The Innumerated Rules of IRON DM
1) Eight Contestants are chosen. Usually among the first eight people to post that they want to play after sign-up begins. Three alternates are chosen from the next three people who post who are willing to be an alternate. In the case of this “Newbie Tournament” the 8 contestants will be chosen from among the first 12 to post, with preference going to those who have never competed before. Thos who have gotten past the second round of a previous tournament or who have competed more than once are disqualified from being eligible.
2) Alternates are only used if a contestant is not available at the agreed time of post the ingredients (see below) and no other arrangement has been made with the contestant in question ahead of time. The judge reserves the right to choose an alternate if a chosen contestant’s schedule becomes too inconvenient to work around. Note: Alternates should not get their hopes up. I have seen an alternate used perhaps 3 times in all the IRON DM tournaments I have run, participated in or observed.
3) The judge determines who gets paired with who based on availability of the contestants and based on whatever factors he deems appropriate to use.
4) The ingredients consist of six items. Typically (but not limited to), one or two monsters (like bugbear and bulette), one or two persons (a mayor or a blind bard), a place (a grain mill or a haunted marsh), one or two things (like a wand of magic missiles or a sharpened spoon), and an abstract concept or event (fear or a birthday party).
5) The ingredients are then used to design an overview of an adventure. You should try to either give the items equal importance in the adventure, or ingenious and pertinent ways to incorporate into the adventure. You are free to add and create any other elements of the adventure, but the use of too much filler to bring unrelated objects together will likely lead a judgment against you.
6) The length of an entry varies. Anything from a detailed sidetrek to longer outline for an adventure is allowed. However, being too long and too specific can work against you as if you bore the judge you are likely to lose. Try to keep it below 2500 words. Do not worry about stat blocks.
7) The judge reserves the right to disqualify any entry due to poor formatting or atrocious spelling and/or grammar, which makes reading the entry too difficult to be worth it. You have to be pretty bad for this to happen, but you stand warned.
8) Contestants have 24 hours (based on the posting time) from when the ingredients are posted to post their entry. To be safe, you should simultaneously email the entry to aquerra@hotmail.com.
9) Once your entry is posted you may not edit it. Any editing is grounds for an immediate disqualification. If something is so terrible that is has to be fixed PM the judge about it. Remember to list your ingredients and who you are competeing against at the top of your entry.
10) Obviously, one of the two contestants has to post first. We go by the honor system that the latter contestant will NOT read his competitor’s entry until AFTER he has posted his.
11) Comments and questions are welcome from the peanut gallery, however, PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THE INGREDIENTS or give any kinds of suggestions until after both entries are posted and do not comment on the entries in any specific way until after judgment is posted.
12) An entry posted even one minute past the deadline is disqualified, unless the poster’s competitor is willing to let it slide, or the judge sees a reason for an extension to be called (boards going down, for example).
13) All judgments are final. Judgments are direct and honest and can often come off as harsh. Your scenario will be picked apart. Deal with it. It is part of the fun. If you do good you will also get gushing praise, but a poorly used ingredient will be pointed out like a gigantic glistening yellowed zit on your nose in home economics class.
14) Each round is single elimination. However, the two losing contestants from the semi-final round may compete against each other for the 3rd place position if they so wish.
15) In the final round, the judge may include up to 10 “bonus ingredients” in the ingredient list. The contestants may use as few or as many of these ingredients are they like. However, their use is only counted in the case of a needed tie-breaker (when the level of competition is very good or very bad ties are not all that uncommon). Please do note, that the use of a bonus ingredient can still be counted AGAINST you if you use it poorly even if there is not a tie-breaker situation, so choose carefully.
16) The winner of the third and final round is crowned “Holiday Iron DM Newbie Division” and both he (or she) and the winner of the last “Enworld Division” IRON DM (currently Wulf Ratbane) will be guaranteed seats in the next IRON DM tournament.
Example Entry (by Radiating Gnome):
1) Eight Contestants are chosen. Usually among the first eight people to post that they want to play after sign-up begins. Three alternates are chosen from the next three people who post who are willing to be an alternate. In the case of this “Newbie Tournament” the 8 contestants will be chosen from among the first 12 to post, with preference going to those who have never competed before. Thos who have gotten past the second round of a previous tournament or who have competed more than once are disqualified from being eligible.
2) Alternates are only used if a contestant is not available at the agreed time of post the ingredients (see below) and no other arrangement has been made with the contestant in question ahead of time. The judge reserves the right to choose an alternate if a chosen contestant’s schedule becomes too inconvenient to work around. Note: Alternates should not get their hopes up. I have seen an alternate used perhaps 3 times in all the IRON DM tournaments I have run, participated in or observed.
3) The judge determines who gets paired with who based on availability of the contestants and based on whatever factors he deems appropriate to use.
4) The ingredients consist of six items. Typically (but not limited to), one or two monsters (like bugbear and bulette), one or two persons (a mayor or a blind bard), a place (a grain mill or a haunted marsh), one or two things (like a wand of magic missiles or a sharpened spoon), and an abstract concept or event (fear or a birthday party).
5) The ingredients are then used to design an overview of an adventure. You should try to either give the items equal importance in the adventure, or ingenious and pertinent ways to incorporate into the adventure. You are free to add and create any other elements of the adventure, but the use of too much filler to bring unrelated objects together will likely lead a judgment against you.
6) The length of an entry varies. Anything from a detailed sidetrek to longer outline for an adventure is allowed. However, being too long and too specific can work against you as if you bore the judge you are likely to lose. Try to keep it below 2500 words. Do not worry about stat blocks.
7) The judge reserves the right to disqualify any entry due to poor formatting or atrocious spelling and/or grammar, which makes reading the entry too difficult to be worth it. You have to be pretty bad for this to happen, but you stand warned.
8) Contestants have 24 hours (based on the posting time) from when the ingredients are posted to post their entry. To be safe, you should simultaneously email the entry to aquerra@hotmail.com.
9) Once your entry is posted you may not edit it. Any editing is grounds for an immediate disqualification. If something is so terrible that is has to be fixed PM the judge about it. Remember to list your ingredients and who you are competeing against at the top of your entry.
10) Obviously, one of the two contestants has to post first. We go by the honor system that the latter contestant will NOT read his competitor’s entry until AFTER he has posted his.
11) Comments and questions are welcome from the peanut gallery, however, PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THE INGREDIENTS or give any kinds of suggestions until after both entries are posted and do not comment on the entries in any specific way until after judgment is posted.
12) An entry posted even one minute past the deadline is disqualified, unless the poster’s competitor is willing to let it slide, or the judge sees a reason for an extension to be called (boards going down, for example).
13) All judgments are final. Judgments are direct and honest and can often come off as harsh. Your scenario will be picked apart. Deal with it. It is part of the fun. If you do good you will also get gushing praise, but a poorly used ingredient will be pointed out like a gigantic glistening yellowed zit on your nose in home economics class.
14) Each round is single elimination. However, the two losing contestants from the semi-final round may compete against each other for the 3rd place position if they so wish.
15) In the final round, the judge may include up to 10 “bonus ingredients” in the ingredient list. The contestants may use as few or as many of these ingredients are they like. However, their use is only counted in the case of a needed tie-breaker (when the level of competition is very good or very bad ties are not all that uncommon). Please do note, that the use of a bonus ingredient can still be counted AGAINST you if you use it poorly even if there is not a tie-breaker situation, so choose carefully.
16) The winner of the third and final round is crowned “Holiday Iron DM Newbie Division” and both he (or she) and the winner of the last “Enworld Division” IRON DM (currently Wulf Ratbane) will be guaranteed seats in the next IRON DM tournament.
Example Entry (by Radiating Gnome):
Last edited:
I hope you mean "...lead to a judgement..." 
