Iron DM 2009 - FINAL MATCH - it's over!

[Sparky]

LOL. Sorry, didn't mean to kick you around the block an extra time . . . I was just worried that I'd created some bad expectations.

-rg

You didn't create any false expectations. I knew my entry was flawed, but it was the concept that I couldn't get out of my head, so I rode it out to shut it up.

I should have gone with the one that had a corrupt noble using the Jar of Steam as his sauna, or the one where the PCs were trapped in the walls of a house and 'haunted' it, or the one where the players had to temporarily take on the duties of the God of Plague... but no, the stupid harpy wouldn't leave me alone.

Nag, nag, nag.

Shut up, harpy!

That's what I'll tell her next time.

Stupid harpy.

 

[Wik]

I hear ya, Sparky. For my entry, I kept wanting to make it a DARK SUN module. My big problem, though, was how to put a swamp in the setting without it seeming fake and contrived. And the more I tried, the more it felt hashed-together.

But my Vault was so cool! I mean, a Mekillot-pulled bank, guarded by traders and templars, that has to be raided by the PCs? How cool is that?

I shut the idea up by writing it for about a page, knowing full well I wasn't going to go with it. Just to clear my head and get to "real" work.

 

[CleverNickName]

I hear ya, Sparky. For my entry, I kept wanting to make it a DARK SUN module. My big problem, though, was how to put a swamp in the setting without it seeming fake and contrived. And the more I tried, the more it felt hashed-together.

"The part of the story that you desperately want to keep more than anything, is probably the first thing you need to edit out." -my creative writing professor

When I saw that there was a "plantation" as one of my ingredients, my brain immediately went to Ravenloft for some reason. I had this mental image of a vampire slave master, the quintessential southern gentleman who controls his estate, influences politics, and enslaves the locals from a mansion overlooking the banana groves. It was so awesome, it was all I could think about.

But unfortunately, there was no vampire on my list of ingredients. And a vampire is the culinary equivalent of fish oil...there is just no subtle way to use it. Add even the tiniest drop, and everything starts tasting like an Anne Rice novel.

Having Strahd's southern cousin in the adventure would have pulled too much focus from the other ingredients. I needed the ogre bodyguard and the elemental weirds to be in the spotlight. So in the end, though it broke my heart to do it, I had to cut the vampire.

 

[Iron Sky]

I appended an Encounter section after my original post to go into more detail with the individual encounters.

 

[CleverNickName]

LOL. Sorry, didn't mean to kick you around the block an extra time . . . I was just worried that I'd created some bad expectations.

No worries mate. I'm getting a Nifft-tastic list of ingredients tomorrow, and I can use all of the advice (and reminders) I can get. Who would have thought that something as simple and cliche as "three wishes" could cause such trouble?

 

[phoamslinger]

I'm offline the next two days, so I probably won't be able to put in a place saver post. my judgement will come probably on Monday.

question:

I had an idea for one of the previous sets of ingredients that I think covers the bases of what would make a good Iron DM entry (and it shows why it makes a good entry). I can post said entry (like the harpy, it just wouldn't go away, so I wrote it up yesterday in case I ever need a side trek) on this thread if there is interest. it would at least give some of the newer players a couple of pointers.

let me know.

-ph

 

[ElectricDragon]

My submission is up, I don't know how to link it so, I guess you have to find it yourself.

Ciao,
Dave

 

[Nifft]

InVinoVeritas and CleverNickName, your ingredients are posted.

 

[Nifft]

My submission is up, I don't know how to link it so, I guess you have to find it yourself.

On the upper-right corner of every post, next to the post number, is a link in parens ("permalink").

That's a link directly to that post.

Here's yours: http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-places/266192-iron-dm-2009-round-1-all-matches-3.html#post4973720

Cheers, -- N

 

[Thasmodious]

Good luck in round 2, everybody.