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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 1368027" data-attributes="member: 11">Judgment of Round One - Fifth Match-Up: Dave Turner vs. PakaJeez, why don't you guys gimme a break and agree that one of you should write a clearly superior entry to the other and make my life a bit easier - but the closer two entries are in style and quality the more I have really dig into every detail and element to find out who is going to go on to the next round.So since both of the entries are not only so similar, but similarly good, I'm going to use the ole direct ingredient comparison method of judging this match.Even as I write this I am still not sure who is going to win: You sweatin' yet?Slaughter of Halflings:  Both contestants have the slaughter of halflings be because of ghouls, which I guess I expected (though I hoped someone might think outside the box and bring forth a different scenario that played on assumptions and then pulled the rug out from under you).  This is tough.  On one hand I love that Dave Turner's slaughter was caused by a halfling ghoul who uses his intimate knowledge of the town to make sure the slaughter is successful, but how can I turn a blind eye to a slaughter being born of a paladin trying to do the good thing and inadvertantly leading the raveous ogres to the vicinity of the halfling town?  And while the main portion of the slaughtering happens in the background of both entries, I like that one is clearly an example of the consequences of a supposedly good action can lead to a lot innocent people suffering.   I think, Paka gets the edge on this one, but only by about half a "point".Daern's Instant Fortress: Have I mentioned I hate both Paka and Dave Turner?  Anyway, Paka's 'fortress' really doesn't come into play in his entry nearly as much as Dave Turner's - it really is a MacGuffin - but more of a MacGuffin for the paladin than for the PCs, which is unfortunate.  However, the fortress itself is connected to the Ogre Ghouls in a good way, making it the mobile fortress of the necromancer they once served - and by inhabiting it with the necromancer's ghost and creating opportunity for moral quandry and alignment and ethos exploration with the paladin and the PCs.  But I have to wonder if the fortress might even be used in this scenario.  Dave Turner has more of a "Night of the Living Dead" scenario going in his entry, (which would make the PCs the hillbillies <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />) - with townsfolk trapped in the fortress while the ghouls and ghasts prowl around outside and hope to find a way into the fortified cubic castle.  In this case, the fortress is a central part of the scenario, and poses the problem of the PCs communicatiing or working in conjunction with those trapped within - which could lead to some clever thinking on the part of the PCs to break the seige, especially since the ogre ghasts and the other ghouls will present a difficult foe.  Unfortunately, Dave does not take the time to explain the presence of the fortress in the halfling town, except to just say they have it.  Personally, I cannot say one competitor used it better than the other.  This ingredient is a wash for them.Ogre Ghouls: Straight up, Paka's are better.  They have a bit of history and purpose to them that links them to both the celestial kobold and to the Instant Fortress - while Dave Turner's are almost an after-thought, though they do serve to rip the balistae down for use against the fortress, which is good or else the halflings within could last as long as they had food and there would be no sense of urgency - so in that sense Dave Turner's do serve a purpose - but they are not as well entwined with the plot as Paka's.  Not to mention, that rules or not, the ingredient was ogre ghouls not ghasts.Celestial Kobold:  Again I think Paka takes this one as well.  Meepriel is more developed NPC and his "good acts" are the catalyst for slaughter and evil, how can you not admire that?  On the other hand, Aethon, isn't all that bad of a character either, and scene Dave describes for when the PCs come across him is powerful, but in the end the guilt and consequences of the paladin in Paka's scenario is more emotionally powerful.Ballista: Dave Turner gets this one handily.  The seige weapon is a lot more useful and dangerous being used by the ghouls to try to get into the instant fortress than it is as some trophy in the sherriff's place (as Paka has it).  And Dave Turner makes it work out by having it be something only someone with the strength of an ogre could manage to arrange.Pathetic Plea for Help: Another close one.  I have to say that the Paka's scene of the mute ghosts with apples in their mouths was powerful and I love the idea of leaving the apple behind as a clue to where the slaughter happened.  Food can be very strong imagery.  However, I think Dave's is a lot more pathetic, the poor halfling wasting away and slowly becoming a ghoul as he pleads with the PCs to help his people.  I can just examine Muryn wheezing and sweating and slavering as he voice breaks and changes and he explains about the stuation and then has to beg the PCs to kill him when they pledge that they will go help.  A great and powerful scene, and a lot more pitiable.So where does this leave us?  Frankly at a stalement.  Both constestants have a bunch of other little details that really help to flesh out their adventures, and as is common with similar entries, they could easily be combined to make an even better adventure.  But as much as I like them both and would love to advance both players, I can only choose one and I choose. . . .Damn!  Why is this so hard?  Paka's set up of the events is really superior and his individual use of ingredients and how he binds them together has a slight edge over Dave Turner, but the meat of Dave's is better - it has a more strategic-oriented combat surrounding the fortress, and he did a good job with NPC development and creating pathos.  So. . . So. . . So. . . [spoiler]Dave Turner wins.  And I hate that, if only because last time Paka was in an IRON DM tournament I eliminated him even though I actually liked his adventure better, and I wanted to advance him this time, knowing the potential he had would come to fruition in this tournament, and it did and I think against some of the other winners of this round he could have won - but Dave Turner stepped up.  Sigh, Paka,[/spoiler] I hope you'll come back and play again.  Stick with it.  Luck will be on your side eventually.</blockquote>

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