Iron DM 2010 Discussion Thread

[MortalPlague]

Congratulations to Ender, you had a fantastic entry. All the best in future rounds!

The one element I wish I could've dropped? Probably the songbow. I had trouble making it an integral part of the adventure. Also, as for human slaver, I took it to mean slaver who is a human, rather than a slaver who deals in humans. That's why I had a human leader for the storm giants.

 

[CleverNickName]

Welcome to the second match of Iron DM! Chairman InVinoVeriatas has just brought out one of the most insane collections of adjectives and nouns that has ever been seen! Grab your dictionary, thesarus, and a half-dozen other textbooks, and walk with me down to the floor of Kitchen Stadium for a closer look!

Spoiler

My inner Geology geek is squealing like a litle girl over the first ingredient: Urban Sinkhole! This has lots of potential as an ingredient, primarily because it is terrifying. I have wanted to see one of these get used in an Iron DM competition for a good long while...let's see what our chefs can cook up with it.

Then we have a punk...pulk...pelch...perchiferous, no, oh forget it. Some sort of Waif. I have no idea what this means, but it sounds diabolical. A quick look at my dictionary tells me that it's...perfect.

My neighborhood is absolutely a-flutter with the next ingredient, Helicopter Seeds. Of course, I didn't know that is what they were called until I looked it up in my North American Wildlife field book. Growing up, we called them something else entirely.

We are back on track with more traditional Iron DM ingredients, with Historical Doppleganger. This double-barreled ingredient is very versatile, and can be used in many different ways in a story depending on which word you want to emphasize. A DM could have lots of fun with a Historical Doppleganger, for example, or he could use his History textbook find lots of real-world examples of Historical Dopplegangers. This ingredient is the literary equivalent of tarragon: it can bring the whole dish together, or it can make everything taste weird.

Now, we dig out our Psychology textbook for our next ingredient, the Self-Destructive Spiral. Aside from being the basis for punk rock, this spicy little pepper can be used in all sorts of ways when it is pulled out of the real world and stuffed into a fantasy setting. It could be a place. Or a thing. Or a monster. Or a type of treasure. Or the music style of choice for a violent band of bards named the Sex Crossbows.

Our last ingredient is an Out-of-tune Cello. I guess compared to the other five ingredients, this one sort of sounds flat (rimshot), but don't underestimate it. An Iron DM knows to avoid cliche at all costs, and every time there is a musical instrument in a story, the temptation is to start packing in sprites and bards along with it. Beware!

One thing is for certain: with a list of ingredients this insane, the contestants will be pushing their creativity to the limit. Good luck, fellas. Glad it's not my list.

 

[CleverNickName]

Sorry about all this. Flooding caused me to forget about internet-y things for a couple days. But basements are cleaned and I'm ready now. My apologies again.

Wow, that sucks. Sorry about your basement...hope there wasn't much damage.

 

[Iron Sky]

Holy crap. The stew that's brewing in my brain from these ingredients is boggling my mind. I have the feeling it's going to be epic, though whether epic-win or epic-fail, I have no idea.

 

[MortalPlague]

Also, thanks to Radiating Gnome for judging! I can't believe I forgot to mention you; your contribution to this competition is huge.

Looking at this new batch of ingredients, I can see that this will be a challenging and memorable Iron DM competition.

 

[Iron Sky]

Whew, got it done. I'm going to sit on it over night so I can look at it tomorrow with fresh eyes. Definitely had no idea I'd end up creating something like it when I signed up for Iron DM, that's for sure!

 

[Pbartender]

Given the new atmosphere...

Oop! I wasn't really trying to establish an "atmosphere". I just wanted in on the trash talking...

 

[Pbartender]

Ingredients for Round 1, Match 3 have been posted.

 

[MatthewJHanson]

Looking ahead . . I'm getting ready for match four, on Monday. Pour vs. MatthewJHanson

Given the new atmosphere, I think I'm going to plan to drop the ingredients at Noon EST on monday. Please chime between now and then and let me know that you'll be able to work with that, or if you need something else.

Works for me.

 

[CleverNickName]

It's an exciting and busy Saturday morning in Kitchen Stadium, where through a freak scheduling conflict, we have TWO competitions running at the same time! Already in the kitchen since yesterday, the contestants in Chairman InVinoVeriatas's competition have been cooking up their adventures at a feverish pace, and have less than 8 hours to plate their dish. Now, Chairman Pbartender has entered the stadium, bringing six new ingredients of his own. Let's go down to the floor and take a closer look...

Spoiler

The first thing I see is an interesting combination of adjectives called a Foppish Dandy. What an excellent ingredient! Its combination of words, each with multiple definitions, will really give the contestants some flexibility and creative freedom in their stories. I hope we see more ingredients like this one in the future.

And time is of the essence, with a Collapsing Bridge! This ingredient was obviously picked for its complexity and action potential. It will certainly bring a sense of danger and urgency to whatever dish the chef cooks. Or perhaps our contestants will see a different interpretation of these words, and bend it to their will? Is it a card game gone awry? A metaphor for failed negotiations? Again, the possibilities are wide open. This might be my favorite ingredient of this round.

And it appears that we have our first "meta" ingredient in the competition, and a 1E ingredient at that....a Demon, Type V. Notice what the Chairman has done here: he selected a demon, but narrowed down the options with an out-of-character, metagame descriptor ("type V.") Unless the demon is running a printing press, or belongs to a military organization that names its ranks "Types," or some other twist, that is.

There is also Apotheosis, which is the meat-and-potatoes of many published first- and second-edition adventures...and the ultimate finale of at least a couple seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. With the right interpretation, it could also be the name of a popular non-D&D roleplaying game. It will be interesting to see how this ingredient is used in conjunction with the others...particularly the one described above.

And this is interesting: a Hungover Mountain Range. Unless the contestants split the first word into two separate words, we will almost certainly be dealing with an intoxicated geological formation. And that will be something to see!

Last but not least, we have Plum Dumplings. Delicious, rich, and fruity, this ingredient is the perfect conclusion for any rich meal: roasted lamb, chicken pot pie, or even corned beef and cabbage. In a story about demons and mountains, however, it can be fiendishly difficult to stomach!

With ingredients this versatile and flavorful, this competition is almost guaranteed to yield spectacular results. Best of luck, fellows! I can't wait to see what you come up with.