Iron DM 2010 Discussion Thread

[Pour]

I'm actually in the same boat. I won't be able to glance at the ingredients till 4ish, but post them anyway.

 

[CleverNickName]

I plan designing a module, which means including at least one drawn spatial map (and perhaps some other types of maps), numbered rooms, and a key. Is this within the rules like including pictures in the submission posts?

The only thing that you are required to submit, according to the rules anyway, is an adventure, side-trek, or encounter. If you have the time to create highly-detailed maps, then by all means do so.

But just so you know: it might not give you much of an edge in the competition unless your map also incorporates one or more of the ingredients in a major way. You are being judged on how well you use the ingredients given and how creative you are with them...not necessarily on how "complete" your adventure is.

 

[CleverNickName]

Pretty much. I was at a loss until I thought about the plum dumpling ingredient. Although plum dumplings aren't necessarily oriental-themed, it led me to think about a "Journey to the West" style adventure. Just replace the peaches with plums and there you go.

CleverNickName, yep, it was 100% the plums for me. I just wanted to have a reason why it mattered that the plum dumplings were *plum* dumplings, rather than, say, pork dumplings, or even rollmops or some other random food item.

Spoken like a true Iron DM. It's generally pretty easy to incorporate food into a story...but the judge selected a specific type of food. It's up to you to figure out why that particular type of food is necessary in the adventure.

Just rereading my entry the next morning, which is always a mistake.

Ah, post-entry regret. No matter how many times you read through it, it would always have been nice to just have the time to do it once more...

Yep. I know exactly how you feel. FWIW, I thought that both of you had very excellent entries, even if they have a lot in common. So, chin up! You probably did much better than you think you did. Pbartender is going to have his work cut out for him in this round.

 

[Iron Sky]

So, question. Do I still get a "judgment" (a review I guess since it's just me), say, against a hypothetical ideal use of the ingredients? I'd appreciate the criticism to help sharpen me up for the upcoming rounds. If not, that's cool, was just curious.

 

[CleverNickName]

So, question. Do I still get a "judgment" (a review I guess since it's just me), say, against a hypothetical ideal use of the ingredients? I'd appreciate the criticism to help sharpen me up for the upcoming rounds. If not, that's cool, was just curious.

Yep, you should still get a review from the judge, for exactly that reason. Iron DM is about more than winning; it is also about honing your creativity and building up your storytelling skills. To this end, anyone reading this thread is also encouraged to write some reviews of their own. The judge's opinion matters most as far as the competition goes, but everyone else's feedback can be just as important in the bigger picture.

 

[Radiating Gnome]

Sorry to be a little late: Round 1 match 4 ingredients are now up.

I'll give you all until 1 pm EST tomorrow.
-rg

 

[Pbartender]

So, question. Do I still get a "judgment" (a review I guess since it's just me), say, against a hypothetical ideal use of the ingredients? I'd appreciate the criticism to help sharpen me up for the upcoming rounds. If not, that's cool, was just curious.

Both submissions will be judged, and consideration will be given for the lateness of one.

 

[Iron Sky]

Both submissions will be judged, and consideration will be given for the lateness of one.

By lateness, I'm assuming you also mean an entry so late it doesn't exist?

 

[Pbartender]

By lateness, I'm assuming you also mean an entry so late it doesn't exist?

Bleargh... Right problem, wrong contestants. Sorry for my confusion.


That said, IVV does have space reserved for the judgment.

 

[CleverNickName]

Welcome back to the part of the Iron DM Competition where I pretend to be a Food Network game show host! I'll rehash my usual schtik, talking about the ingredients of the next round like they are actually being displayed in an imaginary Kitchen Stadium, and offer witty musings and wild predictions on how they could be used! It's great fun, because since I'm not competing, I can afford to be objective! And I get to use lots of exclaimation points!

So let's get started!

Spoiler

Our first ingredient is a powerhouse of danger: a Mercury Dragon. A dangerous metal, mixed with a dangerous monster? It's so dangerous! If you play Forgotten Realms, you might have already seen this beast. You others are at your leisure.

Then we have a Crystal Sepulcher. It's elegant, it's fragile, and it's full of bones! Graverobbing is a time-honored tradition (obligation?) among adventurers...but how can they plunder something made of valuable minerals? More to the point, why would someone make a tomb out of valuable minerals?! Nothing says "Rob Me!" like a diamond-crusted grave.

And look, it's a Corrupt Prophet. This is another extremely flavorful ingredient that brings to mind all manner of schemes, plots, and deceit. The language is that of politics and religion, which I will not utter here. The first thing I thought of was the Madoff scandal, but that's probably the wrong kind of profit.

Who doesn't love Abstinence? Well, pretty much every teenager in the American Midwest. But the key to using this ingredient lies in the context: who is doing the abstaining, and what are they abstaining from?

Loaded Dice. I actually have a set of these, right here on my desk. They belonged to my ex-wife, who needed them for a production of Guys & Dolls back in Colorado Springs: the dice are weighted so that they favor landing on "snake eyes." (If you've seen the play, you know why.) Obviously, they haven't seen much game-time. But they are a pretty cool conversation piece, anyway.

Hopefully our contestants can find a much more interesting use for them than this horrible story of mine.

I don't know why I hate the Ebon Fly so much. I mean, as far as wondrous items go, it is definitely above-par (at least it's not a feather token, right?) I guess it's the lack of an attack that bothers me. All the stats of a hippogriff, with none of the awesome? Meh. And if you don't dismount before the time is up, you will be plummeting all the way back to earth with a toy wooden insect between your legs.

Best of luck to our contestants! And on a personal note, I am hoping that the two of them can change my opinion of that last ingredient. Show me what I'm missing!