Fall '03 Iron DM Tournament -- Wulf Ratbane is Iron DM!

[Wulf Ratbane]

Actually, I thought both your second-round and Nem's second round entries were stronger than either entry in the final round. I assumed that was because the ingredients were harder in the final round.

Probably. On the one hand I could have used more time, and on the other hand I could have done better with every ingredient. The last round I ended up with at least a whole afternoon less time to work on it than I expected... And I was up late playing in Piratecat's game the night before... So basically I wrote it in one morning.

Even so I do think my entry was the better one.

Nemm's just seemed a lot more dungeon-crawly and workmanlike.

But I will save further commentary for when I finally get to judge. I don't want the competitors to feel like they have a handle on how to pander to the judge too soon.

Anyway, something about the 2nd round just didn't feel as harried and "chore-like" as my entries usually feel. I just had a fun time writing that one and playing word games with the ingredients. Maybe it is because the deadline fell on a weekend...?


Wulf

 

[Berandor]

Wulf: Congrats, but you know what that means, don't you? GrimTales will be mine!
You do ship overseas, don't you?

Nemmerle: Congratulations, anyway. As I would do for anyone likely to judge my first entry into IronDM (holiday), I think yours was better!
If only it hadn't been that long...

Now, your explanation w/r/t formians?

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Wulf: Congrats, but you know what that means, don't you? GrimTales will be mine!
You do ship overseas, don't you?

Thanks, Berandor.

Osseum does supply Bad Axe books to Europe, through a German distributor. Our books are also available through Amazon. Last but not least, I can ship it to you myself. It's always best to start by asking your local retailer about Bad Axe-- I can always use good word of mouth.

Wulf

 

[Berandor]

Yeah, I noticed the ISBN - I can order the book by the number.

I'll have my FLGS order it, as soon as it's out and I've recovered from donation spree

But seriously, I would have bought it if you'd lost as well. It just sounds too nifty!

B

 

[el-remmen]

Now, your explanation w/r/t formians?

I hate Formorains. Pretty simple.

They have a bunch of extra powers and have a lot more HD and damage potential than I wanted the creatures to have. I thought about just making some flying Formorians - but hte Queen Formorian is a tough monster with a high CR and in the end - I thought it was btter just to convert something else.

I was going to make them just plain giant bees, instead of bee-men - but I don't know - I guess I wanted more intelligent foes. At one point I considered making them psionic.

Of course, everyone thinks their entry is better than their opponent's whether they win or lose. While I thought Wulf's was well-done as usual - the adventure itself did not really strike me as something I like on a gut level - it is just not the kind of adventure I would ever run, I guess - which is something I always try to purge myself of when I judge (I try to be more general would anyone want to run this).

My biggest fear about my entry was that the ingredients were strung together in too "far apart" a fashion - as they could be found in different parts of the dungeon. But I was going for that Gygaxian dungeon-crawl feel.

 

[Berandor]

(hmmm... no formorians - check!)

I think you would have won if you'd provided us with a map to the mountain

Honestly, I thought Wulf's adventure was a little more inventive, and at first sight, I thought it was better. But I wouldn't run the adventure, whereas Nemmerle's entry I could see considering... it was a tough decision.

Oh, and congrats, Wicht! I adored your circus (and I'm going to steal a lot of it! ), but the divine intervention gave me headaches, because I usually don't like to say "you can't do anything at all to change it". Then again, these small things is how I think gods would intervene if they really would, so...

Berandor

 

[Macbeth]

Congrats everybody. Good jobs all around. I'm suprised how well my 'divine intervention' ingredient was used for the 3rd place match.

 

[BSF]

Of course, everyone thinks their entry is better than their opponent's whether they win or lose. While I thought Wulf's was well-done as usual - the adventure itself did not really strike me as something I like on a gut level - it is just not the kind of adventure I would ever run, I guess - which is something I always try to purge myself of when I judge (I try to be more general would anyone want to run this).

I looked at Wulf's adventure and thought - Cool! That would be so much fun to run. I have some fae elements in my campaign and this would have been a wonderful addition to the game. I probably would have modified it a little, but you know, that is individual preference tweaking.

Anyway, it was excellent work by everybody! Especially in such a short period of time. Maybe someday I will be able to organize myself enough to actually compete in one of these.

 

[mythago]

Of course, everyone thinks their entry is better than their opponent's whether they win or lose.

Not always. There's nothing quite like that feeling of smugly pulling up your opponent's entry, reading it over, and realizing you've just been beaten eastside, westside, all around the town.

 

[Macbeth]

Not always. There's nothing quite like that feeling of smugly pulling up your opponent's entry, reading it over, and realizing you've just been beaten eastside, westside, all around the town.

I had that kind of feeling with Mythago's entry in Ceramic DM. Most of the time I do like my entries better, but Mythago is just such a good writer...