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<blockquote data-quote="Gradine" data-source="post: 8146217" data-attributes="member: 57112"><p>I'll echo Wicht's advice, and add a few of my own:</p><p><strong>7.</strong> When scheduling a match, I find that it's best to schedule my actual writing time in the latter half of the time allowed. This way, I've got time to ruminate on the ingredients and brainstorm before having to rush to writing.</p><p><strong>8.</strong> Don't waste too much time or word count on backstory. Yes, Wicht already said it. It bears repeating, though; I've seen it trip up even experienced authors.</p><p><strong>9. </strong>Most of the ingredients you receive will contain two words, typically (though not always) a descriptive adjective and a noun. Really give thought to why ingredient is <em>necessary </em>to the adventure, and why the <em>descriptor </em>is also a necessary facet of that ingredient. </p><p><strong>10. </strong>We judges generally don't have any pre-conceived ideas about how we expect an ingredient to appear. We have know idea what an "Athletic Airship" is; what we want is for you to pleasantly surprise us with the answer.</p><p></p><p><strong>For those wondering about what appeals to this particular judge, let me add...</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>a.</strong> Tell me a story. It doesn't have to be an epic or a railroad or anything like that. But I have to care about the world and the people. Which leads me to...</p><p><strong>b.</strong> Give me stakes that are clear and impactful. What happens if the party doesn't intercede. Why should the characters care to? </p><p><strong>c.</strong> Compared to my fellow judges I'm practically a hippie storyteller. Guts & glory; Gygaxian deadly dungeon crawls; these things are not exactly my cup of tea. That said, give your players difficult choices. Give them things to lose, goals to fail. I'm all for torturing players, but my preference is for emotional rather than statistical torture. That kind of pain usually lasts longer <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite29" alt=":devilish:" title="Devil :devilish:" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":devilish:" /></p><p><strong>d. </strong>We see a lot of D&D-esque fantasy. That's not a bad thing, but I love seeing people work outside of that box when they can. Usually the ingredients steer you in a direction, genre-wise; but still, don't be afraid to take risks and play with genre and playstyle. I won my championship with a solo-doppelgänger-PC murder mystery. One time I lost to a Scooby Doo spoof. Again, we love pleasent surprises. I don't have any particular system preferences as a judge. I wouldn't take issue with an adventure with no specific system in mind at all.</p><p><strong>e. </strong>I too enjoy a good turn of phrase. You'll receive no pun-ishment from me. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p><p><strong>f.</strong> For me, I love to see a good set of ingredients weaved together to tell the whole story. It's not enough to include a setpiece with an Athletic Airship; that airship has to be central to the adventure. Can I remove the ingredient without having to make any major revisions to the adventure? That's typically not a great sign.</p><p><strong>g.</strong> If the phrase "hippie storyteller" didn't tip you off already, I tend to take a more freeform approach to my judgments. I do judge ingredient usage head-to-head, and they do play a significant role in my final assessment. Overall adventure quality can overcome a slight loss on the ingredients, though.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Gradine, post: 8146217, member: 57112"] I'll echo Wicht's advice, and add a few of my own: [B]7.[/B] When scheduling a match, I find that it's best to schedule my actual writing time in the latter half of the time allowed. This way, I've got time to ruminate on the ingredients and brainstorm before having to rush to writing. [B]8.[/B] Don't waste too much time or word count on backstory. Yes, Wicht already said it. It bears repeating, though; I've seen it trip up even experienced authors. [B]9. [/B]Most of the ingredients you receive will contain two words, typically (though not always) a descriptive adjective and a noun. Really give thought to why ingredient is [I]necessary [/I]to the adventure, and why the [I]descriptor [/I]is also a necessary facet of that ingredient. [B]10. [/B]We judges generally don't have any pre-conceived ideas about how we expect an ingredient to appear. We have know idea what an "Athletic Airship" is; what we want is for you to pleasantly surprise us with the answer. [B]For those wondering about what appeals to this particular judge, let me add... a.[/B] Tell me a story. It doesn't have to be an epic or a railroad or anything like that. But I have to care about the world and the people. Which leads me to... [B]b.[/B] Give me stakes that are clear and impactful. What happens if the party doesn't intercede. Why should the characters care to? [B]c.[/B] Compared to my fellow judges I'm practically a hippie storyteller. Guts & glory; Gygaxian deadly dungeon crawls; these things are not exactly my cup of tea. That said, give your players difficult choices. Give them things to lose, goals to fail. I'm all for torturing players, but my preference is for emotional rather than statistical torture. That kind of pain usually lasts longer :devilish: [B]d. [/B]We see a lot of D&D-esque fantasy. That's not a bad thing, but I love seeing people work outside of that box when they can. Usually the ingredients steer you in a direction, genre-wise; but still, don't be afraid to take risks and play with genre and playstyle. I won my championship with a solo-doppelgänger-PC murder mystery. One time I lost to a Scooby Doo spoof. Again, we love pleasent surprises. I don't have any particular system preferences as a judge. I wouldn't take issue with an adventure with no specific system in mind at all. [B]e. [/B]I too enjoy a good turn of phrase. You'll receive no pun-ishment from me. ;) [B]f.[/B] For me, I love to see a good set of ingredients weaved together to tell the whole story. It's not enough to include a setpiece with an Athletic Airship; that airship has to be central to the adventure. Can I remove the ingredient without having to make any major revisions to the adventure? That's typically not a great sign. [B]g.[/B] If the phrase "hippie storyteller" didn't tip you off already, I tend to take a more freeform approach to my judgments. I do judge ingredient usage head-to-head, and they do play a significant role in my final assessment. Overall adventure quality can overcome a slight loss on the ingredients, though. [/QUOTE]
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