[Introduction] Meet The Judges

[Inem]

This thread is for each of the main judges for this year's competition to introduce themselves and share a little about what they think the ideal submission would look like. All contestants are recommended to read this thread carefully, and note down what their judges are looking for, and how they will score you. As per the last few years, there is a 'judging guideline' to help make the judgments not too surprising, create more consistency between them, and help lessen the work for those judging!

 

- Note: The judges have been instructed to be pretty harsh on those that go over the word limit, so take special heed of the posted limit for each round!

DM Perspective / The Technical (15 points)

1. How easy would it be to run this scenario/adventure? (5 points)
   • Are all the mechanics provided?
   • Is there specialist knowledge required?
   • Does the scenario/adventure need a set number of players?
   • Will the GM have to create maps or other tools to run the game?
2. How well is the scenario/adventure presented? (5 points)
   • Do not include images or links to outside material!
   • Is the formatting clear and easy to read?
   • Can the GM find information quickly and logically?
   • Does the code used make it easier to read, whilst remaining unobtrusive?
3. How well is the scenario/adventure written? (5 points)
   • Are there any spelling mistakes?
   • Are there any grammatical mistakes?
   • How well are sentences and paragraphs structured?

Player Perspective / The Story (15 points)

1. What would this scenario/adventure be like to play? (5 points)
   • Is it level-appropriate?
   • Are the encounters / puzzles challenging?
   • Is the pace too slow or too fast?
   • Are skills / abilities required to continue? (eg, locked door but no rogue)
2. Is the story interesting to read? (5 points)
   • Is there interesting conflict?
   • Is there a gripping plot line? Sub plots?
   • Do the NPCs, especially the antagonist(s), have depth to their character?
   • Does the setting matter?
   • Does the story make sense? Are there plot holes?
3. How creative is the scenario/adventure? (5 points)
   • Was the story predictable? Has it been told before?
   • Were any twists / conclusions easy to guess?
   • Was the story memorable/ original?

Audience Perspective / The Ingredients (15+ points)

1. How well was the ingredient used? (5 points each)
   • Does its use make sense?
   • Is it important / integral to the story?
   • Is the ingredient itself important? (Could it just have been anything else?)
   • How creative / memorable is its use?
2. (when appropriate) Does the bonus ingredient usage work? (1 point each)

[PIG]

Big Pig here and I'm looking for to eating up all your entries. I only ask for two things.

1) Every round will begin with instructions involving word count, dead line, and limitations. Read them carefully before entering your post. Once you've posted... you've just committed. Take your time to double-check that you understand them before taking the plunge.

2) Have lots of fun. This will not only build your DM skills it will also increase your skills in creativity and planning, so try to have fun with it all as you build your self up.

Game On!

[savoylen]

Hi - Savoy here, at your service!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table in this year's competition.

Pig has already hit the most important points. I think the only thing that I'll add is - I appreciate the commitment and hard work that goes into competing in the Iron DM. Please have a sense of humor and humbleness when receiving feedback from us.

Sometimes its easy to give guidance on what will help hone and deepen your already strong DM skills and sometimes, we have to dig deep to find something that might help. Regardless, these are just our opinions and always meant to be constructive. Don't take it as a personal hurt or attack. That isn't why we do this.

Truly, we're here to build you up - both when you advance and when you don't. Thank you for having me along in this journey.

- Savoy

[RonarsCorruption]

Hey all, I'm Admin RonarsCorruption. I've accumulated a handful of nicknames over my time here, including ARC and Because RonarsCorruption is shortened to RC, which is also the name of a soft drinkCola. I'll be returning this year once again as a judge.

I could talk all day about how to write an entry, but I'm going to try not to go on and on this year, like I sometimes do. Instead, I'll leave you with my two top things that I care about when reading an entry.

From the DM's perspective, I care about clarity pretty much above everything. In general, I mark down each time I have to ask "but... why?", and any time I have to say "I think this was referenced before but I can't find it".

From a Player's perspective, I care about sense. Like, does this make sense. Is this something a reasonable group of players might do on purpose, given only the information listed in the adventure? Are the actions of the characters in the story things that could reasonably be expected to happen?

Game On!

[Admin Bhelogan]

I'm sensing a pattern here. Some things don't change. Except for typos... I do try to clean up a few more every year.

Originally Posted by Bhelogan

I am going to quote what I said last year since it still holds true, and I don't think I could write it up any better:

[Squeak]

Judge Squeak here.

A few recommendations on making a good post.

* Read last years entries and judges commentary, looking for things the judges like and don't like. We use a rubric for judging, but the specifics from real situations is far better than anything I could describe in this post.

There are a few commonalities all judges look for.

* Seamlessly inserting the key ingredients is what this is all about. The key is to not force it, but make it look like it's been there all along.
* It needs to be interesting. We don't want a dry textbook, but something we enjoy reading.
* It needs to be playable. How would I like to run this?

Interesting and playable often at odds with each other. It takes skill to blend them together, which is why ---

[Unko Talok]

Judge Talok here! Oh, boy, do I like the sound of that. Like I'm from the Judge Dredd franchise. "I am the law!" Gosh, that sounds fun. As long as I'm not written by Garth Ennis... Okay, I got distracted there. That'll be a theme.

I'm the newbie judge on the block. I've participated in IronDM for the past three years, and I even won once! I also blinded several judges last year, which is how I got the job. I love seeing all the beautiful creations y'all come up with. It really has been a source of joy for me each year.

Since I'm the newbie judge, I should probably defer to the folks above. They know their stuff better than me. But I won't. Things to keep in mind to make me a happy Judge (and therefore not tossing frag grenades at you!):

1. Read the rubric! It's what I'll be using to grade things, as best I can.
2. As others have said, clarity is key. If I get confused reading your entry, that affects a LOT of things on the rubric from a player and GM perspective!
3. I can't lie-- if I laugh at something ingredient-related, I'll probably be inclined to rate that ingredient higher than I would otherwise. That said, this is secondary to using the ingredient well in the first place. If your choice is to make a cool story that players and GMs will enjoy, or making a funny, you'd be best served focusing on the adventure quality.

I'm so excited to read what you rascals come up with!

[G in Japan]

Sorry that I'm late to the party.

I just wanted to give a few comments on what I personally look for when I'm reading an entry.

First, how clever is the use of the ingredient. The first thing I do when I see the list of ingredients is to try to think of unique ways to use it, especially with a bit of wordplay with the ingredient's name. So, if something stands out and makes me think "Wow, I never would have thought of that," or "Niiiice pun" that's going to be a bonus for me. Of course, it still needs to fit in with the rest of the entry, so make sure there is a balance there, or it could backfire.

Second, please make sure you double, triple, and quadruple-check your entry for spelling and grammar. I teach ESL and so I spend a lot of time reading and checking students' writing assignments. I'm way better at picking out someone else's mistakes than I am at picking out my own. Spelling and grammar are worth 5 points and should be an easy 5 to get.

Good luck to everyone and I look forward to reading this year's entries.