[Announcement] Outplay 2019 Final Judgements

[Wynamoinen]

Rostamoinen "We have come to an agreement." the Archmage Rostamoinen says as this throne rises into the air. "This choice was not easy. We would have been disappointed, had it been. Well done. And yet..." he snaps his fingers and two glowing portals appear behind the competitors. "only one shall remain. We may call again to the other two. But there will be more trials. We are constantly tested, and must be ever ready. Without further ado..." He snaps his fingers again. There is a flash, and two of the adventurers feel the portal's light wrap around them, lighter than a feather and stronger than a chain. It pulls them through the portal. Time and space lose all meaning to them. Only one remains in the room with the other seven:   With a genuine smile, Rostamoinen says, "Congratulations Tobias Lancaster, you are the worthiest or worthies." His throne descends back to the ground and he motions to an empty seat at the Square Table. "Come, sit. We have much to discuss."

OOC   Congratulations, Qiksilv! Congratulations also to oztk and Zinrokh for placing on the podium and for providing consistently excellent content throughout. You should all be very proud of the work you've produced here. You can see the other posts in this thread for feedback. A summary of the point breakdown is as follows: 1st place = 3 points, 2nd place = 2 points, 3rd place = 1 point Judgement Day oztk QikSilv Zinrokh Day 1 - Moonzar 2 3 1 Day 2 - Squeak 3 2 1 Day 3 - Wodine 2 3 1 Day 4 - Wynamoinen 2 3 1 Day 5 - Nasrith 3 1 2 Day 6 - Bhelogan 2 3 1 TOTAL 14 15 7

[Wynamoinen]

Cuchulainen credit Peter Klijn Behind their soundproof dome, Cuchulainen scoffs and grumbles at many of the other judges' assessments. A constant low wheeze and rapid-fire quiet coughing comes from his seat. When he gets a chance to speak, he adds "So much cleverness, so much cleverness. I dun know what to make of most of this. I dun care none for parlor tricks and philosopher's puzzles." He interrupts himself by hacking a gob onto the floor. The looks to the Druid, with a small approving nod. "Hear a folk's story and you hear them, though, I ken to that. That's what we need to know. Give them power, do they use it RIGHT? Are they trying to do right by the world? We dun need another maniac cleaving a score of necks for a tyrant's decree. "At least they all passed that test. Low bar. Here's how I sees them, thinking thoughts about what we actually DO here at the Table..."   Ikol Ranked 3rd of 3 "This 'uns mad, surely, we all seen it. That's never stopped us from extending an invitation before. He sees the shades of grey of action, that speaks to some sensibility." And he sees all the back-stabbing that can and does go on, around the table. Good to be clear-eyed about that. Not so good to revel in it, and encourage it. Disrespectful. "Just cuz we can't see the results of our actions until it's too late, doesn't mean we shouldn't take action. That's the path to Null. We're all dust, leave dust to dust. How can that be our place? Better not to have a place, eh? Go about our own ways, why have a Nine at all? "He wants the people to learn from their mistakes. But ain't we to learn from ours? Ain't he? I don't see how doing something would have killed MORE than hundreds of thousands, no sir..."   Tobias Ranked 2nd of 3 "I don't see through this one. Something is going on there, deep down. A little coo-coo perhaps. He talks like a Strix, but there’s some wildness there. Like the goblin. Like Fettlegrew. "His lesson is 'war is just free choice'? Snake-speech! True, but poison! Killing this man on the spot would be free choice. Don’t make it right. Boy came so close to a decent answer: 'people are people; nasty and stupid. Hard to change people; easy to change laws.'" Cuchulainen looks around the table, and his eyes settle on the Hell Knight. He gobs on the floor again. "More and more Strix in him. Hold the law; don’t think about the law. Perhaps this one could be shaped, but I dun know if he sees his own insights…"   Berthe Ranked 1st of 3 "This un has a head on her shoulders. She sees the elegance and simplicity of the dagger in the ribs. But doesn’t use it lightly, doesn’t like what it makes of her in the process. She sees that sometimes picking sides isn’t really picking sides. Just looks that way, and it can look ugly. Ugly doesn’t mean wrong, though fools are misled by the looks." He strokes his long beard and looks over to the three adventurers waiting on their conjured chairs "She says she’s lost her imagination, but that’s rubbish. Even ignoring the fact that she doesn’t realize she’s only shared it, not lost it." His eyes dart over to the two orbs on the table. "She has the sense of it. The other whizz-bangers in the Nine want to cleave this and explode that. We’d serve best as a thumb, not a trebuchet."

Wynamoinen Let me thank you all one more time for the pleasure and privilege to co-GM this game. Outplay is long, it's painful, it's frustrating, but I really do think it is something special. And we have disappointment to deliver to the majority of you, so pre-apologies for that. I am a different kind of doddering opinionated codger than Cuchulainen, so I have my own judgements to share. I hope everyone can find a nugget of productive wisdom in there. It's a bit presumptuous to give advice about how to role-play better at such an elite level, but that's apparently my job.   Ikol Ranked 3rd of 3 I agree with Ikol that this question in particular is tough for him. In fact, the whole round is. These social rounds can be a challenge for characters that skew far into the realm of the chaos or evil. The challenge becomes: how can you stay true to your character while giving responses that develop the scene, and a greater storyline? It’s a tough row to hoe. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that your seeds quite took root here in Cuchulainen’s question. “Doing nothing” is certainly a valid option– it’s what the Nine did! But again, it’s that balancing act – how to come to the answer of “do nothing” without feeling like you’re dodging the question. It’s clearly a hard question, and I don’t think there’s a right answer. Ikol does think out loud about the options, but I’m not getting a strong sense of considering their outcomes. I don’t think he dodged the question, but ‘danced around it’ might be accurate. That dancing is a very in-character choice, but it's most of what we get out of Ikol - I feel like I’m missing out on the character here. You were dismissive in OOC about adding ‘sob stories’ to your posts. Those are hardly necessary. But in response to Cuchulainen’s question, I am not getting Ikol’s standard japery and punnery, nor am I understanding Ikol on a deeper level (based on flashback or sly reference or memory or reflection or fake boo-hooing, or whatever), nor does the post create much action. There is no interaction with the others, or the scene, or anything (aside from some sarcastic remarks about the judges). A top-quality post always “moves things along” in one sense or another. I’m mostly not getting that here.   Berthe Ranked 2nd of 3 I know that this post was challenging for you to write because of IRL issues. I appreciate the effort you put in, and I’m sorry that it was a challenge. But I think we must both admit that this is not your best work of the week (which is hardly an insult). All the same, given my past critiques of your work, turning in a short post has its merits. You’re still playing to Berthe’s strengths, using her backstory to motivate choice, and making hard-but-justified choices. She even proposes a course of action, which I’d hoped to see from everyone. “Do nothing” itself could have been proactive – clean up after the war, divert resources to some other task, or whatever. Cuchulainen was clear that he cared about strategy – taking one action in a grander plan. Berthe came closest to delivering on this desire. As a reader, I would have liked to see more of Berthe’s vision or ideal of medieval democracy – why would SHE think it is better than the monarchy? All in all, I think this is a regrettably rushed post that does a good job of dealing with the ‘puzzle’ while tying it to her broader narrative, both within the game thread and her own established lore.   Tobias Ranked 1st of 3 To put my cards on the table: I have mixed feelings about the whole ‘multiple personalities under one player’s control’ approach (whether those personalities come from spirits, familiars, insane voices, or whatever). On one hand, they are a simple and effective way of delivering narrative, inner dialogue, and personal stakes. On the other hand, they can turn insular and self-indulgent VERY quickly. I will admit that I didn’t read the PF threads carefully, and I read the responses to my question with more care than the responses to the other Round 4 questions. But here in the post answering to my question, I think you mostly use a deft hand at striking that balance. In a traditional ongoing game with multiple players, I think the Khelebn aspects could get old fast. But Outplay is an odd duck – it’s got lots of players, but you do need a strong internal through-line in your posts to keep your character compelling. I give you kudos for doing that well. Tobias, like Ikol, chose “do nothing”. I prefer this version of “do nothing” because it feels grounded in both Tobias’ values (future-looking), his backstory (back-looking) and in the game that has unfolded (present-looking). That is beautifully done. As you can see above, Cuchulainen doesn’t quite agree with Tobias’ choice here, but you and Tobias grasp the tension in the purpose of The Nine that is the essence of his question: the question of how to best use such tremendous power. He’s more of a libertarian than Cuchulainen might like (he mentioned being a courtier), but it’s a sensible position. At a more mundane level, your post looks long but is easily digestible – again, I think that’s a function of the strong through-line you’ve built between past, present and future. Well done.

The tiebreaker   The deciding factor Unfortunately, this leaves me in a small bind. Wyn and Cuchulainen don’t perfectly agree about who to choose. Here, I think I need to appeal to the ethos of Outplay. We’re picking the best player. While the character of Cuchulainen would pick the character of Berthe, I Wyn need to look at the bigger picture. Not only how do the characters work in the world, but how are the posts presented; how is a broader story being told? Which post is more rewarding on its own terms, and considering all that came before and after? In this case, I think Wynamoinen will need to overrule Cuchulainen (which is convenient, since one of us is a fiction). The tiebreaker here needs to take in the broader context of being a player and a writer and a gamer.   My votes Based on the responses to my post, I think I must give my top vote to Qiksilv. My vote, based only on the response to Cuchulainen's question, is cast as follows: 1) Qiksilv's Tobias 2) oztk's Berthe 3) Zinrokh's Ikol

[Squeak]

Archmage Mifflewerf Fettlegrew Archmage Mifflewerf Fettlegrew Underneath the soundproof bubble, Mifflewerf addresses the group, a serious look on his face. "I asked them a serious question. And how did they respond? A couple tried to break the rules, using things like spell triggers, curses and hyphens to meet my requirements. They told poems and sang songs, jumped up and down, threw glitter, mocked my voice and finished with a tear-jerking cliche." Mifflewerf says with a scowl. "It was GLORIOUS!" he shouts, unable to hold his delight in the responses. When the Lord Commander looks at him with disapproval, the gnome responds by lifting his leg and passing gas in his direction. "Oh, stuff it Kok-ey, you'll get your turn. Now it's MY turn to talk." he snaps. "I was impressed. Any of these guys would be worthy of a seat at the table. But you'll never hear me saying something stupid like 'we're all winners', because that's ridiculous. Only one person is going to win, not all of them." he explains to the others. "Ikol had serious talent and I'd love to have a few drinks with him. But he wasn't all there. I mean, I like crazy as much as the next guy, but it was more than that. The technique on his poems was flawless, but there wasn't any meat on it. I asked him a question and he didn't answer it. And if he was to get rid of his Niblog side, I don't know what would be left. I must say that his back flip was a nice touch and his grandmother sounds like an awesome lady. But he didn't answer my question, so I'm giving him 3rd place." he clarifies, submitting the first of his verdicts. "Tobias had a bit more meat on the bones of his response, but the technique fell a bit flat at the end. On the plus side he cheated with his word count and tossed glitter into the air, which I liked very much. His response was something I'd hear in a beauty contest though, saying what I wanted to hear. I can't believe he said he wanted to be part of the Nine for "compassion" and the "greater good". I'm surprised he didn't ask for "World Peace". What a crock of horse-puckey. Still, he answered the question I asked, so earned my second place vote." he explains. "Now Berthe's response was a gods-awful cliche. She really said she wanted to do this to make a world the better place for her daughter. <gag> Normally, I would call BS on something as hackneyed as that, but I've been watching her and she really does feel that way. She wasn't making up the cliche, she WAS the cliche. She felt 'real' to me and more than any of the others, had a real reason for being here. Towards the end of her sonnet, I even started to tear up - and anyone who can tug on my heartstrings like that deserves my top vote." he finishes.   Just so there is no confusion, I am only judging the 2nd day’s post, your response to Mifflewerf’s question. I did read the other posts, but I am only considering this one post in my scoring. The scoring was for both Squeak and Mifflewerf, but the results were actually the same so I didn't separate. I guess there might be a little gnome blood in me. I was really, really impressed with all of you. It's clear that you guys are burning the midnight oil and taking a ton of time with your posts. You should all be proud of what you've done during this competition - and quite honestly, you made me realize that I don't want to go through competing in this tournament again When it came to the actual limitations put in front of you, I also pointed out in the OOC that he was representing the themes of chaos and fun. I was secretly hoping that some of you would try to break or bend the rules on the word count (chaos doesn’t like laws) - and I wasn't completely disappointed. By the time it gets to this stage, it is not meant to be easy. All of you have talent and ability and I had no issue with anyone's writing... Understand that -- and understand also that I have to be really nitpicky with my judgements to create space between you. But one of the ways we can grow is to hear unbiased comments about your work -- so here are my thoughts. Zinrohk / Ikol - I know this played right into your character concept, which made it easy for you to post. To clarify, if it wasn't easy for you to write, you made it seem easy. The use of poetry, especially the way you call out the types of poetry in ooc, was brilliant. Adding the bit about the Revered Grandmother Tryska made me do a double take -- which is a very impressive thing (nice research, BTW)... And there is absolutely no doubt that Mifflewerf would enjoy spending time with you. I cannot say enough about the quality of your writing! The problem I had is that Ikol came off as superficial and one dimensional. There was no desire or passion for from him -- and someone as crazy as Ikol should have a TON of passions (albeit misguided ones)... I also get that, much like He Man, you want the power -- but you never said anything about WHY you wanted the power or what you'd do with it once you got it. Not saying anything more about the legacy portion of the question was a big miss. I noted in the OOC that content was the most important thing, so I was disappointed that you didn't answer the whole question... I thought you could have easily skipped over the you mis-spelled that in your post, BTWlimerick, a lot of which overlapped with the quatrain -- and used those words to talk about your legacy. Other thing that bothered Mifflewerf was that you want to get rid of the niblogism, but if successful, Ikol would end up as a completely different person. That kind of defeated the whole idea of Mifflewerf knowing if you were a world class putz -- if you got rid of the crazy part of your personality, there was really nothing substantial left to his personality to say what he'd be like. Again, I can’t say enough about your writing and the 'fun' character you've created, but the lack of depth really hurt you on this post. QikSilv/Tobias -- The use of words within a spell, "Still might" and "what? Dammit" to get to exactly 88 words may not have been cheating, but it was really close. That was greatly appreciated. The flare with the glitterdust was a nice touch, but the Silent Image thing wouldn't have worked. The spell itself is a bit confusing, but the FAQ says that that while it "can sound like people talking, but anyone listening can’t make out what the “people” are saying". However, since it was in the FAQ, not in the spell itself, I won't ding you too much here -- the idea was a good one and had absolutely no effect on the scene you set. LINK. I thought that your poetry was good, but the triplet at the end fell flat. I to be honest, I didn’t even know it was called a tripletwasn’t sure why it sounded weird until I googled it. I then found that a triplet should have a 1,1,1 or 1,2,1 rhythm and this one didn’t (you had 8-7-11 syllables in each line). Where you really shined was in the content. It was clear why you wanted to be a part of the Nine and what you intended to do afterwards. oztk/Berthe - You wrote a Wygglepygian sonnet, a very smart idea -- you were right that all gnomes love Wgyylepygian sonnets.. You also used eighty-eight as one word by adding a hyphen. While this wasn't much of a cheat, I appreciate that you at least tried to cheat a little. The sonnet was very well written and quite enjoyable. But more importantly, the content on this was perfect. Not only did you answer the question of why you wanted to be part of the Nine, you also said what you wanted your legacy to be -- and WHY. Saying that you wanted to make the world a better place for your daughter is a huge cliche. But it is a cliche for a reason -- because it works, felt real and played in to what you’ve built with Bertie. Well played. SQUEAK'S RANKING 1st -- oztk 2nd -- QikSilv 3rd -- Zinrohk

[Admin Bhelogan]

The Druid The Druid of The Coast Behind the bubble, The Druid is perhaps as animated, and unpleasant as any other of the Nine, as there are clear arguments between them about who should get the nod. "Nobody properly answered the question. What? We can’t send them all home as failures, and start over again? I guess I’ll have to sort this mess out then." "Ikol, the goblin. His insanity and psychopathy are as predictable as his rhymes. First, he tries to guilt us into a decision based on racial diversity. Then, when I ask for a story where they had to go along with a decision they didn’t agree with, for the sake of unity, and he tells me a splendid story about how he enjoys pyromancy, murder, and taking credit from anyone who will give it. No, that did not even begin to meet the criteria of the question. He got lost on the semantics of the details around it, picking out words he thought we would like to hear. I mean, Goblins, of anybody, should understand the greater good over self. They hardly value their own lives, throwing them away for the sake of their clans all the time. Now, that doesn’t rule you him out just yet. We have to compare to how the others met my criteria before making a decision." "Tobias told a clasic tragic love story. He certainly presented a situation where he had to make a hard decision. I’m not convinced he actually disagreed with it though. And was it for Unity? It sounds like he spent more time trying to convince everyone else it was the right decision than he spent actually making it. Killing a werewolf should have been an easy decision, and hesitating to do so, by my estimation, shows a clear lack of focus and judgement. I can’t give him full credit for that, but he was certainly closer to the mark here than Ikol was. " "Berthe’s story was as predictable as the Goblin’s. So, she delayed her adventuring for a short while, but really it was a story about being patient in order to get what she wanted. She mad a rash decision, regretted it, then tried to make things right. Not that patience and repentance are bad things, they are certainly a better asset to possess than pyromancy. Perhaps partial credit is due here, as she did put aside her wants for a short period of time."   Incredibly entertaining writing by all here, and a super high level of play. I felt each competitor here really played true to their character and did the best they could with them. Being the cream of the crop here though, we expect that for the last round of Outplay. If this were purely about entertainment or whose character I liked the best, the rankings would be different. But, my judging for this round really came down to whose answer most closely met the criteria of what was being asked. That being said, the results for my vote are: 1st -- Qiksilv's Tobias 2nd -- oztk's Berthe 3rd -- Zinrokh's Ikol

[wodine]

The Lord High Commander The Lord High Commander was as devoid of emotion as ever as he sat, shielded by the soundproof bubble. Though several of the contestants had grown accustomed to the deep, scathing voice, others had only just encountered it. It was a voice that emoted more than most faces were capable of, even though there was no matching facial expression from behind the Commanders shadow visage. I had suggested sending them all home after the applications came in, before we even started this verkakte tournament. But alas, we must have nine – it is so written. The Lord High had been grossly unsatisfied by the answers to his question, and he would share his concerns one by one. I asked them a simple question – requiring a complex answer, and I got… blathering incoherence. It wouldn’t have taken a genius mind to realized that Kokabiel was of course, a fan of law. He was, in fact, the incarnate force of law in the group – and so he did not care if they had chosen the right or wrong. What had mattered was the reasoning and in their reasoning, they had all fallen flat. The first who answered me, Berthe, spent as much of her time defending against a perceived gender sleight than dealing with the question – on that was not present mind you. I never spoke of the gender of the beloved, only their wife. Then prattled on about her own thefts before emphatically deciding that the man was right to steal – but didn’t establish the why. The armored man tapped his fingers on the table. And for the record – my armor is not lubricated with oil, I use the tears of those trapped in perdition, like any self-respecting HellKnight. Then the goblin spoke. There was a noticeable tightening of the jaw when Kokabiel spoke of Ikol. He decided, after no short amount of rambling, that he would have stolen the elixir himself; wholly failing to answer the question. The Hellknight scoffed, I don’t know which of you have been guiding him through this tourney, but he should be glad it wasn’t me. I’d have left him on the side of the road somewhere, my mace gagging his mouth. Then came Tobias – the last of my bracket. He was surprisingly… adequate. And when compared against the others, it would appear the best we can hope for is mediocrity. Shall we cast our votes and move on? I’m sure there has been at least one mad grab for power in the Inferno in my absence, and I must see to putting everyone back in their places.

 

Wodine’s Thoughts Just so you know, I rendered my judgement from only reading the answers to my questions. I didn’t go back and read the rest of your posts until after I had made my decision. Tabula Rasa and all that. My opinions align very well (that should probably alarm me) with Kokabiel’s notes above, but I wanted to give a little more specific feedback OoC. Oztk- I got very little sense of your character from your post which worked against you. I know a lot about Tobias already, and I learned everything I needed to know about Ikol in that one post to know that Kokabiel would is going to hate him. A lot. Which had Zinrokh been a little clearer with answering the actual question would have bumped you down to third, but I found your answer more coherent. Zinrokh – I get Ikol. From a single post, I get Ikol, and that is commendable. Unfortunately, I don’t like Ikol. He’s the kind of character I would never have in one of my games. I can totally see how someone with different tastes from me would think he gave a strong performance, but the constant breaking of the fourth wall and addressing real life things in a less than subtle way irks me. I know, I started it, but I just think you pushed it to far, from schtick to stale, quickly. Qilsilv – I think Khelben and Kokabiel will be friends and I’m not sure Tobias will enjoy that. You sufficiently answered the question and defended your stance which is exactly what Kokabiel was looking for. I also appreciate your limited use of Khelben in answering this particular question. It proves that you do listen, and that’s an added bonus to any player. 1st -- Qiksilv's Khelben Tobias 2nd -- oztk's Berthe 3rd -- Zinrokh's Ikol

[MoonZar]

MoonZar’s judgement 1st Qiksilv 2nd Oztk 3rd Zinrokh

[Nasrith]

Kalas Kalas looked tired when the wall of force came down. Less like a vortex of thundering fury, more like the clouds after the rain. The debate had taken it all out of him. All that was left to do now was deliver his verdict, add his judgment to the pool and tell them why. That's what he would want, were he in their position. When it was his turn to speak, Kalas stepped lightly off his cloud and onto the ground. With his power spent, he looked more like the young man who had grown up watching the competition from the stands, drinking with his friends and wagering on the results than he did a storm lord. He leaned against the table, his arms making a pensive x across his chest. "Look." Kalas blinked, startled at the roar of his voice. "Sh-" The sorcerer waggled his fingers and flicked at his Adam's apple. "That's better. Tobias!" He turned his head to the contestant he was least familiar with. "I've heard good things. You made it all the way here. That's something. And you've got power! Don't know where it comes from. Heard some weird things there." Kalas opened his arms up, giving the man a wide shrug. "I'm not one to judge. About that, anyway. My power isn't all above-board either, but I've got it. Which means it's my responsibility to use or not use as I see fit." "That," Kalas said, "Is your problem. You're scared of being wrong. We're powerful, not omnipresent. We can't always be there right when it happens, which means we've got to make some tough decisions before it happens. Dunno if you're ready." Kalas raised his white-stained eyebrows, then moved on to Ikol. "100% would be nice, huh?" Kalas huffed out through his nose, amused at the notion. "50% too. Nice round, even, easy to deal with numbers. Hell, if it ever came out to 50%, I might flip a coin too. I'm not above rolling the dice once and awhile." Someone in the crowd laughed. One of Kalas' old mates. Probably someone he owed money to. Let him try to collect, the youngest member of the nine thought ruefully. "The problem is, the numbers never line up like that. Trust me, I have people for this." He gestures vaguely over his shoulders. "That's when a coin flip isn't enough." Damn, he was tired. Kalas hopped up and onto the table. His legs dangled, but it felt nice. He wrapped his knuckles on the table's hard surface. A moment later, two mugs of ale appeared. Probably weak by Berthe's standards, but he was only human. A gentle cloud lifted the mug from the table and floated it over to where the dwarf sat. "Sounds like you've made some hard decisions just by coming here. You're scared of making the wrong one, but that hasn't stopped you yet. Don't let it, and you'll do fine." Kalas raised the mug to Berthe, miming a toast. When he put it down, there was none left except for the thin film above his upper lip. "And yeah, drinking helps." His vote made, he hit the table with the bottom of the mug. It made a hollow thunk and then refilled. Kalas hopped off the table and back onto his cloud, then floated wavily back to his seat.

Judgements   1.) Berthe 2.) Ikol 3.) Tobias In lieu of a more detailed judgment from me, Nasrith (vs me, Kalas), I wanted to say that you're all incredible players and writers, well worthy of being in the final round of Outplay. You've stayed true to your characters and your styles through what has to be the most grueling series of adventures on RPGX. Regardless of how the scores line up in the end, you should all be proud of the effort you've put forth.