RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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As a diversion, I'd like to direct fidgety people to the classic "Thud and Blunder" article by Poul Anderson. It's the article I point to when people scoff at the idea of "realism" in high fantasy. It doesn't much apply to us or our situation, which is why I'm presenting it as a diversion.
On a stranger theme, this person clearly knows the real secrets behind Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
And then there's always the physics of space battles.
And lastly, for those of you who think you're tone deaf, here's evidence that the pentatonic scale is hard-wired into the human brain.
There. That got you thinking about other things for at least ten minutes.
Interesting. Not one skintaker. I don't mind, but I wonder if everyone thought somebody else was going to do one too.
I hope Alex is pleased with my version of the ardorwesp.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7
aka Draconas
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Interesting. Not one skintaker. I don't mind, but I wonder if everyone thought somebody else was going to do one too.
I hope Alex is pleased with my version of the ardorwesp.
I know I got caught up in the mindset that the top monsters would see alot of copies so I tried to go with something else and it turns out others had the same thoughts!
I was hoping for more lahamu, so I feel your pain.
It would have been my second choice after the ardorwesp, really. In fact, it was close to a tie, but I thought there would have been more of them too.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
aka Benchak the Nightstalker
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Yeah, I would have had to have gone with my third choice. :(Congratulations, regardless, on the best reviewed of the Rat Pack, Benjamin. Yes, I'm calling it the Rat Pack now. :P
Well, we get six votes this round, so I say we join together and urge people to
Thanks guys for doing the Churjiir!
Interesting. Not one skintaker. I don't mind, but I wonder if everyone thought somebody else was going to do one too.
I think the popularity scared people off. I am surprised at the lack of sploruda, too. And personally, I kinda wanted to see a brown urus entry.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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(I give Ben the secret rat handshake) *Go team ratpack!!*
I actually thought about doing the skintaker but then figured it would be too popular so did the rat king. D'oh
I've been keeping sane by painting minis this week. I've done some serious damage to my mini-backlog.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Interesting. Not one skintaker. I don't mind, but I wonder if everyone thought somebody else was going to do one too.I think the popularity scared people off. I am surprised at the lack of sploruda, too. And personally, I kinda wanted to see a brown urus entry.
Me too *sniff*
Seeing the judges icy response in the last round I can see why my Urus was avoided but the sploruda and skintaker are a bit of a surprise, they were popular creatures last round and I think both under CR 6. Instead we got several creatures I thought would be too high CR done up and fairly well.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Star Voter Season 6
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Interesting. Not one skintaker. I don't mind, but I wonder if everyone thought somebody else was going to do one too.I think the popularity scared people off. I am surprised at the lack of sploruda, too. And personally, I kinda wanted to see a brown urus entry.Me too *sniff*
Seeing the judges icy response in the last round I can see why my Urus was avoided but the sploruda and skintaker are a bit of a surprise, they were popular creatures last round and I think both under CR 6. Instead we got several creatures I thought would be too high CR done up and fairly well.
Going heavy with the puns there? 'icy response'.
I'm trying to write a half hour at least a night. I'll try to stat up brownie, I've a different tact though.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Dennis, I avoided the Brown Urus because the monster I statted up, a single creature, isn't the monster that the party would encounter, which is a herd of them. That sounded like a short ticket to a judge's rebuke to me.
I'm not so sure about that, the rat king is unlikely to be encountered without a host of minions, lantern archons are more likely to be encountered in candellabras ;)
Ultimately the Urus would probably be encountered in a herd though and that would likely be a CR 8+ encounter unless I'm mistaken.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Interesting. Not one skintaker. I don't mind, but I wonder if everyone thought somebody else was going to do one too.I think the popularity scared people off. I am surprised at the lack of sploruda, too. And personally, I kinda wanted to see a brown urus entry.Me too *sniff*
Seeing the judges icy response in the last round I can see why my Urus was avoided but the sploruda and skintaker are a bit of a surprise, they were popular creatures last round and I think both under CR 6. Instead we got several creatures I thought would be too high CR done up and fairly well.
It's funny, in both this round and the monster round it felt like we had a lot of "I'm going to do THIS to be different and make my entry stand out" - gross-out monsters last round, and middle-of-the-pack-popularity or hard-to-do-as-CR6-or-less monsters this time. In both cases, we ended up with an amazing confluence of groupthink where none of those things stood out.
For those who keep advancing, I guess I'd just encourage you to go with your gut and your bestest, favoritest thing to enter. If you try gaming the system, you're gonna end up out-thinking yourself and you might be kicking yourself if you go down on an entry you were trying to play to be CLEVER instead of going whole hog with your true love and making it AWESOME.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8
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I'd like to wish everyone good luck! I voted, and all the monsters look promising. In the interest of my sanity and in avoidance of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rule against discussing our entries, I am once again checking out of this section of the board until after the voting is done. Cheers to everyone and best wishes! I'll see you in the Lingerie portion of the competition!
Likewise (to add to James Martin's wise words).. I seriously wish every one of you the best of luck. If I don't comment, it isn't intended as a sleight or that I didn't love your creature as much or more than one I did comment on.
Last round I debated about stepping back a little, and now I think it's time (with the exception of thanking people in my thread.. which I'm always going to do).
I think things are going to get a little bit more intense.
Well, someone did say this was a brutal round, so I guess the next one has to be embarrassing. ;)
No. The next one will be heartbreaking, because Round 4 separates those who won't get a shot at the prize from those who do...as well as those who will still be eligible to compete again next year.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
aka AWizardInDallas
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Well, someone did say this was a brutal round, so I guess the next one has to be embarrassing. ;)No. The next one will be heartbreaking, because Round 4 separates those who won't get a shot at the prize from those who do...as well as those who will still be eligible to compete again next year.
I was referring entirely to Mr. Martin's comedic comment about there being a lingerie competition. He's made the jest twice now and so I thought it deserved comment.
These gentlemen are already winners in my book, whether they win the grand prize or not. We may all now enjoy some freelancing opportunities that we may not have enjoyed without this competition. I'd be extremely disappointed not to win, but heartbroken is just too strong a word. Life does go on.
Those folks who had their monster picked to stat out.
are you finding as hard as I am to *not* comment on the stats given to 'your' critter?
I was quite pleased with what Richard did with my (wait, it's HIS now!) Slithering Horror. I may have been the birth-daddy, but it's his baby now.
I think that's an important lesson for a freelancer to learn.
I think I could honestly compliment Lief on a very difficult job, well done.
Hear hear.
These gentlemen are already winners in my book, whether they win the grand prize or not.
I couldn't say it better myself, so I won't even try.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
aka Benchak the Nightstalker
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Those folks who had their monster picked to stat out.
are you finding as hard as I am to *not* comment on the stats given to 'your' critter?
Were we not supposed to? It's not elaborating on you own entry at all, so I figured it was fair game.
Were we not supposed to? It's not elaborating on you own entry at all, so I figured it was fair game.
Nothing in the rules says you can't elaborate on another contestant's submission. In fact, I think it shows good sportsmanship.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
aka AWizardInDallas
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I was quite pleased with what Richard did with my (wait, it's HIS now!) Slithering Horror. I may have been the birth-daddy, but it's his baby now.
I think that's an important lesson for a freelancer to learn.
Thanks again, Tom! Enjoyed it! I hope that means I can count on a vote from ya. ;)
Nothing in the rules says you can't elaborate on another contestant's submission. In fact, I think it shows good sportsmanship.
Indeed. I think so too.
However, I also think one should be a little cautious. I've done a lot of thinking about this, especially in the light of Vic Wertz and Neil Spicer's advice not to comment..
What I've come away thinking is that it is good sportmanship, just as Tom says. However, I'd make it short and positive. I wouldn't do a lot of analysis. We're also dealing with pubic perception of us, and people *can* (but not always) read all kinds of motives into anything.
Short, sincere, and positive.
For what it's worth.. and I'm not blowing sunshine up anybody's backside.. I have really enjoyed the company of all my competitors. You guys are awesome... and professional people.
In regards to the latest developments, ouch. You have my sympathies and I salute your excellent creations, Lief.
Yes, let's raise a glass to Lief Clennon!
May he return better than ever next year!
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7
aka Draconas
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In regards to the latest developments, ouch. You have my sympathies and I salute your excellent creations, Lief.Yes, let's raise a glass to Lief Clennon!
May he return better than ever next year!
Here, here!
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Competitors, spoilered so as not to spoil your fun
We have plenty of other people, judges and forum members who dissect each entry, we don't need to hear your views. They may not seem biased when you write them but unless you write the exact same thing in every entry thread then you are likely to be favouring one entry over another. Please just wait and see it as the professional thing to do.
Apologies for entering your Hall but I've been meaning to post this for a day or two. In future rounds if you post into other people's work before the voting ends I may just decide not to vote for you no matter how loyal or supportive I'd like to be for your work.
Cheers
Short, sincere, and positive.
I agree 100%.
Hopefully, everyone realizes Lief is still an active participant in the contest as a voter and evaluator of your work. I expect him to stick around and offer his commentary on every future submission.
I hope that means I can count on a vote from ya. ;)
In the interest of being short, sincere, and positive: Yup. ;-)
Err, Watcher, you might want to proof-read and edit that post. You have a typo.
Hopefully fixed.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7
aka Draconas
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Err, Watcher, you might want to proof-read and edit that post. You have a typo.Hopefully fixed.Actually I was looking at something else, just after the point where I cut off.
Think he means the word just before perception. :P
In future rounds if you post into other people's work before the voting ends I may just decide not to vote for you no matter how loyal or supportive I'd like to be for your work.
Thanks for telling us French Wolf.
Please don't put it in spoiler tags. If that becomes a policy that is adapted by many voters, we need to know.
So again, thank you for being candid. I'd rather have the opportunity to change what is perceived as a negative behavior than losing a vote after the fact when I have no ability to change what was done out of the best of intentions.
Note: I'm not sure I agree with you, as I think a short positive comment is only the gentlemanly thing to do, but I respect what you're saying.
You offered the caveat that we're free to ignore you, but we simply can not. Not at all. Respectfully, you must understand that as well. We can't ignore your warning if we hope to receive positive comments and your vote. The best possible outcome (for us) is that you would be in the minority, but there's not a lot to be gained in that particular gamble.
To quote song writer Jackson Browne in his classic 'Load Out'...
People you've got the power over what we do
You can sit there and wait
Or you can pull us through
Think he means the word just before perception. :P
And now it's too late... :P on me.