[Introduction] Meet The Judges

[savoylen]

Welcome to the official thread where each of our esteemed hosts and judges for this year's competition will introduce themselves and provide insights into what they consider to be the ideal submission. Contestants are strongly advised to carefully read this thread, taking note of the judges' expectations and scoring criteria. As in previous years, we have established judging guidelines to ensure feedback is consistent, not overly surprising, and helps alleviate some of the burden on our judging panel. Take advantage of this opportunity to gain valuable insights and maximize your chances of success in the competition!

 

Easy to run?
How well presented?
How well written?
Formatting/Word Count?DM Perspective &Technical
Enjoy to play?
Interesting to read?
How creative?Player Perspective & The Story
Ingredient use?
Bonus ingredient usage? (When applicable)Audience Perspective & The Ingredients
Game ADJUCATION

Name	Win	Loss	Draw
Player 1
Player 2

Judges Feedback: -

 

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)

 

TBA
Strangemund (Reigning Champion/Host)
Bananabadger (Host)
Savoylen (Host/Chairman)

[savoylen]

Greetings everyone, Savoy here, ready to serve as one of your hosts and The Chairman of this year's event!

I'm thrilled to witness the creativity and passion you'll bring to the table in this year's competition. As The Chairman, my responsibilities include answering queries, organizing the brackets, tracking results round by round, and essentially being at the beck and call of Bananabadger and Strangemund.

First and foremost, I want to commend each participant for their dedication and hard work in competing in the Iron DM. It's important to approach feedback with a sense of humor and humility. While praise is certainly gratifying, it's the constructive criticism that truly fosters growth. In this year's tournament format, with the extensive volume of games to review, judges will employ a "win, loss, draw" scoring system and focus feedback on criteria with the greatest impact on their decisions.

As judges, our aim is to offer guidance to enhance your already formidable DM skills. Sometimes, this means delving deep to uncover areas for improvement. Remember, our critiques are never intended to cause personal offense but rather to facilitate growth and development.

A valuable pro-tip: don't fixate solely on the win/loss/draw call or scores; instead, delve into the judges' feedback. There's invaluable wisdom to be gleaned, whether you advance or not. Our goal is to support your growth, every step of the way.

Allow me to share a bit about myself:

• I'm a real-life teacher, engineer, and woodworking artist. Attention to detail is paramount for me, and I thrive on innovation. If your submission doesn't offer a fresh perspective on familiar tropes, it may need further refinement.
• Clear mechanics are crucial. If I find myself struggling to grasp the mechanics, clarity may be lacking.
• I have experience with a diverse range of RPG systems, including OTU & MgT2 Traveller, FATE, various editions of D&D, and numerous indie RPGs. I appreciate the effort invested in selecting mechanics that align with the essence of your creation.
• Looking forward to an exciting competition season ahead!

Savoy

[bananabadger]

Welcome to the 2024 Iron DM event!

I'm BananaBadger, one of your hosts for the event.

Also, and more importantly, I am here as your advocate and fan.

It takes a lot of time and effort to submit these entries. It takes boldness and courage to put your best work out there in the internet world for strangers to judge. I understand and respect that. I promise to work to make this a great experience for all the time and creativity you will put into the event.

So, let’s go forth—kind, bold, and brilliant!

And ... if you are in it to win it (and why not?), here are my Top 7 BananaBadger Tips.

 

1. Show up: You can't win if you don't submit an entry. And sometimes, when competing players don't show up, eliminated players are able to step in and pull out a win just because they had submitted in previous rounds. Take, Auron3991, for example. They lost out by the slightest of margins in Round 1 of 2023, but stepped in for an absent player and went all the ways to the finals. We all have a one-off game, and there's no shame in that, but getting your submission in is half the battle (and shows respect for your opponent!).

2. It's kinda all about the ingredients: Ingredients (or specific conditions or instructions placed in a round) are the game's guarantee that what you are submitting is unique for this contest rather than a riff on an existing module or game you might have created before. Ingredients often make the difference in a close contest. If you want to see some of the best use of ingredients, check out Inem's 3-year champion run of submissions from 2016, 2017, and 2018. In fact, go back and read through past year's events. Become a student of Iron DM to borrow, steal, and pay homage to some of the best and winning-est techniques of the past.

3. Start your write-up early. Before you even start typing, think how you will use the ingredients, and work back from there: I know, tip #2 was also about ingredients, but they are so important that this tip (and the next one!) is also about them. I would recommend that the first thing you do (for entries beyond Round Zero) is list out the ingredients in a table and list how you will use each of them in your write-up. Refer to this table as you write. Include this table in your submission. Set it apart with a different font so judges know it is not part of the write up, but important. You can change how you use the ingredients as you edit your draft, but always keep them top of mind and use them as guideposts to structure your submission.

4. Identify the most challenging ingredient, and put it front and center: This pro tip was given to me by O2CXt2, whose Round 3 match in 2022 had what might be the most challenging collection of ingredients ever!

5. You're gonna need a bigger baddie! Who's the hero of your write-up? Not the anonymous PCs we never meet. It's villains! A well-written villain can shape and define your narrative and make an indelible impression on your judges. I learned this from LostCheerio whose villain in our semi-final round of 2021 thumped me out of the running (well, so did LostCheerio, but her villain was definitely one of her best tools in doing it!). Tooby Tickles is a freakin' legend!

6. Play to the Judges: We all have different tastes--there's nothing wrong with that. The judges for this competition will tell you in advance how they will judge and what they are looking for (they're telling you in this thread even, right below my post--it ain't a secret!). They will be using rubrics that become very defined the further we move on in the competition. If you want to win, your entry should take into account the stated preferences of the judges. In the final rounds, when judging moves more toward the point system, you might want to review how those judges tend to award points in previous rounds or in previous years. Nothing will give you a better indication of how a judge might score than the raw data of how they scored in previous matches.

7. Know why you are here: We're all here for different reasons. And when you are writing up your entry, you might decide that you are here because you want to create a masterpiece of innovation and wit. I'm not dismissing that because I have seen some absolutely brilliant submissions and discovered more in the archives. Some of them are incredibly ahead of their time and some of them might do one particular thing in a way that nobody has ever done before. If your goal is to be the one entry that everyone remembers and talks about in competitions hence ... there is nothing wrong with that. BUT ... that isn't necessarily the same as submitting an entry that will win. A winning entry should ideally be a streak of genius, but more importantly it will be a delightful read with mechanical sense. And you can't delight the judges if your submission brushes crucial mechanics under the rug, confuses judges because it is too complicated, or causes too much hesitation because it is so amazingly ground breaking that it would require more text and background than is possible to include with the given word count limit. Likewise, you might be the type of GM who tends to play it too safe--and in that case, you might want to ask if you need to embrace some risk in order to impress the judges. So, know who you are and know what your strengths/weaknesses are--if you are honest with yourself, then you will have a better understanding of what aspects of your writing need to be sharpened, and what ones need to be restrained.

Note: These aren't necessarily tips to be a better GM in general, but rather to increase your chances of claiming the Iron DM crown; winning this contest and being a great GM are not incompatible, but they also are not the same thing.

With our new format, the past-champion hosts are set to rotate out of their hosting duties after two years. This will be my second and last year as a host. It's been a blast so far and I'm looking forward to going out with a banger of a year!

So ... let's get out there and whip those ingredients into shape!

Oh yeah, and sign my jersey with your name and number on it, will ya? I'm your fan!

[Strangemund]

Welcome aboard, brave travelers, to the 2024 Iron DM event!!

The name is Strangemund (she/her) and I will be co-hosting alongside the ever-magnificent, bananabadger, and the ever-illustrious, savolyen!

Fun facts about me!!:

• I am a proud bisexual woman who’s madly in love with her girlfriend!! She’s beautiful!! She’s smart!! She’s so cool!! I'll never stop telling people about her!!!
  
• I'm a certified cryptid of an unfathomable nature! But also, I am a huge horror nerd who devours spooky content left and right. Be it horror movies, horror books, horror games, I will happily bask in it all.
  
• I’ve been roleplaying for SEVENTEEN YEARS! I got my start in old World of Darkness then proceeded down the slippery slope of engaging in 3.5 D&D Eberron, Pathfinder 1e, until I found my favorite systems to run, Cypher and Thirsty Sword Lesbians.
  
• What do I like most in campaigns?? STORY, BABY!! Give me a good hook and strong NPCs, and I will be happier than a dog in mud!!
  
• Last but not least, I am in fact the winner of the 2023 Iron DM competition! Last year, I went toe-to-toe with some incredible DMs, and made some wickedly cool encounters from some seriously fire ingredients. It was an experience I thoroughly loved from beginning to end, so I am ever hopeful I may return that kindness to you brave champions!!

Now, I personally found the Judges’ Thread to be a HUGE help in terms of honing my abilities as an Iron GM entrant. You’ll find a lot of great advice for not only advancing further into the competition, but just great advice in general for running on the forums and in real life! You don’t have to take everything to heart! Just find what advice works for you, and you’ll do stellar~!!

Here are my personal tips for making the best of your adventure in the 2024 Iron DM competition:

 

Do Something for Yourself: The competition requires a lot of time and focus, so if you fear burn out or feel like you’re not being creative enough, put something you love in your entry. For me, that was Easter Eggs, puns, jokes, fun facts about the NPCs, stuff that could’ve been cut out to save me a few words on the word counter but would've felt less like my work without it. By writing what makes you happy, it makes your experience here twice as fun!

Show Them How Cool You Are!: Flaunt your talents!! Use the weird, esoteric TTRPG systems you like!! Put in your signature DM move!! Iron DM is the perfect time to show the world what kind of DM you are. Now, I am not saying don’t experiment– if that’s what you want to do, then rock on, dude!! The key detail here is that you follow the beat of your own drum because you’ll not only feel confident in your abilities, you’ll come out a stronger DM!

COOK LIKE NO TOMORROW!!: The two biggest tips that helped me make some rad encounters were: putting the hardest ingredient in the spotlight and combining the weirdest ingredients together. Once you have an idea what those ingredients are and what they offer you, you are able to craft your Frankenstein’s monster to perfection. I also asked myself a lot what I would like to experience as a player, as that mind-set helped me think of some really out-of-the-box scenarios.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help: The hosts and the Judges are sincere when we say we are your biggest fans! If you need help, there will be no hesitation to step in. We want you brave adventurers to have a wonderful experience, so we will be in the gallery, ready to help you out with any problem you have. If you don’t want to talk about a problem in public, we are always a PM a way!!

Thank you entrants, Judges, and fellow co-hosts for joining us for another year of Iron DM!! LET'S MAKE SOME GREAT MEMORIES, BABBBBYYYY!!

[Kaigen]

Hello, I'm Kaigen! By day, I'm a mild-mannered writing tutor at a community college. By night, I'm spending way too much time dreaming about hypothetical game scenes that may never come to pass. In the past, I've played a lot of D&D (2nd edition through 5th) and these days focus most of my energy on more narrative systems. I really enjoy seeing how people execute on cool ideas and offering constructive feedback to help them better express themselves.

Stuff I'm looking for:

First and foremost, do the thing you like, 100%. I'd much rather see something that you are excited about, even if it would leave me cold as a player. Write the kind of module you would be excited to play. You will be a lot more motivated to get through the gauntlet if you are making the stuff that's your jam rather than aiming for the middle ground between every judge's preference.

That said, I do have preferences. My personal jam is interpersonal interactions and sharing narrative control, so NPCs with fleshed out personalities and motivations and places where things can be hooked into player backstories or filled in by posing questions to the table are what's going to get that monkey brain neuron activation out of me. Also, a touch of the everyday always appeals to me. A setting that feels "lived in" rather than a set piece stage, and NPCs that know where their next meal is coming from, are always easier to buy into.

Aside from that, whatever system you choose to write for, be aware of its strengths and weaknesses and play into the things it's good at. Most systems are less flexible than people assume, but every system has a place where it really sings, and that's the kind of "system mastery" I like to see.

A note on criticism from Lynda Barry

And on a final note, a disclaimer: I may be a writing tutor in my day job, but I am not a pedant. I have no interest in going over posts with a fine tooth comb looking for misplaced commas. Design is important, as is reader-friendliness—I have to be able to pick up what you're putting down—but I'm not going to sweat the small stuff.

[hafrogman]

Help! Strangemund has locked me in a box and won't give me food or water unless I agree to her nefarious judging scheme!

Er... I mean, Hi! I'm hafrogman (he/him) and I will be joining the judging team for Iron DM 2024. I am totally doing so under my own free will, being of sound mind and body. (I said the thing, ok? Put down the knife.) I have been involved in PbP gaming (here and elsewhere) for a great many years, and been roleplaying in general for even more than that.

But in all those years, I have actually never participated in an Iron DM competition. Nor have I ever really successfully ran a campaign of my own. So all in all I'll be bringing a unqualifiedfresh, new perspective to the judging team.

Tips? Didn't we just go over how I have no idea what I'm doing? How am I supposed to know what you're supposed to do? Oh! I know. I'm trying something new, so you should as well.

[Dworin]

Hey there, I'm Dworin and the image is what AI thinks a Dworin looks like, though in reality I'm not that handsome. It did get the number of eyes approximately correct though.

I'm still fairly new to the site but I have rp'ed a bit elsewhere: at the table long, long (2x) ago and online long (just 1x) ago. I joined Iron DM last year and fared much better than I had any reason to hope. I'm currently running two games here that I love very much, thanks to the input of my wonderful players.

I'll lean my tip on that. Even if a scene or scenario leads to a specific intended end, leave room for your players/PCs to shine and make your story awesome.

And of course, as all judges before me have said (typed): HAVE FUN! I am looking forward to read all your entries and perhaps use some of your cool ideas in my games.

[Pseudonymous]

Hi everyone! I'm Pseudonymous (she/her), one of your judges for this year's Iron DM Competition! I've been lurking around RPGx since 2014, and this will be my first time working on Iron DM. Most of my experience is in 5e and Pathfinder 2e, though I've also played a smattering of Original Recipe Pathfinder, Blades in the Dark, Call of Cthulhu, Starfinder, Exalted, and the Cypher System.

Like Hafrogman, I have very limited experience DMing, but I've played a ton of games, so my approach to judging will be that of a player and a novice DM. I love creativity and storytelling, so I'm super excited to see what everyone brings to the table for Iron DM this year!

My Tips: Write what makes you happy! Be creative, have fun, and show us the game that you'd like to play.

[Admin Bhelogan]

Oh crap, he is here again!

In 2017 it started with this
Next in 2018, he said this
And then in 2019, Bhelogan said this
Then in 2020, he got lazy and just quoted the previous year
And in 2021, did the same thing again
Finally, in 2022, he put that part in spoilers and added something different
Then in 2023, he had the good sense to at least clean up some grammar when quoting himself.

So, yeah. This is my 8th year judging. If this is your first time in Iron DM, then my previous content should give a pretty good idea of what I am looking for. If you are not new, I'm sorry. I'm still me.

[O2CXt3]

Hi there, I'm O2CXT3.

By day, I'm a software engineer and by night I'm...

Hey! Stop it! Get out of there! One person in the bathroom at a time!
How many times do I have to tell you!
I don't care about your mouthwash! Just do it!

Um. Excuse me. Where was I? Oh, yes, by night, I'm a dad.

I've competed in Iron DM the last couple of years, and I gotta say, it's a challenge. I fully respect all the contestants who will be competing for the Iron DM 2024 crown. Some of the ingredients - where do people think of these things?

Well, this year, I get to sit back in the reclining lawn chair of my mind, grab a nice margarita with a little paper umbrella, and watch all of you do some Iron DM cooking! I'm looking forward to it.

This is my first year judging, so my standards are not very well defined yet. Bananabadger and Strangemund have some great advice - definitely read it.

If you're new to Iron DM, the thing that probably helped me the most was to go back and read the entries from previous years' winners. There's a nice table here showing you all the past winners. From there, you can dig through other posts in the competition, see what works well and what doesn't.

As for what I'll be looking for in a post... it's all about the ingredients. I'm a sucker for a really clever use of ingredients. The stranger the ingredient, the better. If you manage to integrate those crazy ingredients into a story that sort of makes sense and is fun, I'll definitely love it.

And like others have said, have fun! I'm less worried about the detailed mechanics of your story (although those do matter), and more interested in the story, the tone, and how fun it seems like the adventure would be to play.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone cooks up!