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IRON DM 2020 Tournament Thread
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<blockquote data-quote="Wicht" data-source="post: 8166774" data-attributes="member: 221"><p><strong>Judgment for Round 2, Match 2</strong></p><p><strong>[USER=60965]@Iron Sky[/USER] vs. [USER=59816]@FitzTheRuke[/USER]</strong></p><p></p><p>Wow. One of these entries is definitely easier to grok than the other. But does that make it better, worse, or not really matter in the end. Let’s find out.</p><p></p><p>Our first entry, Iron Sky’s <strong><em>Postmortem</em></strong> (hereafter <strong>TPK</strong>) aka. Death Race in the World Space, is a post death extravaganza boiled in Norse myth and served with a side of steam punk. The terminology and presentation takes a bit of getting used to, but in essence, the PCs will have the chance to aid powers and potential powers to somehow wrest control of a mythic lantern for control of the universe by engaging in a scavenger-hunt/race.</p><p></p><p>Our second entry, FitztheRuke’s<strong><em> Race to the Bottom</em></strong> (hereafter <strong>Hag</strong>) is a more typical offering which also features a race as the PCs pursue an evil hag through old dwarven tunnels. This entry is less ambitious in scope than its competitor, but is also somewhat tighter and easier to follow.</p><p></p><p>Both adventures were turned in on time, and were under the word count. So let’s take a look at what they actually offer us, beginning with</p><p></p><p>[spoiler=Ingredients]</p><p>Lets deal with the ingredients in the order the were given to the contestants, beginning with <strong>Window of Opportunity. </strong>In <strong>TPK </strong>we have a broken window in the lantern which the PCs will have to try to enter, if…, and this is I think an important point,… if they are working for the Enlightened thing and flying an airship. Otherwise, as far as I can tell, they will never encounter it. As might be clear in my judgments to date, I find ingredients which may or may not be encountered by the PCs a less than optimal use, and in this case it only has about a 33% chance of ever getting used. In <strong>Hag</strong>, we have two uses of a window of opportunity, both a bit less literal, but also more within the normal range of the term’s meaning. The second use in particular, as a few moments of battle in the midst of a mine-car race, is a bit scripted, but also highly cinematic. The DM has to hope, of course, that the window passes before they defeat the hag so that they will have to fight here elsewhere. But I think <strong>Hag</strong> has the clearly better use of the ingredient.</p><p></p><p>Then we come to the rather interesting ingredient of <strong>Nameless Things</strong>. I think that <strong>Hag</strong> has something of an advantage in this ingredient as well, but it’s a closer thing and requires a bit of explanation because in some ways <strong>TPK</strong> clearly works harder with the ingredient and at first glance the nameless things of Hag seem rather generic, being simply monstrous humanoids without names. Yet,… yet… yet, TPK works too hard to be clever and in a rather rare instance of this, undoes some of its own work because of its offering of a secong go at the ingredient. At the same time there is an elegant kind of poetry and tragedy to the simplicity of <strong>Hag</strong>’s use. What I mean by this is that the Things in <strong>TPK </strong>are initially a reference to a kind of counsel; at least, the Norse Things were gatherings for the purpose of governance and I am assuming that this is the implied meaning in <strong>TPK</strong>; though I must admit it is never spelled out and I am making an educated guess that we are meant to accept the classical understanding. And two of these Things are indeed by design nameless so as to not be subject to magical control. If this was the only use of Thing, we would be good and I might give it to <strong>TPK </strong>even though it’s a bit muddy that this was the intended meaning. But as we go on in the entry, we then have Thing used in reference to the English idea of a thing, meaning an item. And our attention is called to this use rather pointedly and yet none of these things are unnamed, rather they all are given named characteristics. What these additions manage to unfortunately accomplish is the creation of confusion in the mind of the reader as to the meaning of the first use of Thing as a Norse style counsel. If using a Norse term, stick with that use of the term for the sake of clarity. On the other hand, the things of <strong>Hag</strong> are humans who, through strange magics, have lost their identity, their humanity, and even their very memories. They are individuals who are bereft of all that makes them who they are, with names stolen by magic, and humanity further stripped away. The fact that the PCs are going to kill many of these things, only to, one hopes, discover what they actually were, that they did have identities and families, becomes a rather powerful thing. So again, advantage <strong>Hag</strong>.</p><p></p><p>Which brings us to <strong>Weird Magic</strong>. Here I have to give the slight advantage to <strong>TPK</strong>. The weird magics of <strong>Hag </strong>are mostly just weird because the author says they are. In truth, by most rules as written, there are pretty standard explanations for most of what is done. We shall assume that what is meant is that she calls upon energies that are different from what most other wizards call upon as they bend the laws of time and space. <strong>TPK</strong> takes a risks by interpreting weird as wyrd, meaning fate magic. Its not a perfect implementation of this, but the whole matter of the PCs having a chance to undo fate is stronger than what <strong>Hag</strong> offers, so in this case the risk pays off.</p><p></p><p>But on the <strong>Unlightable Lantern</strong> the advantage swings back to <strong>Hag</strong>, which has a rather glorious little malevolent magic item in the lantern, which when it is attempted to be lit, steals your very essence, a little at a time. The lantern in <strong>TPK</strong>, on the other hand is hard to light, but not actually unlightable, especially as the whole quest of those following the path of enlightenment is essentially to use a radioactive substance to “light” the lantern. Not being able to burn a flame in a lantern due to the wind is not the same as not being able to light it. Though one does wonder whether there is not a simpler, arcane way of lighting the lantern then bringing radioactive ore into it.</p><p></p><p>On the matter of <strong>Occupied Mine, </strong>which is truthfully one of the easier ingredients we have something of a wash, as both adventures offer mines which are suitably occupied and integral to the adventures.</p><p></p><p>And then we come to <strong>Old Ways</strong>. This is a tricky one because in <strong>TPK</strong>, the use of the ingredient is not spelled out explicitly (unless I am missing it), and we have to search for the ingredient. But the entirety of the adventure is basically asking the PCs to choose sides between the old rigid ways of doing things, or the new, more innovative and free-form ways. In <strong>Hag</strong> on the other hand, the old tunnels are just that: old tunnels. I have to give the advantage to <strong>TPK</strong> here.</p><p></p><p>And then <strong>Faster Car</strong>. In <strong>Hag </strong>we simply have six cars and one of them is providentially faster than the others. In <strong>TPK </strong>the PCs have the chance to upgrade their vehicle so it becomes faster. In neither case did I think it was particularly a good use. Which is a shame, since, as both adventures are a race, I think more might have been done with the ingredient. So we’ll call this one a wash.</p><p></p><p>As we get to the end of the ingredients, <strong>Hag </strong>has a definite advantage, but not an overwhelming one,… so lets move on…[/spoiler]</p><p></p><p>Let’s talk about…</p><p></p><p>[spoiler=Useability and Appeal] In the matter of useability, I think that <strong>Hag </strong>is the clear favorite. There is a lot going on in <strong>TPK</strong>, it is presented in a somewhat muddy way (the result of time constraints I am guessing) and each choice of the PCs at the beginning requires a whole different set of plans on the part of the DM. Essentially there are three adventures here, each running side by side with the other. You also have the matter of the DM having to run not one, but two other teams of powerful individuals, and, on the part of the poor DM, this whole scenario would likely end up being something of a nightmare to plan and run. The hook is very situation specific, but once it is taken the PCs have little choice but to follow through, one would assume. One remaining problem with useability is that it assumes a longer running campaign, with preknown enemies who are also dead. This makes it a rather niche offering, certainly not suitable for a wide variety of groups. </p><p></p><p>All that being said, once I did Grok all that was going on in <strong>TPK</strong>, I really liked quite a bit of it. It’s a bit outside my normal area of play, but it is well done and decently thought out, and gives a wide variety of choices, at least initially as to how the PCs want to go within the adventure. There’s a great deal going on, and most of it is fairly interesting, with a fair amount of opportunity for roleplaying. It is a case where the more I read it and understood it, the better I liked it.</p><p></p><p><strong>Hag </strong>on the other hand, is more linear, but it does not necessarily lose much because of that linearity simply because the action keeps moving. The setup requires the PCs to make the choice to investigate, but all things being equal, though the hook is a bit weak, it will probably work most of the time. And once the PCs are in the adventure they are likely to see it through to the end. My main complaint about it is that as a scenario, its actually a little on the short side. This is not totally bad, but I am left wanting just a little bit more. On the other, other hand, the rather horrific discovery by the PCs at the end that the monsters they have been killing were in fact the missing townsfolk is horrific enough to be worth the price of admission. It may be bad of me, but I really like that twist. [/spoiler]</p><p></p><p>So where does that leave us?</p><p></p><p>[spoiler=Judgment]</p><p><strong>TPK </strong>is a bit of a mess on first read, and I had to really work to get it. Some of that may have been a limited amount of sleep fogging my brain a little, but I think a lot of it was simply presentation and the use of terms both archaic and non-standard so as to require both research and assumptions as to their meaning. But once I did make it through, giving it two or three good rereads, it started to come together, and I found a lot there to like. My final impression was far more favorable than my initial impression.</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, <strong>Hag </strong>is easily understood, and if anything is almost too simple. But the ingredients are well used, and they tie together in a nice cohesive package. And a lot of that simplicity is hiding some rather well put-together ideas, such as the unlightable lantern, the true identity of the nameless things and the nice little cinematic mine-cart chase. There are a few weaknesses here and there, and aside from the emotional impact of the reveal at the end concerning the true nature of the monsters, I don’t know how memorable it will be a month after it has been played through.</p><p></p><p>Still, when all is said and done, FitztheRuke and <strong><em>The Race to the Bottom</em></strong> are the winners of this match in my estimation. We’ll see what the other other two judges say, whether they agree with me or not…</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Postmortem (TPK)</u></strong></p><p><strong>Rules 6</strong></p><p><strong>Ingredient Use</strong></p><p>Window of Opportunity<strong> 1</strong></p><p>Nameless Things <strong> 1.5</strong></p><p>Weird Magic <strong> 1.5</strong></p><p>Unlightable Lantern <strong> 1</strong></p><p>Occupied Mine <strong> 2</strong></p><p>Old Ways <strong> 2</strong></p><p>Faster Car <strong> 1 (total 10/14)</strong></p><p><strong>Useability 3</strong></p><p><strong>Appeal 5</strong></p><p><strong>TOTAL SCORE 24/32</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><u>Race to the Bottom (Hag)</u></strong></p><p><strong>Follows Rules 6</strong></p><p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p><p>Window of Opportunity<strong> 2</strong></p><p>Nameless Things <strong> 2</strong></p><p>Weird Magic <strong> 1</strong></p><p>Unlightable Lantern <strong> 2</strong></p><p>Occupied Mine <strong> 2</strong></p><p>Old Ways <strong> 1</strong></p><p>Faster Car <strong> 1 (total 11)</strong></p><p><strong>Useability 5 </strong></p><p><strong>Appeal 5</strong></p><p><strong>TOTAL SCORE 27/32</strong>[/spoiler]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wicht, post: 8166774, member: 221"] [B]Judgment for Round 2, Match 2 [USER=60965]@Iron Sky[/USER] vs. [USER=59816]@FitzTheRuke[/USER][/B] Wow. One of these entries is definitely easier to grok than the other. But does that make it better, worse, or not really matter in the end. Let’s find out. Our first entry, Iron Sky’s [B][I]Postmortem[/I][/B] (hereafter [B]TPK[/B]) aka. Death Race in the World Space, is a post death extravaganza boiled in Norse myth and served with a side of steam punk. The terminology and presentation takes a bit of getting used to, but in essence, the PCs will have the chance to aid powers and potential powers to somehow wrest control of a mythic lantern for control of the universe by engaging in a scavenger-hunt/race. Our second entry, FitztheRuke’s[B][I] Race to the Bottom[/I][/B] (hereafter [B]Hag[/B]) is a more typical offering which also features a race as the PCs pursue an evil hag through old dwarven tunnels. This entry is less ambitious in scope than its competitor, but is also somewhat tighter and easier to follow. Both adventures were turned in on time, and were under the word count. So let’s take a look at what they actually offer us, beginning with [spoiler=Ingredients] Lets deal with the ingredients in the order the were given to the contestants, beginning with [B]Window of Opportunity. [/B]In [B]TPK [/B]we have a broken window in the lantern which the PCs will have to try to enter, if…, and this is I think an important point,… if they are working for the Enlightened thing and flying an airship. Otherwise, as far as I can tell, they will never encounter it. As might be clear in my judgments to date, I find ingredients which may or may not be encountered by the PCs a less than optimal use, and in this case it only has about a 33% chance of ever getting used. In [B]Hag[/B], we have two uses of a window of opportunity, both a bit less literal, but also more within the normal range of the term’s meaning. The second use in particular, as a few moments of battle in the midst of a mine-car race, is a bit scripted, but also highly cinematic. The DM has to hope, of course, that the window passes before they defeat the hag so that they will have to fight here elsewhere. But I think [B]Hag[/B] has the clearly better use of the ingredient. Then we come to the rather interesting ingredient of [B]Nameless Things[/B]. I think that [B]Hag[/B] has something of an advantage in this ingredient as well, but it’s a closer thing and requires a bit of explanation because in some ways [B]TPK[/B] clearly works harder with the ingredient and at first glance the nameless things of Hag seem rather generic, being simply monstrous humanoids without names. Yet,… yet… yet, TPK works too hard to be clever and in a rather rare instance of this, undoes some of its own work because of its offering of a secong go at the ingredient. At the same time there is an elegant kind of poetry and tragedy to the simplicity of [B]Hag[/B]’s use. What I mean by this is that the Things in [B]TPK [/B]are initially a reference to a kind of counsel; at least, the Norse Things were gatherings for the purpose of governance and I am assuming that this is the implied meaning in [B]TPK[/B]; though I must admit it is never spelled out and I am making an educated guess that we are meant to accept the classical understanding. And two of these Things are indeed by design nameless so as to not be subject to magical control. If this was the only use of Thing, we would be good and I might give it to [B]TPK [/B]even though it’s a bit muddy that this was the intended meaning. But as we go on in the entry, we then have Thing used in reference to the English idea of a thing, meaning an item. And our attention is called to this use rather pointedly and yet none of these things are unnamed, rather they all are given named characteristics. What these additions manage to unfortunately accomplish is the creation of confusion in the mind of the reader as to the meaning of the first use of Thing as a Norse style counsel. If using a Norse term, stick with that use of the term for the sake of clarity. On the other hand, the things of [B]Hag[/B] are humans who, through strange magics, have lost their identity, their humanity, and even their very memories. They are individuals who are bereft of all that makes them who they are, with names stolen by magic, and humanity further stripped away. The fact that the PCs are going to kill many of these things, only to, one hopes, discover what they actually were, that they did have identities and families, becomes a rather powerful thing. So again, advantage [B]Hag[/B]. Which brings us to [B]Weird Magic[/B]. Here I have to give the slight advantage to [B]TPK[/B]. The weird magics of [B]Hag [/B]are mostly just weird because the author says they are. In truth, by most rules as written, there are pretty standard explanations for most of what is done. We shall assume that what is meant is that she calls upon energies that are different from what most other wizards call upon as they bend the laws of time and space. [B]TPK[/B] takes a risks by interpreting weird as wyrd, meaning fate magic. Its not a perfect implementation of this, but the whole matter of the PCs having a chance to undo fate is stronger than what [B]Hag[/B] offers, so in this case the risk pays off. But on the [B]Unlightable Lantern[/B] the advantage swings back to [B]Hag[/B], which has a rather glorious little malevolent magic item in the lantern, which when it is attempted to be lit, steals your very essence, a little at a time. The lantern in [B]TPK[/B], on the other hand is hard to light, but not actually unlightable, especially as the whole quest of those following the path of enlightenment is essentially to use a radioactive substance to “light” the lantern. Not being able to burn a flame in a lantern due to the wind is not the same as not being able to light it. Though one does wonder whether there is not a simpler, arcane way of lighting the lantern then bringing radioactive ore into it. On the matter of [B]Occupied Mine, [/B]which is truthfully one of the easier ingredients we have something of a wash, as both adventures offer mines which are suitably occupied and integral to the adventures. And then we come to [B]Old Ways[/B]. This is a tricky one because in [B]TPK[/B], the use of the ingredient is not spelled out explicitly (unless I am missing it), and we have to search for the ingredient. But the entirety of the adventure is basically asking the PCs to choose sides between the old rigid ways of doing things, or the new, more innovative and free-form ways. In [B]Hag[/B] on the other hand, the old tunnels are just that: old tunnels. I have to give the advantage to [B]TPK[/B] here. And then [B]Faster Car[/B]. In [B]Hag [/B]we simply have six cars and one of them is providentially faster than the others. In [B]TPK [/B]the PCs have the chance to upgrade their vehicle so it becomes faster. In neither case did I think it was particularly a good use. Which is a shame, since, as both adventures are a race, I think more might have been done with the ingredient. So we’ll call this one a wash. As we get to the end of the ingredients, [B]Hag [/B]has a definite advantage, but not an overwhelming one,… so lets move on…[/spoiler] Let’s talk about… [spoiler=Useability and Appeal] In the matter of useability, I think that [B]Hag [/B]is the clear favorite. There is a lot going on in [B]TPK[/B], it is presented in a somewhat muddy way (the result of time constraints I am guessing) and each choice of the PCs at the beginning requires a whole different set of plans on the part of the DM. Essentially there are three adventures here, each running side by side with the other. You also have the matter of the DM having to run not one, but two other teams of powerful individuals, and, on the part of the poor DM, this whole scenario would likely end up being something of a nightmare to plan and run. The hook is very situation specific, but once it is taken the PCs have little choice but to follow through, one would assume. One remaining problem with useability is that it assumes a longer running campaign, with preknown enemies who are also dead. This makes it a rather niche offering, certainly not suitable for a wide variety of groups. All that being said, once I did Grok all that was going on in [B]TPK[/B], I really liked quite a bit of it. It’s a bit outside my normal area of play, but it is well done and decently thought out, and gives a wide variety of choices, at least initially as to how the PCs want to go within the adventure. There’s a great deal going on, and most of it is fairly interesting, with a fair amount of opportunity for roleplaying. It is a case where the more I read it and understood it, the better I liked it. [B]Hag [/B]on the other hand, is more linear, but it does not necessarily lose much because of that linearity simply because the action keeps moving. The setup requires the PCs to make the choice to investigate, but all things being equal, though the hook is a bit weak, it will probably work most of the time. And once the PCs are in the adventure they are likely to see it through to the end. My main complaint about it is that as a scenario, its actually a little on the short side. This is not totally bad, but I am left wanting just a little bit more. On the other, other hand, the rather horrific discovery by the PCs at the end that the monsters they have been killing were in fact the missing townsfolk is horrific enough to be worth the price of admission. It may be bad of me, but I really like that twist. [/spoiler] So where does that leave us? [spoiler=Judgment] [B]TPK [/B]is a bit of a mess on first read, and I had to really work to get it. Some of that may have been a limited amount of sleep fogging my brain a little, but I think a lot of it was simply presentation and the use of terms both archaic and non-standard so as to require both research and assumptions as to their meaning. But once I did make it through, giving it two or three good rereads, it started to come together, and I found a lot there to like. My final impression was far more favorable than my initial impression. On the other hand, [B]Hag [/B]is easily understood, and if anything is almost too simple. But the ingredients are well used, and they tie together in a nice cohesive package. And a lot of that simplicity is hiding some rather well put-together ideas, such as the unlightable lantern, the true identity of the nameless things and the nice little cinematic mine-cart chase. There are a few weaknesses here and there, and aside from the emotional impact of the reveal at the end concerning the true nature of the monsters, I don’t know how memorable it will be a month after it has been played through. Still, when all is said and done, FitztheRuke and [B][I]The Race to the Bottom[/I][/B] are the winners of this match in my estimation. We’ll see what the other other two judges say, whether they agree with me or not… [B][U]Postmortem (TPK)[/U] Rules 6 Ingredient Use[/B] Window of Opportunity[B] 1[/B] Nameless Things [B] 1.5[/B] Weird Magic [B] 1.5[/B] Unlightable Lantern [B] 1[/B] Occupied Mine [B] 2[/B] Old Ways [B] 2[/B] Faster Car [B] 1 (total 10/14) Useability 3 Appeal 5 TOTAL SCORE 24/32 [U]Race to the Bottom (Hag)[/U] Follows Rules 6 Ingredients[/B] Window of Opportunity[B] 2[/B] Nameless Things [B] 2[/B] Weird Magic [B] 1[/B] Unlightable Lantern [B] 2[/B] Occupied Mine [B] 2[/B] Old Ways [B] 1[/B] Faster Car [B] 1 (total 11) Useability 5 Appeal 5 TOTAL SCORE 27/32[/B][/spoiler][B][/B] [/QUOTE]
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