Imhotepthewise
Explorer
I would like to sign up and try to redeem my poor showing last year. I learned a lot in the writing and the critique and following the other entries.
Scheduling Thread for IRON DM 2014
Imhotepthewise
Explorer
....they shall all drown in lakes of blood."
Better?
Better?
Waylander the Slayer
Explorer
Hmmm, I think I won this thing once. Count me in.
Rune
Once A Fool
Indeed you did. In 2011. And made it to the final match in 2012, I believe.
Rune
Once A Fool
I would totally take a lack if response as intimidation.
Rune
Once A Fool
Okay, ya'll, while we're waiting for the last two slots to get filled, here are the rules. These will be reposted in the actual thread for the tournament (when that thread is started).
[sblock=The Rules![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
The Basics:
The tournament is set up in a single-elimination bracket style, with each match determined based on scheduling availability among the eligible contestants.
Each match will consist of two contestants given a single set of six ingredients with which to construct a brief adventure in any game system or genre. 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 your entries within. Entries that are late may still be accepted, but, seriously, don't do this! While each of the judges have their own set of criteria, you can expect that the later the entry, the more severely it will be penalized in the judgement process, if it is accepted at all!
Seriously, if you haven't finished with an entry in time, post what you've got! Even if you don't win (and, who knows, you might!), you may at least find the judgement enlightening for future IRON DM tournaments!
All entries are expected to make good use of all of the ingredients submitted--that is, they should be creatively applied, well-integrated, and fundamentally necessary to the adventure that they are used in. This is the crux of the tournament, so don't think that maybe (for example) doing a good job with three ingredients will be enough, as long as you can craft a better adventure! I wouldn't count on it, if I were you.
Finally, most of the previous tournaments in the last 12 years have used some optional bonus ingredients in Round 3. This tournament will not make use of such bonus ingredients. Each match will have exactly six ingredients.
Formatting:
All entries are to be submitted with the list of ingredients at the top and are not to be edited, once submitted. Let me repeat that last part: DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED IT! Check your work before you send it in. Then check it again. The judges will likely not look favorably upon any entry that has been edited and may penalize the entry as they see fit, including, possibly, outright disqualification.
Please do not expect the 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. Not only will each judge be reading each entry multiple times, but expecting outside sources to carry the load of exposition very much defeats the purpose of the word-limit.
Along those lines--the judges will be reading each entry several times. Please don't make that difficult for us. Don't bore us and don't make our eyes bleed. Please.
Judgement:
As I said before, each entry will be judged on its own merits and then the two competing entries' critiques will be compared for the final judgement. Different judges may have 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.
The judges will endeavor to be Nemmerelesque in our judgements--that is, critical, but also fair and constructive in that criticism. It's tradition. Even so, please understand that not everybody will agree with every decision we make--that's the nature of the game. Traditionally, second-guessing the judges is all part of the game--and that can lead to some undesired outcomes. It can sting sometimes (believe me, I know!), but it is a game. Let's have some fun with it!
That said, those wishing to gain a little insight into the judges' thinking will need to do a little research to do so, but the information is out there. Be warned, though! We may have changed our thinking on some of these things within the last 12 years!
Tournament Structure:
Round 1:
All matches in the first round will have a 24 hour time-limit! That's right--we're going old-school! These matches will not be restricted in length, but, please, don't bore us! Each match will be judged by a single judge determined randomly behind the scenes before the contestants have been determined. Each judge will determine the outcome of at least one of the first round matches. Contestants who win their Round 1 matches will proceed to Round 2.
Round 2:
All matches in the second round will have a 48 hour time-limit. These matches will have a 3000 word limit (not including the title and ingredients list--any descriptions or definitions of ingredients will count against the limit!). A full panel of three judges will compare each match and determine a contestant to advance. The contestants so determined by at least two judges will win their Round 2 matches and will proceed to Round 3.
Round 3:
The third round match will also have a 48 hour time-limit. This match will have a 2000 word limit (not including the title and ingredients list--any descriptions or definitions of ingredients will count against the limit!). As with Round 2, this match will be judged by a panel of three. Each judge will indicate a preferred winner and the contestant so named by at least two judges wins this match and becomes the IRON DM 2014.
Scheduling, Discussing, and Spectating:
Once all contestants have signed up, this thread will be used only for scheduling the matches.
The tournament thread will be used to list the ingredients and the judgements for each match, as well as the entries, themselves. Commentary will also be welcome in that thread, but, please, if you are commenting on an entry that has not yet been judged, hide that commentary with sblock tags, [sblock]like this, [/sblock]so that the judges can view the entries with fresh eyes!
If spectators would like to play the home game, please 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 your entries once the tournament has concluded. [/sblock]
[sblock=The Rules
The Basics:The tournament is set up in a single-elimination bracket style, with each match determined based on scheduling availability among the eligible contestants.
Each match will consist of two contestants given a single set of six ingredients with which to construct a brief adventure in any game system or genre. 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 your entries within. Entries that are late may still be accepted, but, seriously, don't do this! While each of the judges have their own set of criteria, you can expect that the later the entry, the more severely it will be penalized in the judgement process, if it is accepted at all!
Seriously, if you haven't finished with an entry in time, post what you've got! Even if you don't win (and, who knows, you might!), you may at least find the judgement enlightening for future IRON DM tournaments!
All entries are expected to make good use of all of the ingredients submitted--that is, they should be creatively applied, well-integrated, and fundamentally necessary to the adventure that they are used in. This is the crux of the tournament, so don't think that maybe (for example) doing a good job with three ingredients will be enough, as long as you can craft a better adventure! I wouldn't count on it, if I were you.
Finally, most of the previous tournaments in the last 12 years have used some optional bonus ingredients in Round 3. This tournament will not make use of such bonus ingredients. Each match will have exactly six ingredients.
Formatting:
All entries are to be submitted with the list of ingredients at the top and are not to be edited, once submitted. Let me repeat that last part: DO NOT EDIT YOUR POST, ONCE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED IT! Check your work before you send it in. Then check it again. The judges will likely not look favorably upon any entry that has been edited and may penalize the entry as they see fit, including, possibly, outright disqualification.
Please do not expect the 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. Not only will each judge be reading each entry multiple times, but expecting outside sources to carry the load of exposition very much defeats the purpose of the word-limit.
Along those lines--the judges will be reading each entry several times. Please don't make that difficult for us. Don't bore us and don't make our eyes bleed. Please.
Judgement:
As I said before, each entry will be judged on its own merits and then the two competing entries' critiques will be compared for the final judgement. Different judges may have 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.
The judges will endeavor to be Nemmerelesque in our judgements--that is, critical, but also fair and constructive in that criticism. It's tradition. Even so, please understand that not everybody will agree with every decision we make--that's the nature of the game. Traditionally, second-guessing the judges is all part of the game--and that can lead to some undesired outcomes. It can sting sometimes (believe me, I know!), but it is a game. Let's have some fun with it!
That said, those wishing to gain a little insight into the judges' thinking will need to do a little research to do so, but the information is out there. Be warned, though! We may have changed our thinking on some of these things within the last 12 years!
Tournament Structure:
Round 1:
All matches in the first round will have a 24 hour time-limit! That's right--we're going old-school! These matches will not be restricted in length, but, please, don't bore us! Each match will be judged by a single judge determined randomly behind the scenes before the contestants have been determined. Each judge will determine the outcome of at least one of the first round matches. Contestants who win their Round 1 matches will proceed to Round 2.
Round 2:
All matches in the second round will have a 48 hour time-limit. These matches will have a 3000 word limit (not including the title and ingredients list--any descriptions or definitions of ingredients will count against the limit!). A full panel of three judges will compare each match and determine a contestant to advance. The contestants so determined by at least two judges will win their Round 2 matches and will proceed to Round 3.
Round 3:
The third round match will also have a 48 hour time-limit. This match will have a 2000 word limit (not including the title and ingredients list--any descriptions or definitions of ingredients will count against the limit!). As with Round 2, this match will be judged by a panel of three. Each judge will indicate a preferred winner and the contestant so named by at least two judges wins this match and becomes the IRON DM 2014.
Scheduling, Discussing, and Spectating:
Once all contestants have signed up, this thread will be used only for scheduling the matches.
The tournament thread will be used to list the ingredients and the judgements for each match, as well as the entries, themselves. Commentary will also be welcome in that thread, but, please, if you are commenting on an entry that has not yet been judged, hide that commentary with sblock tags, [sblock]like this, [/sblock]so that the judges can view the entries with fresh eyes!
If spectators would like to play the home game, please 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 your entries once the tournament has concluded. [/sblock]
Last edited:
Radiating Gnome
Adventurer
I'm excited to see a mix of veterans and new recruits for this round. Lets get those last two spots filled and start the bloodletting! I mean competing!
