IRON DM General Discussion

[Gradine]

I don't think a month and a half is too terrible; the average Iron DM tournament is itself around a month plus a week. With two categories per week, we could easily get this down to 5 weeks (4 weeks of 2 categories each, plus a final week for the finale), which would be keeping with the typical tournament.

 

[el-remmen]

I like that idea!

In other news: I came upon a match in the Winter 2003 tournament called on account of the Columbia space shuttle explosion on February 1st of that year.

 

[el-remmen]

Let me know if no one care about these finds but me, but just got to fixing up an entry that is 1260 words before it even gets to the "Enter the PCs - Hooks."

I know I have been guilty of this, too.

 

[Rune]

Let me know if no one care about these finds but me, but just got to fixing up an entry that is 1260 words before it even gets to the "Enter the PCs - Hooks."

I know I have been guilty of this, too.

I’m always fascinated to explore how things evolved.

And, since you’ve just reminded me of it, another nice (and intended) side-effect of the tight R1 word-limits is that they really cut down on the number of entries that are 50% backstory (or more).

 

[el-remmen]

I’m always fascinated to explore how things evolved.

And, since you’ve just reminded me of it, another nice (and intended) side-effect of the tight R1 word-limits is that they really cut down on the number of entries that are 50% backstory (or more).

This project really has me agreeing on the need for tight word count limits - but I mean tightly enforced. I still think upping the first round word limit to 1000 is a good idea and would consider increasing it (slightly) for the 2nd and final rounds.

 

[Wicht]

Let me know if no one care about these finds but me, but just got to fixing up an entry that is 1260 words before it even gets to the "Enter the PCs - Hooks."

I find it interesting. Don't stop on our account.

 

[Gradine]

So here is my working draft if we're going with four weeks-two categories each:

Danger Week
Design:
1) A monster or creature. We are looking for: origin or ecology, behavior, signature abilities, weakness(es)
AND
2) A hazard or trap. Man-made or environmental. What is the risk? How can it be dealt with?

NPC Week
Design:
1) A villain. We are looking for: origin, motivation, beliefs and behaviors, weakness(es), resources
AND
2) A patron or ally. A friendly NPC. What are their motivations and resources? How far are they willing to go to help the PCs?

Location Week
Design:
1) A dungeon. We are looking for: a hostile environment, home to hostile creatures. Who live there, and what are they defending?
AND
2) A settlement. A (relatively) peaceful location, populated by non-hostile creatures. Who lives there, what are they like, what are their attitudes and beliefs?

And finally...

Epic Week
Design:
1) A deity or religion. What is their purview/portfolio? What are their practices and beliefs? What are their clergy like? How about their everyday practitioners?
AND
2) A powerful artifact. What is its origin and purpose? What is its attitude or influence on those who wield it? What happens if it falls in the wrong hands? How can it be destroyed?

 

[Wicht]

So here is my working draft if we're going with four weeks-two categories each:

I like the theming.

In drafting the rules, I was trying to leave it open to individual judges as to how to choose the categories for each round.

Also, a consideration: do you want to broadcast ahead of time what each week will hold, or have the general topics known but not the order they will appear in.

 

[el-remmen]

Could "designing a monster" be more like making use of or riffing on an existing monster or building on its culture, behavior, ecology etc? I worry that "designing" a monster might be too mechanical.

 

[Gradine]

Could "designing a monster" be more like making use of or riffing on an existing monster or building on its culture, behavior, ecology etc? I worry that "designing" a monster might be too mechanical.

Yes, absolutely. The idea and emphasis will be on broad strokes. As an example, we want to read that the monster can breathe fire, not that it does 4d6 fire damage in a 30' cone. The idea is to be clear we are not looking for specific mechanics at all. All entries should, in theory, be system (if not genre) neutral.