[OOC] Open Discussion

[RonarsCorruption]

feel free.

Seriously though, some of our judges last round didn't have time to properly get feedback up, hence my hesitation to this point. Ah well though, that's lifec'est la vie.

[HenryLockwood]

I know for a fact that at some stage in the competition - though I can't remember which round - I just gave scores with no comments. I work too hard sometimes :-/

[Uruz]

So....its Friday...

Yes, OK, I'm twitchy and impatient.

[Elfman6]

Judging officially ends today.

Mayhaps we don't find out the answer to the question on our collective minds until tomorrow.

[Uruz]

[syberpuppy]

And the Not to sound too soppy, but I think that reaching this level is winning enough. Getting high here too will be a great bonus nonetheless...winners for Outplay for year 2011 are...

...

...

...

[RonarsCorruption]

being posted within the next five minutes. I can't do it while I'm asleep, silly.

[syberpuppy]

Sleep is for losers. All the cool kids post results early.

Edit: Mmm... I have a feeling I just lost a few points.

[syberpuppy]

Congratulation Thorsten, you definitely deserve it. I already decided that I'm going to nominate your introductory post to PotM in a week. Truly one of the best posts I've ever read.

Was a pleasure contending with all of you, and looking forward to play with you in the upcoming game.

P.S. I'm still all for finishing this mini adventure if you up to it, but I think we should wait until we start playing in the new game before that.

[Thorsten]

Wow... I am sitting here with a cup of coffee, wishing it was champagne or something similar.

Thanks! I mean... really. Thanks! Had I been more certain of the outcome, I would've prepared a speech or something (and likely also have retained more of my fingernails. I think I was close to striking bone somewhere around last night).

The Outplay competition is, without a doubt, some of the most fun I've had during my time at DnDOG. In a way I am also sad to see it end. It's been a wild ride of what I would classify as near-epic proportions (proving that you don't need to slay Dragons to have a good time - hunting for turnips can be just as exhilarating). It is also something I would definitely do again, if given half the chance, and I would urge others to follow suit, should this event see light next year.

I think most would agree with me, in that this competition has proven to be a much tougher thing than what we initially thought. Its hard to set a high standard and stick with it throughout the entire competition. It does not get any easier when your co-players (and competitors) write at a level that seems to demand even more out of you. In some cases I felt I had to research material about conditions I knew little about in, just to be able to give a more accurate portrayal of a character - making this a learning experience as well as a competition.

I would like to say thank you, officially, to all those I have played with and against; Blauf, Embrodak and Squeak for their wonderful trio of Half-orcs. Tyger, for facing off against me with a necrophiliac bard (and doing so well) and of course Uruz, syberpuppy and Elfman6 for some vivid characters and a beautiful set of writing skills. The DM's too, should not be forgotten, since they have taken time to run this, and judge the event. I've received what I believe to be fair judging (and tough love) from them, and it has urged me to do better. Thank you for that, Cidolfas, HenryLockwood and RonarsCorruption (there's probably been more involved behind the scene - my thanks extends to them as well.)

Finally I would like to say that this competition (along with some prodding from co-players and spectators) has convinced me to sign up for the National Novel Writing Month (The NaNoWriMo), proving, to me at least, that a bit of positive feedback to your writing, can urge you to strive for greater heights.

There. That turned into a little Oscar-speech on its own, but I felt it was needed.
Now, I'll go and see if I don't have anything bubbly in my fridge. And maybe treat myself to a pat on the back.

/Thorsten

[Thorsten]

... Whoops! Almost forgot. A cheer to the authors of the mini-scenarios we've been playing too. I know they've already received their accolades as Iron DM's and runner-ups, but I've enjoyed what they've weaved together. Don't ever stop.

/T

[Grogg Tree]

Wow, this was a fantastic showing for the first year of a competition. Can't wait to see what happens next year.

-GT

[Elfman6]

Congrats indeed Thorsten. That feather in your hat is well earned.

And thanks again to the judges and the Iron DMs who wrote the trials that were inflicted upon us.

and now, I can feel I can finally reveal the judge's feedback without unduly influencing any of the competitors.

 

judge1 Writing: 10 - Not a word wasted, not a word unneeded. I love the dual personalities. Which, by the way, was created to house a gestalt character in the company of non-gestalt characters. Traits: 9 - I see a lot of this in Dracos, who I suppose is the main character, but not Azin. It'd be nice to have seen a trait or two in Azin too. Complete: 9 - a complete character and then some. Still, it would have been nice to get a little more insight into the other half. Interesting: 10 - Very interesting. Looking forward to seeing it in action.

judge2 Writing (10/10): Damn... just damn. I can hardly describe how awesome the player did to make a gestalt character into one that was schizophrenic. Between that and the way it was written with the 'files', I'm still excited to see this in future rounds. Traits (8/10): With the exception of Azin not really exhibiting the traits, they were well done. But then again, how often are split personalities similar? Complete (9/10): This has everything needed, in a unique manner. I want more info on Azin, but that is part of the interest as well. Interesting (10/10): I was not only wanting to read more, but I thought that the player gave a fantastic basis to introduce Azin a bit more, since we don't really know much about the 'person'. I want to see where this can go in the worst way...

judge3 Writing 10 – Really nothing to find fault with, well done. Traits: Everything seems to be there and accounted for. Complete: 9– Might have connected the character to the actual contest events, but otherwise feels like the finished product. Interesting: 10 – The application was unique and really kept me interested.

judge4 Writing: 10/10 Oh dear, oh dear. "Your" for "You're" in File 10. The rest of it's so very good that I'm going to let it slide and still give you 10. Traits: 10/10 All there, well-used, and interesting. Interesting: 10/10 Can I have some more, please? Complete: 9/10 I really want to know how he reacted to the announcement. sheet 10 – Everything is in order and organized excellently. It is clear he did not brush off the sheet after writing his application.

also worth noting you came in second overall (by a mere one point). Good work.

 

Judge 1 Writing (10/10): This was a fantastic set of posts to read. They had continuity, flow, and picture perfect grammar. Awesome, simply awesome. Posting (10/10): Finally, the first contestant I read that included a complete description of their character in the first post. Also, there was plenty of posts to go around, while still allowing others to have a say. Character (10/10): I love the way the player went back and forth with the two personalities. They both exhibited what was initial written for them, thus staying in character. Rules (10/10): Everything was properly marked and noted, while rolling when Interaction (8/10): The way Elfman interacted with the NPC and PCs was great. The only issue I have is the lack of anything other than skills being used (yes, there was the permanent stuff that wasn't as helpful as I'm sure the player would have liked). Overall Score (48/50)

Judge 2 Writing (10/10): I loved elfman's writing. Even the subtleties of the actions between the two sides of the character. The whole thing flows, and I enjoyed the banter between Dracos and Azin and the other characters. Posting (10/10): He included a description in the first post, and proceeded to post more than once for every one that I made. He also never stepped on people's toes (though he made it play out like his character was trying to, which is interesting). Character (10/10): This is the characters presented in the first round. The grammar of that sentence might be a little broken, but the character is good. Still following his traits, and more importantly staying in character. Sure, having a two-sided character makes that easier, but he doesn't slip up even once. Even when referring to who was making skill checks. Rules (10/10): The rolls were labelled, the posts were made appropriately, everything was formatted well. I can't fault him on anything, really. Interaction (8/10): I loved the banter between the characters, I appreciated the work that Dracos did and the actions he took, but... I really feel as a mage there was a lot he could have done that he didn't. Sure, he mentions that he had a spell that he hadn't prepared, but there's a lot more than one spell in the book. Overall Score (48/50)

Judge 3 Writing (9/10): Couple of imperfections in spelling and grammar, but otherwise excellent. Posting (10/10): I couldn't spot anything wrong. Character (10/10): Managing to display this depth of schizophrenia and have both characters interesting is a challenge, and you've risen to it admirably. Rules (7/10): I didn't see as many rolls as you could usefully have made, but the ones you did make were well-chosen. Interaction (10/10): None of it felt forced, and yet you were still managing the "we're forming an adventuring party" conversations as well as the problem-solving. Overall Score (46/50)

Judge 4 Writing (10/10): Excellent writing, clear descriptions and well formatted. Truly a please to read. Posting (10/10): Posted consistently and in a good format, best in the round for me. Character (10/10): RPed the dual aspects of the character aspect perfectly in my opinion. Definately a character I'd enjoy reading more about. Rules (10/10): No issues with use of the rules at all. Interaction (9/10): Seemed to be the driving force of the group throughout the round. Could have possibly made better use of the characters abilities, but that would be all. Overall Score (49/50)

 

judge 1 Uses abilities 12/20 - Look at me, I can roll perform and diplomacy! With all you had at your disposal, you rolled these two things every single time. Boo. And boo-ring, too. I really did like how the potion was worked into the debate - that was brilliant. And the use of countersong was excellent. However, the lack of using any other resources is disappointing. I mean, you have a whole list of spells (none of which required rolling), including major image. That would have been an excellent tool. I just feel there was a lot of missed opportunity here. Also, you could have totally used the red-handed-ness of your opponent to be a bit more advantagous than a frigging joke. Writing 9/10 - It was good, but I think it might have been a little too over the top accent-ey. It became less entertaining and more of a hastle to read as it went on. Also, a broken tag in the final post. Rules 7/10 - Two places where he made more than two rolls per round. While both in reaction to things, it wasn't combat or combat-like, so it's borderline. Still, as I've said above, you really didn't have to roll perform or diplomacy every post, so there's no reason for there to be borderline cases at all. Stays in Character 8/10 - Definitely stayed in character, ridiculous accent and all. I'm impressed with that. However, there wasn't a whole lot defined about the character other than the accent, and one little nervous habit. It would have been nice to mention his homeland, because he obviously wasn't from around here.

<judge 2 made no comments>

judge 3 Elfman6Uses abilities 12/20 – Didn’t use everything at his disposal well enough, there were far more options left. Also did not need the same rolls in virtually every post. Writing 8/10 – Loved the accent for the most part, though after a while it became a tedious read. By the last paragraph I was pretty much over it, especially with so many long sections of talking. Rules 10/10 – I didn’t see any major issues with sticking to the rules. Stays in Character 10/10 – Stuck with the accent throughout and even added in a few words from another language.

 

Judge ? Elfman6 - Lord Dracos was one of my favorites from the first round, and throughout most of the competition. However, there was one major thing that allowed victory to slip from Elfman's grasp. With just two days left of the competition, Nila confronted him about his split personality. And, instead of confronting it, Dracos just shrugged it off. The golden opportunity to go from first by a hair to a perfect reveal - at least a reveal by the alternate personality at the last moment was missed. And whether Elfman was hoping the scene would continue for a bigger reveal or what, I don't know; but I have to relegate this mistake to 3rd place.

Judge ? Elfman6 - I loved Lord Dracos from the start. The characterisation, the in-character use of the gestalt rules - where so many times I just see "Oh yes, my character has this whole other set of talents" - and the unusual presentation of the backstory. I was rooting for you for that reason, and thankfully your performance in later rounds has been up to the high standards you set yourself. The switching between characters, including right in your second post when Azin surfaces to leer at Nila, is exquisitely timed. The way Dracos brushes off Tharsk's question about his schizophrenia is good as well - though I'd love to see this develop in a longer game, with Dracos (and the others) gradually becoming aware of the truth. It's a tough choice. Second place.

Overall 2nd Place. Elfman6 - I am a big fan of Elfman's writing. His word variety is excellent and the back of forth between the two personalities was role-played well for virtually the entire round. I also liked that he stayed true to the character's personality the whole time as well. The back and forth with him and Thorsten in the beginning was very interesting. Yet when all was say and done, I just felt a stronger pull for Kardaine than I did Dracos, which I would not have thought possible before the round started.

[syberpuppy]

Well, since it seems like we're in a sharing mood:

 

Syberpuppy - I think Syberpuppy is a great player. I've said as much, and he's quoted me on it. I don't, however, like Nila as a character. No matter how well a character you don't like (I think it's the personality, but it's hard for me to put a finger on it) is portrayed, you still don't really like the character. She also turned out to be woefully unprepared for battle in the last round. Syberpuppy gets my vote for 2nd place.

Syberpuppy - Writing has been one of your weaknesses in earlier rounds - in particular, the little niggles that come from being a non-native speaker. You do a much better job of it than I would, and you've done a much better job this round than before. Now for the negatives: I'm afraid I can't really bring myself to like Nila. She's too perfect. Everything she does is charming, or enchanting, or beautiful; even the scarring makes her more perfect. In fact, she sets off my Mary Sue detector - and I just can't get past that. (Though while I'm here - I do like your device of having Nila constantly thinking of the narrative, and describing the action as she would tell an audience later.) Third place.

3rd Place. Syberpuppy - His first post really kicked of the round well for everyone. He also made good use of the plethora of abilities available to Nila outside of combat, especially towards the end. Unfortunately his writing didn't pack the same punch that Elfman and Thorsten's did, which is not a knock on him by any means. And though it is slightly nitpicking, Syber tends to use the same words and phrases more often than others which makes his posts somewhat less vivid in my mind. Finally it seemed at times as if he was trying to win the competition more than just trying to role-play exceptionally.

Didn't really get the thing about wanting to win the competition more than RP. Toward the end and even stopped caring it was a competition, and only wanted to try the character out in the game (and in combat) more. But as with feelings, you can't argue with them. And maybe there was something in there, I'll think about it...

It came as a great blow to me that people didn't like Nila. I really loved her, and now I'm starting to doubt myself. I get that she's probably too perfect, I thought being ditzy would be enough of a counter but I guess it doesn't. I was told in earlier rounds that she's a bit two dimensional, and I actually couldn't dispute it, I just hoped she'll develop another dimension in game (like my characters usually do), but I guess there wasn't enough play time for it. Anyway, this harsh lesson should, hopefully, make my future writing better (And I guess I'll have a chance to see that in November. See you in NaNoWrimo then Thorsten.)

Thanks for your feedback and for the great time I had in this contests judges. And thank you Iron DMs for those weird and exciting scenarios.