[Information] Meet the Judges/DMs

[Admin Bhelogan]

Hello, and welcome to the thread where the Judges and DMs will introduce themselves, and give you some insight on what they are looking for.

To repeat what is in Competition rules and rules queries for Outplay 2024, judging will be greatly simplified this year.

Every Encounter that you participate in, which is completed will grant you 1 point. The judges will pick one player from each encounter, whom they feel is most deserving, to vote as the MVP. The main criteria for this vote is; 'Based on this round, which player in this group would you most want to game with at your table?' with some short feedback for why. The MPV will be awarded one additional point.

To help you know what the judges are individually looking for, they will introduce themselves here.

[savoylen]

Greetings, Outplay Participants!

First and foremost, I want to express my admiration for the dedication and effort you invest in competing on RPGCrossing. Participating in Outplay requires a blend of humor, humility, and resilience, especially when receiving feedback or facing unexpected outcomes. Remember, while feedback may include both criticism and praise, it's intended to support your growth as a roleplayer.

Building connections and fostering community through shared experiences enriches our journey together. So, as you dive into Outplay threads, remember the importance of treating each other and the judges with care and respect.

As judges, our goal is to provide constructive guidance to enhance your already formidable roleplaying skills. While our feedback may delve deep to uncover nuances that distinguish exceptional posts, please understand that it's offered with the sole intention of helping you evolve as a player. Never interpret our critiques as personal attacks; they're meant to inspire growth and improvement.

Now, here's my top tip for maximizing your Outplay experience: focus less on the numbers and more on the feedback provided by the judges in the opening rounds. Within those insights lies invaluable wisdom that can propel your skills to new heights. Whether you advance or not to the final, remember that we're here to support your journey.

Allow me to share a bit about myself and what captures my attention:

• In my everyday life, I wear multiple hats as a teacher, engineer, and woodworking artist. I have a keen eye for detail and appreciate fresh perspectives that breathe life into familiar tropes.
• While I enjoy humor, Outplay is no sitcom. The tone of your posts should align with the scene's mood and character dynamics.
• Substance is key. Ensure that your posts propel the plot forward and contribute meaningfully to the overarching goals. Posts lacking in depth (please don't confuse that with length or word count) or significance may not score well, regardless of their cleverness.
• Clear understanding of mechanics is essential. If you're unsure about something, don't hesitate to seek clarification in the support forums before crafting your post.

I'm excited to embark on this Outplay journey with you all, and I look forward to witnessing your creativity and talent unfold!

Warm regards,
Savoy

[Admin Dirk]

I can't believe I fell for that trap, and got snickered into judging. I knew the sign for "Free Pizza" was too good to be true. Especially since Pizza was spelled wrong. Ugh.

Ah well... no one wants to come here to hear me whining. I'm Dirkoth, or Dirk to most folks (but there is an actual Dirk registered here, by name, so... If you hate my scoring, please send all hate mail to Dirk). I've been around a while, here on these boards since late 2008, and gaming at tables since the mid 70's.

I'll be looking for the same things I look for in Post of the Month competitions. Which means, there will be judges here who want/like/reward the exact opposite of what I like.

What I like: Good, solid posts that interact with other players/GM/game setting. I don't mind if there's internal dialogue, and lots of thought(s) being shown, that's fine. I like to know what your character is thinking. But they need to INTERACT with others. It's fine if you want to describe a ten paragraph post about setting up your campsite and gathering wood for the fire, and all the things going through your mind as you worry about the rescue of the prisoner from the cave in the morning, but if you don't interact with other gamers, your post loses me. I want a post that answers and asks, gives directions or takes directions from others, advances the plot, etc..

I'm old school, so I like a post to include your PC's name, gender, race, class, etc., somewhere in the thing. Not necessarily every post has to have that every time, but... It's a sin to fail to interact with other PC's in the game, and it's a sin to fail to give others any information about yourself, so they can interact with you. Make it easy on them, use your name once in a while. Mention your skills/class/abilities/superhero powers every so often. Give others some clues, so they can react, call you by name, refer to your powers, remember your habits/tics/etc.

I tend to like delicious words. If you can throw a good twenty-five cent word into your lexicon, do it. I don't need a ton of them, just sprinkle one or two in like a fine seasoning to your post.



What I don't like:

Wall of text. I want a game post, something I can read, that draws me in, hooks my PC, gives me something to react to/interact with, and advances the plot. I DON'T need that in a novel. I know that great writing can span thousands of words, but then again, great writing can span a couple of sentences. Don't fall for the idea that a thousand words are better than two hundred words... If the two hundred are descriptive, interactive, and advance the plot with some hooks for others to game with, then I love it. If it's a 5000 word monologue, with the description of every blade of grass you trampled, I am going to hate it.

Bad accents. Please, dear gods, do not do bad accents in writing. "Zee dog iz enz zee houssse" will get a zzzzzeee-row from me instantly.

I could go on, but something about a wall of text...

[Raylorne]

Alright what I’m looking for here is pretty simple. A unique and flavourful application of the ingredients, good presentation…. Wait? Wrong competition? This isn’t Kathy’s Bake Off?

Okay let’s try this again. What I’m looking for here is pretty simple. A unique and flavourful application of the ingredients, good presentation…. Huh? Not IronDM either? What?!! Outplay?

Hold on a second let me sort this out. Somebody get my agent on the line.

Okay so Bhelogan tells me a contract is a contract whether I read it or not. So here we are. Outplay. I came second place once which makes me perfectly suited to judging your performances.

Lots of good advice above me, so I’ll just echo that.

[ridin gaijin]

Hello all. I've judged a few Iron DMs, and generally been hanging around a while, so I thought this might be a way to help out a little more.

As a judge, I'm looking for the following, all equally important:

• Adaptability: innovative use of circumstance, environment, and materials at hand.
• As applicable, fresh takes on familiar characters and situations.
• Good writing: conciseness, brevity, and flavor.
• Where appropriate, high-quality interactions with others in character; and out of character, mutual respect and a sense of levity. It's a game, people...have fun!

Bravo to all who sign up, and looking forward!

[Ysolde]

Let's see so we're in a small village that has to deal with sudden changes? No wait, that's Village Survival. Hmm, you're all playing in a good Drow House in Menzoberanzan? No, that's War of the Spider Queen. Goodness, this must be something new that I am here to run as a DM.

As a DM I try to be fair, and I allow my players a wide range of solutions to problems. If you have questions about the encounter please feel free to PM me.

Regards,

Ysolde

[Ildrahil]

Howdy all,

Yes, I rolled a one on my stealth roll and ended up getting caught, so here I am serving my time as a judge...and I can't wait. That is correct, you read that right, I can't wait to read the epicness (<--- that is a very technical RPGX term) you all are about to create. And let me say thank you for participating and making this site a better site.

About me, I've been playing RPGs for a very long time. I am probably one of the oldest players on the site. I have been playing since before D&D was, well, D&D. It was just an appendix in a game called Chainmail when I started playing. D&D is and has been my favorite RPG in all its iterations, except 4e, yuck, phooey, blah. But I have also played Heroes, L5R (another favorite), Traveller, GURPS, 7th Sea, Twilight: 2000, Rune Quest, King Arthur Pendragon (one more favorite), Call of Cthulu, MERP, Dangerous Journeys, and others. Yeah, where did he find time to play all those games you're probably thinking. Well, 22+ years in the Army present one with time to spare.

Now, I believe I'm supposed to tell y'all (<--- I'm from NJ but I love the utility of that word) what I'm looking for in a post. What am I looking for, hmmm, good question. A story. Yup, I want a story. It can be flowery, grim, exciting, tense, happy, funny, or any combination of those things, but it should also be coherent. It doesn't have to be over long. In fact, too much text tends to distract me. And give me some flavor, a little spice, something to peak my interest. Finally, I like to see interaction with other PCs or NPCs where one can.

Okay, so now all you intrepid adventurers, go forth and conquer and write, and bedazzle me with your epicscuity.

[Admin Dirk]

Originally Posted by Ildrahil

Howdy all,

About me, I've been playing RPGs for a very long time. I am probably one of the oldest players on the site. I have been playing since before D&D was, well, D&D. It was just an appendix in a game called Chainmail when I started playing.

It's true. We checked, and Ildrahil is older than me, and as you know, I am older than dirt. If I am like Cambrian age, then Il is Pre-Cambrian. We were old when dinosaurs first crawled out of the primordial soup. Heck, Il has the original recipe for primordial soup.

[Ildrahil]

Heh, dirt is a babe and primordial soup a toddler scared and alone in the universe. When two atoms first stirred and headed towards each other to clash due to the song of Eru Ilúvatar, I was there, like a giant spider...oh wait, never mind.

[Admin Bhelogan]

Originally Posted by Admin Dirk

I... I knew the sign for "Free Pizza" was too good to be true. Especially since Pizza was spelled wrong. Ugh.

And thus, Dirk has stumbled onto one of Outplays most consistent features, prominently displayed every year. At least one embarrassing typo by Bhelogan!

For those new here, Hi! I'm Bhelogan. I am the event organizer this year, as I have been for the past several years. I will likely be participating as a judge, though I may hop over to the DM chair, if needed.

As a judge, I am looking for 2 things. 1) Be Amazing and stand out! 2) Help other players be Amazing and stand out! Contradictions you say? Maybe, but the closer you can get to that, the better chance you will have to get my MVP votes.

If I DM, make my life easy. Make your actions, intent, mechanics, and results clear. Also, make my life hard. Do something unexpected that makes me think on my toes to resolve.

Beyond that, I wish you luck, and happy gaming!