations of the cult being foolish, so much as oppositional. Maybe they have good reasons for thinking the way they do. On the other hand, the machinations of the fleeing pilot do seem somewhat foolish; unnecessary even. I don’t think it’s a perfect use, but its slightly stronger than in [B][I]Rumble[/I][/B]. [/SPOILER] [SPOILER=”THE VERDICT”] By the narrowest of margins, I find myself leaning towards [B][I]Azimuth Aflame[/I][/B], and that adventure, and Kobold Stew is going to get my vote. [B][U]Rumble in the Jungle[/U] Followed the Rules:[/B] 6 points [B]Ingredient Use:[/B] 10.5 points [I]Salt-Water Crocodile 1 Stolen Airship 1.5 Impending Asteroid 2 Burning River 1 Alarming Totem 1 Reticent Overlord 1 Foolish Machinations 1 Stolen Heart 2[/I] [B]Useability:[/B] 5 points [B]Style:[/B] 4 [B][U]Total[/U][/B]: 25.5/34 [B][U]Azimuth Aflame[/U] Followed the Rules:[/B] 6 points [B]Ingredient Use:[/B] 11 points [I]Salt-Water Crocodile 2 Stolen Airship 1 Impending Asteroid 1 Burning River 2 Alarming Totem 1 Reticent Overlord 1 Foolish Machinations 1.5 Stolen Heart 1.5[/I] [B]Useability:[/B] 4 points [B]Style:[/B] 5 [B][U]Total[/U][/B]: 26/34 However, I see the other two judges went the other way, so by our first split decision, FitztheRuke wins this years Iron DM! Congratulations to our winner! [/spoiler] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
IRON DM 2022 The Tournament Thread
Top