In a short while, I'll be editing this post to contain some placeholders for information such as a list of contests, requested themes for future comments, lists of medal winners, and a list of eligible judges. And those edits will continue as long as the contest runs.
In addition to gathering all that information into one spot, though, the other purpose of the thread is to turn over the future of the contest to the community. This thread is your chance to talk about the meta-concepts of the contest. Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you think a rule needs tweaked? Do you have a suggestion for a future theme? Here's the place to discuss all of that.
The goal of the contest remains the same now as it was back when we first started up the Hero Craftsman contest: have fun while helping folks improve their character building skills. I hope we've accomplished that, and I'd love to hear your ideas on how we can continue to strive for that goal going forward!
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List of Past Contests
- [thread=1123516]Hero Artisan #1: Winter Wonderland[/thread]
- [thread=1142945]Hero Artisan #2: Redemption[/thread]
- [thread=1176373]Hero Artisan #3: Nautical[/thread]
- [thread=1206111]Hero Artisan #4: The Elemental Chaos[/thread]
- [thread=1232434]Hero Artisan #5: Oops[/thread]
List of Proposed Theme Ideas
Show
"Heritage" traits
"Background" Traits
"Occupation" Traits
Other
"Heritage" traits
- Planar
- Draconic
"Background" Traits
- A sea-going character
- an 'evil' character
- a character that has a vow against taking sentient life
"Occupation" Traits
- A military background
- a professor, employee, or student of some kind of academy or center of education
Other
- a character with an addiction.
- a champion whose defining attribute is a reputation based on success in a sport, tournament, or other athletic competition
I think the only thing that I wasn't really a fan of was the wait. It seems like it took forever to get through the submission phase. Although, part of that might have to do with being the 2nd one to submit, and doing so with a character I'd already half built. Next time I think I'd take a little longer to really come up with something special. I don't mind waiting for the judges, cause I know you guys have lives and stuff what needs doing.
Overall, I think this was a lot of fun. Good work, everyone who puts their time and effort into making it that way. I know we'll talk again because I intend to submit a character to these as long as they exist and I don't forget my password.
I quite enjoyed it. I'd seen the Craftsman series before, even poked my nose in a couple threads, but I haven't really played enough 3.5 to compete without an excessive amount of work. When I saw that a 4E version had been made I was filled with glee. I love building characters (which is good cause I never get to play the darn things) and finally it was a system that I understand the rules for.
Thanks for your feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed the process - that's certainly what we aim for! I'd been kicking around getting a 4e version started pretty much since 4e came out, but always had trouble finding judges from among those eligible to judge the 3.5 version. Finally, Eldritch_Lord stepped up and offered to judge, and gave me some names of folks who he thought also knew the rules well and would be able to handle the task.
I'll stick around for the next contest or two, then hopefully completely turn over running these to the folks who know the system.
I think the only thing that I wasn't really a fan of was the wait. It seems like it took forever to get through the submission phase. Although, part of that might have to do with being the 2nd one to submit, and doing so with a character I'd already half built. Next time I think I'd take a little longer to really come up with something special. I don't mind waiting for the judges, cause I know you guys have lives and stuff what needs doing.
That's certainly a downside to getting in early. Also, the amount of time alloted for entries was a bit longer than what we typically allow for a Hero Craftsman, for a couple of reasons. First, being new we wanted to allow as much time for word of mouth to spread as possible. Second, the holidays were right in the middle there; I learned a lesson with Hero Craftsman 19 -- just because I have a lot of free time around holidays doesn't mean everybody else does. So rather than ending things in the middle of the holiday season, I just pushed the date out a little further.
Expect future contests to have a little less time for the entry phase.
Overall, I think this was a lot of fun. Good work, everyone who puts their time and effort into making it that way. I know we'll talk again because I intend to submit a character to these as long as they exist and I don't forget my password.
Most definitely, a job well down by all the entrants! I hope to run these (and the 3.5 version) for as long as the remain feasible.
To that end... if anybody has any themes they'd love to see, by all means feel free to suggest it. I'll keep them in a list up in the first post, and when judges can't come up with one on their own, they can refer to the list.
Make a "seagoing" character.
Make an "evil" player character, whatever that means to you.
Make a character with a military background.
Make a character that has a vow against taking sentient life.
Make a character with an addiction.
Make a professor, employee, or student of some kind of academy or center of education.
Make a champion whose defining attribute is a reputation based on success in a sport, tournament, or other athletic competition.
These could also be optional elements to include in any Hero Artisan competition. Also, I think it would be interesting to include as possible bonuses on the scoring rubrik consideration as to whether the character is ready to begin adventuring as part of a mixed party. Since the characters are D&D characters, and all.
Also, I think it would be interesting to include as possible bonuses on the scoring rubrik consideration as to whether the character is ready to begin adventuring as part of a mixed party. Since the characters are D&D characters, and all.
That's generally already a consideration. Does the character fit as a PC?
Thanks for the list. Those are great options!
-A disgraced hero.
-A character disfigured by scars or inhibited by a disability.
-A character who learned his/her skills for some noncombat purpose but has been forced to use those skills as an adventurer.
-A cursed character who adventurers to get rid of it.
And I didn't know that the "PC as a member of a party" aspect was already part of the scoring, but it makes sense that it is. Great!
Maybe a draconic character, now that Dracomonicon 1 came out? Or maybe a planar one, since MotP came out?
I like the planar hero idea myself. I second it.
Wish I'd spotted the Hero Artisan 1 thread before the entry period ended.
I thought the "winter" theme was neat, because it doesn't really constrain characters much, if at all. It's like saying, "Make any character you want, and then explain why the concept of 'winter' is important to them," rather than the "Make a character with X constraint" themes some others have been proposing.
I understand your point completely. In Hero Craftsman, we've had a little bit of both over the previous 19 contests. We had one theme that was "incorporate at least one level of monk into your character" and we've had "something to do with the divine" and all sorts of other things. The monk one is really interesting; it was one of my favorite contests, but another one of the judges considers it his least favorite.
And that's why we mix things up -- what one person likes, another dislikes. Sometimes a more narrow theme can be entertaining to a different audience, which pulls in a bunch of fresh faces. Generally speaking, you probably won't see three or four "wide open" or "character with X constraint" type contests in a row; again, the idea is to be as inclusive as possible, and running for three months with the same style isn't very inclusive.
Wish I'd spotted the Hero Artisan 1 thread before the entry period ended.
You'll just have to keep an eye out for HA2.
Once I have scores from all the judges, it takes me about a day to total 'em (including some double checking to make sure my spreadsheet isn't borked) and write up the "final" post. After that, there's usually some chitter chatter to talk about scores, and then we try to round up three eligible judges to get the process rolling again.If I had to guess, I'd say the next HA should be starting up around the end of the month.
I've updated the list of medal winners as well as the eligible list of judges. If anybody spots mistakes (such as misspelled names, etc) please let me know.
If you have any thoughts about the way the contest went, I would love to hear them. I take a lot of pride, to be honest, in these contests; but in order for them to continue to be so awesome, we need your feedback.
I'll also make this an open call to eligible judges so we can get a start on organizing HA2. I'd like to coordinate this one, and then after that turn it over to somebody else to serve in that role. So I need at least three of our eligible judges to come forward and offer their time once again.
Race based 1: Not a particular race per se, but the fact that they are a ----- is key to the concept.
Race Based 2: All characters must be tied to say, dwarves.
Underground:
Magic: Something in the background is tied to a magical effect.
Flying: Flying is tied to the concept.
All the Best,
Nani?
-Escapist Pastime: The character is attempting to escape some aspect of their past, present, or future.
-How Low can you Go: The character was once much greater than they are now. (Best for lower levels).
-Down with Love: February is coming (and that means Valentine's day), this character, however, would boycott it instead.
-I Fear it's... Amnesia (dun dun dun): The character doens't remember part of their past.
Ranged combatant could fit in February (i.e., Cupid's Arrows)
Character has some quality that they themselves don't know about (but is important on a global / whatever scale, or has the chance to possibly affect many people)
On the run -- character is fleeing from someone, some concept (i.e. commitment) or simply their past.
Exotic -- the character has mysteriously arrived in the world of DnD coming from parts unknown and either belongs to a completely new race, has strangely styled equipment, oddly reflavoured powers, etc.
Duality -- the character has a "dark side", whether this is an actual separate personality (ala Dissociative Identity Disorder [NOT Schizophrenia, for you non-psychologists out there]), behaves differently around a certain group, or simply has a strange/offensive/dark pastime/hobby.
Rebirth/Reincarnation -- the character is viewed as a scion of change and regeneration and/or has become redeemed from something into something else.
Crusade -- for whatever reason, the character has a personal vandetta against a certain race, group, or region of people (must be a large amount).
More when I think of them ~,^
Silence, Downward Spiral, From the Wreckage, A Price for All Things
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As for HA2 -- I'm still working on wrangling judges. One the difficulties - especially when the contest is new - is finding three (or more) eligible judges with the free time to, well, judge.
As for HA2 -- I'm still working on wrangling judges. One the difficulties - especially when the contest is new - is finding three (or more) eligible judges with the free time to, well, judge.
What are the requirements for judges and what could we do to (temporarilly) expand the pool. For example, the XDMC allows judges from the MDMC through the first ten contests, then lets the "grandfather clause" expire. That seems like a good idea.
All the Best,
Nani?
Medalists are added to the eligible list the same as the DM competitions. Gold medalists qualify right off the bat. In addition, two silver, four bronze, or 1 silver and 2 bronze will also qualify an entrant for judging. So the judging pool should certainly grow in the new future.
So: I'm willing to go with the grandfather clause. Any HC judges interested in helping get HA2 running? I only need one more judge. (but of course, if more than one more person is interested, we can always have more.)
"fall from grace" would also work.
"Unusual combinations" (i.e. an orc wizard etc.)
"How to build a monk using 4E classes until the monk class comes out."
First and foremost... I'm making an executive decision. I'm going to implement Nani?'s suggestion: Any eligible Hero Craftsman judge is welcome to join in the judging pool for Hero Artisan. This invitation will remain open until HA5. After that point, you'll need to earn your way into the judging pool.
And with that piece done... I'd like eligible judges to think about whether they'd be willing to judge for HA3. I don't need to know now (though you're welcome to state so if you're certain). I'm willing to coordinate again, though if somebody else among the eligible judges is interested in the task, that'd be fine too. I wouldn't mind a chance to enter. ;)
I think it's interesting that there were no repeat winners from HA1 in HA2. Not sure if it actually means anything - it's just interesting.
All the details in the first post should be up-to-date with the announcement of HA2's winners today. If I missed anything, please let me know.
I think it's interesting that there were no repeat winners from HA1 in HA2. Not sure if it actually means anything - it's just interesting.
Well, HA1's gold medal winner was judging, so it's obvious why he didn't win. The other two, wrecan and Nyronus, didn't even enter, so of course they couldn't win either. It does seem like an ill omen that they didn't enter, though.
This could be an opportunity to create a character we normally wouldn't get to play.
I need eligible judges for HA3! So far, Nani? has volunteered, so I need two more.
Since spring is on it's way (April Showers people, it's that month to finally hop in the tub) we'll see a lot of plants blooming, so something along the line of Forest, Bloom, Renewal, Rebirth, Hope, Garden (ok, garden? Obviously I'm just throwing ideas out now) Flower, Youth, Exuberance, Love, Beginnings, Sunrise, Pollen, Seed, Festival, Growth, Water (Spring...water. It's a pun!) Joy, Awakening, Return, somethingsomethingsomething.
Now I was just spitballin' there. Thought I'd run it up the flag pole and see who saluted it! (Points for the movie reference).
Now out of those, I'm inclined to think Forest, Renewal, Hope, Youth, Love, Beginnings, Festival, Growth, Awakening, Return, and Garden are the best Spring ideas. Yes, I'd really like to see a Garden themed contest. Behold my +3 Earthmover Trowel and my Vorpal Watering Pot.
I do still like guardian though. Also, what other sort of stuff is coming up timewise. I mean, we are going to see April Showers, so some more water oriented things like the High Seas or Foggy London sort of things (obviously not London, that would be silly).
Zherog: When the new one goes up, you might want to put a bit more emphasis on the "editing your entry after 15 minutes disqualifies you" thing. Like, say, all caps and bold. Or possibly a giant neon sign.
Since XDMC #6,7, and 8 have also suffered DQ's (and the two contests share this aspect of the rules), I second this notion
We have two judges! I need one more, and we can begin the super-uber-top-secretsacrificesmeetings.
Begin the Shuffling Chant of Commencement!
Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem BONK
Now, we may begin! Oh, what? Third memba'. Why would we wahnt a thi'd memba'? Aow, roight, foh the jugdin'. Whell, we awlready know she's a witch, so 'ave we got a need foh a third memba' foh? Foine foine, run it howeva' y'like. S'not like I've got witches ta burn er nuffin'.
Edit (within 15 mintues)
I'd like to point out the irrational joy that filled me when I realised there was a font actually called "Impact" for my bonk. It just made my day!.
Er... does that mean you're in?
In a word: Yes.
In many words: Crumpet.
(Did you get that PM I sent you saying I would judge? Or were you just puzzling out the meaning of the post?)
So we have, so far, Nani? and Johnathan. I'll try to get PMs out to all the other judges today to see if we can round up some usual (or, in this case, unusual) suspects.
I'll send PMs to those who volunteered within the next day so we can get the brainstorming underway. Between now and the time HA3 is posted, any eligible judge (including HC judges!) is welcome to jump in and join the party.
There's three - I'm only coordinating.
From the other thread.
Yeah, I'm running behind schedule in getting the first post done. Tomorrow's looking more likely although tonight is still a possibility.
I have the post for HA3 written. However, I still need to proofread it before I can post it. And I'm about to run off to a meeting. I'll handle the proofing and posting when I get back from the two-hour meeting. HA3 should be posted some time around 5pm (EDT) this evening! Yay!
As for the story of why I was delayed...
off topic story
I was off work yesterday, and my goal was to get a bunch of my writing stuff polished up and sent off to publishers, and then work on this. Around 1pm or so, my wife told me she thought there was some sort of animal stuck in our chimney. I told her she was hearing things and went back to work.
Around 3pm, after learning that Harry Kalas, the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies (among other things), died I decided I needed to watch the baseball game. I don't expect most people to understand this, and that's OK. So I'm sitting there watching the game, getting all melancholy about Harry the K, and I hear a noise from the fireplace. "Holy
," I thought, "she was right!"
So I poke around a bit. I don't know what's in there, so I'm a bit hesitant to just open the flue and look. So I decide to call and find out how to go about getting an animal out of a chimney. After spending about 45 minutes or so making all sorts of phone calls - the Women's Humane Society, the SPCA, the PA Wildlife and Game department, the Bensalem Police Department, and probably a half-dozen other places, I finally learn that - in Bensalem Township at least, maybe in all of PA - in order to save a wild animal stuck in your home, you need to call an exterminator. Seemed like an oxymoron to me, but whatever.
About this time, my wife gets home from the grocery store. I help her haul in groceries and mumble something or other about her being right. I take the frozen stuff down to our freezer in the basement -- and find that when my son was in there over the weekend, he decided that closing the door was optional.
I empty the freezer, throwing away everything. While all of it hadn't thawed, most of it had. It was easier to just toss it than to wonder if it was still good. Then I cleaned up. Now it's a little after 5pm, and I convince my wife that she should call the exterminator.
In the past, we had a mouse problem, so we have a company we trust. She calls them. She gets voice mail - being after 5pm on a weeknight, that's not too shocking. She waits to leave a message - only to have their answering machine cut off before she can. She waits a few minutes and calls back, only to have the same thing happen. Le sigh.
She gets out the phone book, and starts digging. She finds one whose ad specifically mentions wildlife removal. Spiffy! She calls, and again nobody's there. Again, not surprising. This time, though, the company has an answering service. My wife leaves all the information and is told somebody will call back. Ten minutes go by. Fifteen. Thirty. Finally, after 45 minutes, I convince her that maybe she should call another place or two, and just give the work to whoever calls back.
We eat dinner. Still no call. She gets out the phone book and calls a few more. Finally, around 7:30pm or so, somebody calls back. Now, all this time we're continuing to hear the desperate cries of whatever is stuck in - we think - the chimney. "We'll be there within an hour!" Great! We get the kids ready for bed and situation our son up in our bedroom, since the flue goes through the wall in his room and we didn't want the noise to keep him awake.
8:30 comes and goes, and we're wondering when they'll show. 8:45 and still no sign of them. 8:50 the phone rings. "What does your house look like?" We tell them, and a few minutes later the guy comes in.
"We think it's a cat," we tell him. "But, of course, we're not sure."
"I've been doing this for 33 years," he says, "and only once have I ever seen it be a cat. It's probably a squirrel or raccoon." He listens. "You have more than one in there, and I bet they're not in the flue," he says. I listen. Sure as heck, now I can hear several different critters making the noise. I'm still convinced it's a cat.
After some poking around, he opens the flue and uses a light and mirror to look up. Nothing in there. "They're behind your walls," he says. Le sigh. I was thinking of re-doing the family room anyway. So I give him permission to make a small hole in the drywall so he can look around.
I'd say to make a long story short, but it's too late for that. But to keep it from getting any longer... There's a litter of kittens stuck in the wall behind my fireplace. Seems Momma Cat got into our attic, and decided to make her "nest" in the insulation around the flue. Not a good idea, since the litter - five kittens - fell through. There are now several huge holes in my wall, but all five kittens were saved. Amazingly, they all survived the fall, including two that fell about 25 feet onto a concrete floor!
It's now 11pm at night. My kids are still awake, oohing and aahing over these kittens. One still has the cord attached, and they're eyes are still closed. They're no more than a day or two old, is our guess. "Can we keep them?" my daughter asks. "Yeah, we'll take care of them," my son helpfully fibs. "No, we can't keep them," I declare. "Go to bed!"
So, all the cats were taken to the SPCA. Hopefully, they're healthy - no rabies or anything like that - and will survive and be adopted. I now need to re-model my family room, because the wall around my fireplace has several large holes. I also need to get up into my attic to install a new attic fan and close up the two other potential entry points for Momma Cat. Oh, and I also had to shell out $500 to the exterminator. All so he could have the privilege of cutting holes in my wall to rescue a litter of kittens.
Around 3pm, after learning that Harry Kalas, the voice of the Philadelphia Phillies (among other things), died I decided I needed to watch the baseball game. I don't expect most people to understand this, and that's OK. So I'm sitting there watching the game, getting all melancholy about Harry the K, and I hear a noise from the fireplace. "Holy
," I thought, "she was right!"So I poke around a bit. I don't know what's in there, so I'm a bit hesitant to just open the flue and look. So I decide to call and find out how to go about getting an animal out of a chimney. After spending about 45 minutes or so making all sorts of phone calls - the Women's Humane Society, the SPCA, the PA Wildlife and Game department, the Bensalem Police Department, and probably a half-dozen other places, I finally learn that - in Bensalem Township at least, maybe in all of PA - in order to save a wild animal stuck in your home, you need to call an exterminator. Seemed like an oxymoron to me, but whatever.
About this time, my wife gets home from the grocery store. I help her haul in groceries and mumble something or other about her being right. I take the frozen stuff down to our freezer in the basement -- and find that when my son was in there over the weekend, he decided that closing the door was optional.
I empty the freezer, throwing away everything. While all of it hadn't thawed, most of it had. It was easier to just toss it than to wonder if it was still good. Then I cleaned up. Now it's a little after 5pm, and I convince my wife that she should call the exterminator.In the past, we had a mouse problem, so we have a company we trust. She calls them. She gets voice mail - being after 5pm on a weeknight, that's not too shocking. She waits to leave a message - only to have their answering machine cut off before she can. She waits a few minutes and calls back, only to have the same thing happen. Le sigh.
She gets out the phone book, and starts digging. She finds one whose ad specifically mentions wildlife removal. Spiffy! She calls, and again nobody's there. Again, not surprising. This time, though, the company has an answering service. My wife leaves all the information and is told somebody will call back. Ten minutes go by. Fifteen. Thirty. Finally, after 45 minutes, I convince her that maybe she should call another place or two, and just give the work to whoever calls back.
We eat dinner. Still no call. She gets out the phone book and calls a few more. Finally, around 7:30pm or so, somebody calls back. Now, all this time we're continuing to hear the desperate cries of whatever is stuck in - we think - the chimney. "We'll be there within an hour!" Great! We get the kids ready for bed and situation our son up in our bedroom, since the flue goes through the wall in his room and we didn't want the noise to keep him awake.
8:30 comes and goes, and we're wondering when they'll show. 8:45 and still no sign of them. 8:50 the phone rings. "What does your house look like?" We tell them, and a few minutes later the guy comes in.
"We think it's a cat," we tell him. "But, of course, we're not sure."
"I've been doing this for 33 years," he says, "and only once have I ever seen it be a cat. It's probably a squirrel or raccoon." He listens. "You have more than one in there, and I bet they're not in the flue," he says. I listen. Sure as heck, now I can hear several different critters making the noise. I'm still convinced it's a cat.
After some poking around, he opens the flue and uses a light and mirror to look up. Nothing in there. "They're behind your walls," he says. Le sigh. I was thinking of re-doing the family room anyway. So I give him permission to make a small hole in the drywall so he can look around.
I'd say to make a long story short, but it's too late for that. But to keep it from getting any longer... There's a litter of kittens stuck in the wall behind my fireplace. Seems Momma Cat got into our attic, and decided to make her "nest" in the insulation around the flue. Not a good idea, since the litter - five kittens - fell through. There are now several huge holes in my wall, but all five kittens were saved. Amazingly, they all survived the fall, including two that fell about 25 feet onto a concrete floor!
It's now 11pm at night. My kids are still awake, oohing and aahing over these kittens. One still has the cord attached, and they're eyes are still closed. They're no more than a day or two old, is our guess. "Can we keep them?" my daughter asks. "Yeah, we'll take care of them," my son helpfully fibs. "No, we can't keep them," I declare. "Go to bed!"
So, all the cats were taken to the SPCA. Hopefully, they're healthy - no rabies or anything like that - and will survive and be adopted. I now need to re-model my family room, because the wall around my fireplace has several large holes. I also need to get up into my attic to install a new attic fan and close up the two other potential entry points for Momma Cat. Oh, and I also had to shell out $500 to the exterminator. All so he could have the privilege of cutting holes in my wall to rescue a litter of kittens.
There's an addendum, too. Momma Cat made an appearance last night, and got into the house. She decided to eat out of our cats' food dish, then climbed back into the hole and left. And my cats just looked at her.
here. I'm curious to know if anybody has input into why participation in HA3 was so small. Was the theme terrible? Did the book selection leave you uninspired? Was the level too high? Was it just a matter of timing, because of end of school stuff? Something I didn't think of?
I'm a big boy and can handle criticism, so please: if things sucked please tell me so we can fix it going forward.
Did the book selection leave you uninspired? Was the level too high?
I can only speak for myself but a combination of both of those.
For all practical purposes it was restricted to the PHB and PHB2 (yes there were other books allowed, but mostly ones with no player related content, i.e. Open Grave), and every idea I had ended up drawing something from some other book than those 2. And the high level made it worse since the high level gave me all that many more opportunities to say "Well that power/magic item/whatever would be REALLY fitting for my idea....Crud, not on the list, can't use it." Eventually, I gave up.
I probably would have participated if even Martial Power or Adventurer's Vault was allowed, but as it was, I found the choices of books to be to restrictive for my taste.
Offhand, they just didn't work together really well, and combined with finals, things got a little awkward. Personally, I found myself working around the mechanics, not with them, and ending up with a relatively boring build with only one element that had to do with the background.
Also made about a thousand little mistakes, like
Show
forgetting an alignment and to mention that the three people at the beginning are orphans
I think one of the things that i like better about XDMC is that since the turn around time is faster it means the next one comes around quicker, i like having more of these to do, its more fun and lets me use up my creative juices. Does the next Hero Artisan only get posted after this one is finished judging?
Well, the problem with speeding up the cycle is that HA is short on judges as it is. After some more get run there might be enough eligible judges to start a new one as soon as previous one stops accepting submissions, but at the moment Zherog is working hard to find enough judges to run it at all.
One thing that might speed things up is require everyone participating in the 4e Artisan contest is to submit their stat block in the form of the DnDi character builder, since you can then copy and paste that file into the Character Builder in order to determine if the character is legal or not.
That's not a terrible idea, but I'll give you two reasons why I still wouldn't want to add that rule.
A) Not every judge has access to the character builder. (as you mentioned)
B) I can't speak for anybody else, but I personally don't trust software (and I'm a programmer!).
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Now, that said... I do absolutely, positively agree that judging takes way too long on these contests. And the problem isn't just HA, either; HC takes too long to judge as well. In my opinion, two weeks is the longest it should take, and yet it seems that any more we're happy with one month -- typically it's more than that.
Part of the problem is exactly what tylara said -- I have a tough time finding eligible judges who are interested in taking the time. Eventually, I end up getting volunteers. (and I absolutely appreciate everybody who steps up, even though this many not sound like it.) But it seems a lot of the time, those volunteers are stepping up more to keep things running rather than actually having interest.
Ideally, judges should be working on entries as they're posted. That's the whole reason why we have the "30 minutes to edit" rule: so that we can guarantee that every judge is looking at the same material. Unfortunately, a lot of judges (myself included, when I do HC judging) seem to wait until the contest closes before beginning. I think that's something that would have to change in order for these things to go quicker.
And, of course, it seems that stuff like Nani?'s accident and Johnathan's rash of recent troubles pop up an inordinate amount of times for judges. It's incredible how often stuff goes wrong for those who've volunteered to judge.
Anyway. I absolutely agree with Veok and everybody else who is saying that judging these takes too long. I'm open to any and every suggestion for improving. I appreciate that contestants have demonstrated great patience in recent contests. But that really shouldn't be necessary, in my opinion. And that's something that needs to be corrected in both versions of the contest. So if you have ideas on how judges can improve performance (and especially if you know how to eliminate all the freaky stuff that seems to befall the team!) I want to hear it.
The offer for Hero Craftsman judges to "cross over" and declare themselves eligible for this contest is still open. If you're an eligible HC judge and you want to help out here, just say so and I'll add your name to the list.
As always, judging is voluntary. I'm willing to coordinate again, if none of the judges are interested.
Any eligible judges willing to volunteer for #4? Please note before you volunteer that I want to get the judging timeframe back under control, and therefore I'd like all judges to commit to finishing no more than 2 weeks after the contest ends.
The offer for Hero Craftsman judges to "cross over" and declare themselves eligible for this contest is still open. If you're an eligible HC judge and you want to help out here, just say so and I'll add your name to the list.
As always, judging is voluntary. I'm willing to coordinate again, if none of the judges are interested.
Just a point but if the poster can't edit after 30minutes time why wait till the end of the contest to judge each entry. If you go ahead and judge each one after the time limit is over it would speed things up and you would have each score with you for the end. This way the end post could be put up at least 2-3 days after the end and you could get a faster turn around.
Also all joking aside things come up that are out of are control. Back judges would not be a bad thing. Maybe get a few VCLs to go back up in case the something bad happens. If they want to and have the time.
I also agree with the outlawed books. I found my self trying not to make up things that are already in 4e because of the book being on the not used limit. Maybe come up with the theme first and then llok at what books you want to use. Mind you I don't know how it was done last time so it could have been done this way last time?
Just a point but if the poster can't edit after 30minutes time why wait till the end of the contest to judge each entry. If you go ahead and judge each one after the time limit is over it would speed things up and you would have each score with you for the end. This way the end post could be put up at least 2-3 days after the end and you could get a faster turn around.
That's exactly the point of the 30 minute edit rule -- to allow judges to get started early.
I also agree with the outlawed books. I found my self trying not to make up things that are already in 4e because of the book being on the not used limit. Maybe come up with the theme first and then llok at what books you want to use. Mind you I don't know how it was done last time so it could have been done this way last time?
When I start up discussions for a new contest, there's three things we discuss - often simultaneously:
- Theme
- Level
- Sources
Oftentimes, level is decided first because it's pretty easy to slot it. Typically we look at what's been done recently, and find a spot where we can slot this one. Theme is oftentimes the second item decided, with several options being tossed out during the discussion. Sources typically come last. We determine what material somebody has access to (and whether they're comfortable sharing info with other judges), then determine which of those sources makes sense for the contest.
In the last contest, the list of sources was limited because nobody on the panel had access to any other material.
*
No news offers for judges over the weekend, so I'll be pinging all the eligible judges with a PM today.
It's a feedback loop, I say!
Artisan, I think, is beginning to build up a good stable. HA3 was the first contest to add two eligible judges to the pool, and I suspect we'll be seeing more of that as time goes on and people win multiple medals.
I also think the Judge's Curse scares away potential judges. ;)
Hopefully, we can have HA4 fired up by the end of the week!
And finished by the end of the year!:P
(Just messing with you, man);)
Everyone else, talk to Valve. I think we need to adjust our watches to Valve Time
:P
So what would we like to see as the next HA theme?
The next HA theme will be Skittles. The PCs will be restricted to the "Delicious Confectonary" class and level Red Strawberry.
The next HA theme will be Skittles. The PCs will be restricted to the "Delicious Confectonary" class and level Red Strawberry.
Also, unlike other HA contests, entries will be posted directly to my belly.
It is indeed, and the contest will be going up later today.
Awesome.
It is indeed, and the contest will be going up later today.
Funny because of topic above.
That wasn't Valve Time, though. Two hours later counts as "later today" for all but a handful of points in the day.
Suggestion: If scores are posted for the contest, list the entries scores by category as well as total.
As for judging - does it really take more than just a night to read over the entries? A week window sounds more than enough time to find one free evening. If someone isn't free for that week, they could bow out of the responsibility of judging.
As for judging - does it really take more than just a night to read over the entries? A week window sounds more than enough time to find one free evening. If someone isn't free for that week, they could bow out of the responsibility of judging.
To read them? Maybe. I'm actually not sure I could read all these in one night, especially give the size of Dragoncat's entry. I'm a slow reader, so it might take me a couple days to read all the entries in the contest. But judges reconstruct the stats of every character to verify the math stuff is correct. That takes a lot longer than 1 night.
I've never judged a Hero Artisan entry (I'm not qualified, I barely understand 4e). But in Hero Craftsman, low level characters take me between 1 and 2 hours each. And it goes up from there. Characters in the teen levels take around 4 hours to judge.
To read them? Maybe. I'm actually not sure I could read all these in one night, especially give the size of Dragoncat's entry. I'm a slow reader, so it might take me a couple days to read all the entries in the contest. But judges reconstruct the stats of every character to verify the math stuff is correct. That takes a lot longer than 1 night.
I've never judged a Hero Artisan entry (I'm not qualified, I barely understand 4e). But in Hero Craftsman, low level characters take me between 1 and 2 hours each. And it goes up from there. Characters in the teen levels take around 4 hours to judge.
Agreed. I'm already almost done with judging backgrounds, but the mechanics will take a bit longer (I'm hoping to be done before the weekend).
To read them? Maybe. I'm actually not sure I could read all these in one night, especially give the size of Dragoncat's entry. I'm a slow reader, so it might take me a couple days to read all the entries in the contest. But judges reconstruct the stats of every character to verify the math stuff is correct. That takes a lot longer than 1 night.
I've never judged a Hero Artisan entry (I'm not qualified, I barely understand 4e). But in Hero Craftsman, low level characters take me between 1 and 2 hours each. And it goes up from there. Characters in the teen levels take around 4 hours to judge.
That is the problem I have been having. If each judge starts judging the entry right after the 30 minute window then you would only need 3-5 days to send you there scores. If they go ahead and send you the scores after they judge the entry it would be better. IMHO. We could also plan a month ahead so the next judges can go ahead and figure what the next contest will be while the one is happening. Then you could have it ready to post on the 1st of every month. Just some ideas.
That is the problem I have been having. If each judge starts judging the entry right after the 30 minute window then you would only need 3-5 days to send you there scores.
That was the goal this time. I haven't checked in to see how things are going, though.
If they go ahead and send you the scores after they judge the entry it would be better. IMHO.
I'd prefer to get each judge's scores all at one time.
We could also plan a month ahead so the next judges can go ahead and figure what the next contest will be while the one is happening.
The problem here is it prevents the most recent gold medalist from participating in the planing, if he/she is a first timer and is interested in judging.
Just some ideas.
I appreciate ideas.
Thanks for tossing them out; I'm certainly willing to discuss any of 'em.Oops. Sent now.
So, anybody on the eligible judge's list interested in judging for HA5? Assume another three week period for entries, with no more than two weeks afterward to wrap up judging. I'll be out of town (but still likely have some internet access) starting next Wednesday (August 12th) through August 22nd. Just something to keep in mind during the planning.
I have one judge. I need two more, plus the coordinator position is open if anybody is interested in giving it a crack. If not, I'll coordinate again.
Gorsh Zherog, I'd offer to coordinate if I didn't want to compete one more time. I'll coordinate next time though.
I'll be judging too, so we've got ourselves a trio of judges and will begin discussing the theme and level for HA 5. Until then, I think it'd be nice if everyone gave Zherog a hearty thank you and maybe a handshake for the terrific job and effort he put into getting the HAs up and running.
"Delivery for Mr. Zherog, delivery for Mr. Zherog. Sign here please sir."
Package
One
Two
Three
One
Two
Three
I'd love to see a Hero Artisan on Fey. However you want to spell it, they take a prominent role in many cultures while remaining fairly mutable.
At first I thought that sounded interesting, but with a little thought it seems like you'd get nothing but elves, eladrin, gnomes, and people with ties to the Summer or Winter Courts.
At first I thought that sounded interesting, but with a little thought it seems like you'd get nothing but elves, eladrin, gnomes, and people with ties to the Summer or Winter Courts.
Not really. I'd much rather make a human with ties to the wildfey.
Also remember, beings such as Goblins, Dwarves, Dryads, Fauns and Ogres can also be considered fey by some stories (Actually, some variations of fey would consider pretty much any mythological creature as part of their number). Changelings used to be the name of fairies, trolls and the like that were switched with human children. Morgan le Fay (Yeah, from Arthurian tales) could have also been a fey, originally (I mean, it's in her name), not to mention Arthur himself is said to be sleeping beneath a "Fairy Hill" until he's needed again - he could, arguably, have a place in Hero Artisan: Fey.
Themes of seduction, redemption, self-constraint, jealousy, hubris and pure mischief are prevalent in tales of the fey. The actual classes may need some re-flavoring, but I think the people will be up to the challenge.
Thanks for what you have done with this contest so far. great job. Can't wait to see what you come up with!
Tradition?
tradition; I want nice round numbers.So, regarding the point values of different medals, why is it 6/3/1.5? Wouldn't 4/2/1 be a lot simpler?
tradition is a good reason why this contest has those values; they carried over from Hero Craftsman.
At the time in HC, we were only allowing Gold Medalists to become judges. And we were seeing the same folks win over and over, so the pool wasn't really expanding. So we very quickly put together the idea that two silvers should be equal to a gold, and two bronze should equal a silver. Going with 4/2/1 certainly would've worked as well. I can't recall why we went 6/3/1.5. Probably because "6" sounds better as a point value for a gold medal.
tradition is a good reason why this contest has those values; they carried over from Hero Craftsman.
At the time in HC, we were only allowing Gold Medalists to become judges. And we were seeing the same folks win over and over, so the pool wasn't really expanding. So we very quickly put together the idea that two silvers should be equal to a gold, and two bronze should equal a silver. Going with 4/2/1 certainly would've worked as well. I can't recall why we went 6/3/1.5. Probably because "6" sounds better as a point value for a gold medal.
I still think we should change it in HA now, while it's easy.
Frankly, I don't think the numbers really matter at all. I don't even look at them when determining if a contest has generated any new judges. I just count up the medals. *shrug*
True, but it would be nice if the system was more transparent to newcomers.
But if we change it, that means we'll all be experiencing Award Point Shrinkage.
Speaking as one of those suffering said shrinkage: "I'm OK with that."
Allllll ri-di-diddely-dighty then. HA 5 Officially closed yesterday at Midnight (or around midnight). Without any entries I think it's fair to say that the judges get all the medals yay. So, we're putting the Accidental Hero on the shelf for a later date.
So what we need now is judges. I'm happy to Coordinate this one, so lets get some PMs flowing.
Also, we've got the issue of figuring out how we're going to continue on these new boards. Do we do the group thing? Do we suck it up and not worry about when editing is done? Do we induce an honor system with mandatory executions for violators? Let's get some suggestions for Hero Artisan 5a
I'm in for judging once again, still haven't served my time in the salt mines.
I like the group idea. Not only would it help to get the word out, but there is a much more practical approach: seeing who is interested in entering.
So if we create a group for each competition, anyone who is thinking of entering can sign up well before they actually submit their full creation. This will give us a sort of headcount, letting us know what we can expect and how the overall competition is going.
Aside from that, I suppose we'll just have to wing it, and hope they'll improve the forum in the meantime.
Edit: okay, this is driving me insane. How do I get it to stop skipping a line every time I hit enter? Would like to tone down the overall size of posting, but can't find the proper method.
I like the group idea. Not only would it help to get the word out, but there is a much more practical approach: seeing who is interested in entering.
So if we create a group for each competition, anyone who is thinking of entering can sign up well before they actually submit their full creation. This will give us a sort of headcount, letting us know what we can expect and how the overall competition is going.
I would be inclined to suggest, after having played with groups since before the official go-live, that moving the contests into a group would reduce participation. I can't really say why I feel that way, though; just a hunch.
Edit: okay, this is driving me insane. How do I get it to stop skipping a line every time I hit enter? Would like to tone down the overall size of posting, but can't find the proper method.
Unfortunately, the new board uses HTML coding behind the stupid WYSIWYG editor. And that editor translates your return key into a paragraph tag, rather than a break tag. However, you can get a break by holding down the shift key as you press enter.
For example, like this.
But not like this.
Is it possible to send group-wide PMs? I think that instead of making a group for each Hero Artisan contest, we could make a group for Hero Artisan in general, and try to have everyone that's ever submitted an entry to an HA contest join. Then when a new HA contest goes up, we can easily send everyone a PM letting them know. That way we can leverage the group system to help pull in repeat contestants without driving away new people.
You can do what's called a "broadcast" to all the members of a group. It's sort of like an announcement. However, just like friend requests and PMs, if you never go to your home page, you'll never know because there's no notifications (as far as I can tell anyway).
Of course, it'd be real nice if they could get thread subscriptions working again. I know of several people who subscribed to this thread (or the HC equivalent) so they would know when a new contest went up. The new system has subscriptions, but they're still a little wonky.
I agree that it would be best to keep the Hero Artisan contest in this forum. But I think creating a group so that people can receive broacasts would be a good idea.
I think that's where we're going to end up with the Expert Dungen Master Competitions. Until the forums allow us to see if posts can be edited, I think we're just going to have to accept that people are going to have the ability to edit their posts. The only work around I can think of is the contest coordinator quotes and reposts each entry as it gets posted and the quoted entry is what gets judged. That seems messy, but it would prevent further editing by the entrant.
Yep, but the problem with that method is a matter of timing; it would give some folks more time than others to slip in a change, since contest coordinators aren't on-line 24/7.
I think a group for the contests to serve as a means to broadcast certain information has some benefits. I can also see some benefits coming in that method in terms of the available wiki pages -- a lot of the information I keep in these index threads could convert over to a wiki. Although I personally prefer it here than a wiki. ;)
I agree that it would be best to keep the Hero Artisan contest in this forum. But I think creating a group so that people can receive broacasts would be a good idea.
I think that's where we're going to end up with the Expert Dungen Master Competitions. Until the forums allow us to see if posts can be edited, I think we're just going to have to accept that people are going to have the ability to edit their posts. The only work around I can think of is the contest coordinator quotes and reposts each entry as it gets posted and the quoted entry is what gets judged. That seems messy, but it would prevent further editing by the entrant.
What about a refined version of that? Contestants never post their entries; instead, they PM them to the coordinator and the judges, and the coordinator posts their entry (along with their name). Contestants won't be able to alter their entries because they can't edit the coordinator's posts, and since they included all the judges in the PM the judges will know if there was an issue with the coordinator's posting of it.
Random thought that may be terrible but I'll throw out anyway?
What if we made the edit time, rather than being based on when it is posted, the final deadline? In other words, when someone posts their entry, they are allowed to edit, revise, and rework things until the 11:59 and 59 second mark on the last day, at which point no further editing can be made, at least one of the judges copies everything into a word document, and the competition is closed.
The good-> no need to worry about 30 minute marks, no disqualifications for accidental edits/people forgetting about the rule, and no problem for participants to put down their semi-final product, then have a "Oh, @#%^!@" moment the next morning and not be able to rework it, as long as the final deadline hasn't come up. It would also help for people who want to get a lead on the originality factor, allowing them to post a story then sort out the mechanics, or iron out the tale while still stamping down the build they want to use.
The bad-> a bit easier to get peer advice, which isn't supposed to be a major factor, and a judge will have to be onhand for the final deadline to scoop up all the entries and preserve them in document format, just in case. The big issue, though, would be the inability to judge an entry before the competition ends, which would slow down the judging time a bit. Perhaps encouraging everyone to leave notes whenever they edited would help.
Pop Quiz!
Circle the correct answer.
True / False The move to the new forums has killed the Hero Artisan contest.
I can't say whether the new forum move killed it - but I will say I am anxiously awaiting the next one. I came up with a concept for the previous one but discovered that it had closed 2 days previous...
Anyway - if one starts up I plan on entering if I am able.
By and large, the source books are limited based on what the judges have available amongst them at the time of the competition so more books owned by judges = more books used by entries. Of course, none of the judges (except me) would take bribes (except me) of books for higher scores (me me me!).
Besides, limits nuture creativity!
By and large, the source books are limited based on what the judges have available amongst them at the time of the competition so more books owned by judges = more books used by entries. Of course, none of the judges (except me) would take bribes (except me) of books for higher scores (me me me!).
Besides, limits nuture creativity!
I would agree with you were the lists consistent between contests, but they aren't. No swordmages this time, for instance. What I think you need to do, is make sure one member of the judges is a DnDinsider, and use the unlocked compendium to verify any questions that crop up.
That is to say, have more trust in the contestants -- if they say something comes from a book you don't have, it probably does. But if this same something sets off alarms (Wait, why did you multi-class cleric AND Ranger?) pester that judge about the validity of it (Nah, guys, it's cool -- she's just using Windrise Ports).
Alternatively, restrict the competitions to the core books, and *only* the core books, like the CoCo.
I can see a case for "minimum essentia", and I can see a case for "all bets are off and everything's go", but the current format of "you can use x, y, and z, but not a, or b, even though we allowed them in the previous contest" is confusing, and, in my opinion, debilitating to the contest as a whole.
+1 that.
I was contemplating designing something, but noticed the lack of primal power or campaign setting books, and sort of lost steam. Might fiddle with something later, after I go through and figure out just what I have available to work with.
But yeah, ideally you'd get someone who has DDi access, which would in turn let you really open up the breadth of options available to entrants. Limitations != creativity breedinggrounds any more then the decline in pirates is the cause behind global warming. Correlation does not imply causation.
The problem with all access is twofold.
The more judges with the books, the better. Some of us (people who aren't me) are amazing at picking out small details, going over the math, checking every feat, every skill, every number four times over, while others (me) are there to judge the backgrounds and story content while pretending we remember algebra. The more eyes, ears, and brains who can flip through a book to check everything, the better, so making sure that all or nearly all of the judges have the books we are going to use is paramount.
DDI access sounds all well and good, but who judges what is constantly in flux. There is no single keystone judge; Zherog and Johnathan_Vagabond are probably the closest we've got to dedicated sacrifi pariah poor bastar judges...although Zherog isn't participating in this round.
The only options for DDI, therefore, would be circumstantial or we'd have to be playing Toss The Password. If it is circumstantial and we just happen to luck out and have a judge with access, that's great, if we don't, suddenly we are going from competitions with access to everything to limited competitions and back, moving back and forth at random. Having periods of Everything Goes combined with Limitations would be even worse...at least right now, people know to check the source list. If we try to have one DDI account for judging that we can all access, then someone's footing the bill for everyone else...and Wizards seems to frown on people giving out their password information, and getting banned might impact our ability to judge.
Generally, we'll put in everything we can, but that usually means if a supplement isn't a month or two old, it won't be showing up.
By and large, the source books are limited based on what the judges have available amongst them at the time of the competition so more books owned by judges = more books used by entries. Of course, none of the judges (except me) would take bribes (except me) of books for higher scores (me me me!).
Besides, limits nuture creativity!
I would agree with you were the lists consistent between contests, but they aren't. No swordmages this time, for instance. What I think you need to do, is make sure one member of the judges is a DnDinsider, and use the unlocked compendium to verify any questions that crop up.
The lists are inconsistent because who judges a competition is entirely voluntary among the eligible list.
Even at that, in order to include DDI (that is, the Dragon and Dungeon content) as a source, every judge would have to have access to it due to the "you can't share" rule that exists in the TOU.
That is to say, have more trust in the contestants -- if they say something comes from a book you don't have, it probably does. But if this same something sets off alarms (Wait, why did you multi-class cleric AND Ranger?) pester that judge about the validity of it (Nah, guys, it's cool -- she's just using Windrise Ports).
There's two problems here.
1) In my experience with the 3.5 and 4e contests, there's a whole heck of a lot of entries that do not tell you the source of the material. My gut instinct, in fact, is to say that at least one third of the non-core source material used isn't marked to let the judges know the source.
2) Even if a judge knows the source, if a judge doesn't have the source then he/she can't properly judge. One of the aspects of the contest is Rules Use. And while that was a bigger deal in the 3.5 contest (because the character builder resolves almost all the math errors for those who have it), there are still things to check -- feat pre-reqs, paragon and/or epic path pre-reqs, total attack modifier, total damage on powers, etc. If you rely on one judge to check the math, that basically defeats the purpose of having any judge score an entry on the math.
Alternatively, restrict the competitions to the core books, and *only* the core books, like the CoCo.
That's a fun alternative from time to time. But by and large, people who are regular entrants in the contests want to be able to use the extra source material.
DDI access sounds all well and good, but who judges what is constantly in flux. There is no single keystone judge; Zherog and Johnathan_Vagabond are probably the closest we've got to dedicated sacrifi pariah poor bastar judges...although Zherog isn't participating in this round.
And to be entirely clear, I haven't judges any of the 4e contests though I have served as a coordinator in an effort to get the contest up and running.
DDI access sounds all well and good, but who judges what is constantly in flux. There is no single keystone judge; Zherog and Johnathan_Vagabond are probably the closest we've got to dedicated sacrifi pariah poor bastar judges...although Zherog isn't participating in this round.
And to be entirely clear, I haven't judges any of the 4e contests though I have served as a coordinator in an effort to get the contest up and running.
Aye, quite true. Perhaps "dedicated people who put up with everything thrown at them" would be a better phrase.
I'd be more than happy to judge stuff and am good for pretty much everything outside of DDI, but I'd have to win something first, I guess.
I'ma go work on my desert guy now.
...Johnathan_Vagabond are probably the closest we've got to dedicated sacrifi pariah poor bastar
"That's pretty crude way of... hey, when did I get tied up? Where are you taking me? I demand answers! Did you hear me? Answer me when I'm talking to you contestant! *Sniffing* ... Whew, say, heh heh heh... are you guys getting hot? Kinda *pant* kinda toasty up heerrrrrhoooOLYCRAPITSAVOLCANO!"
...Johnathan_Vagabond are probably the closest we've got to dedicated sacrifi pariah poor bastar
"That's pretty crude way of... hey, when did I get tied up? Where are you taking me? I demand answers! Did you hear me? Answer me when I'm talking to you contestant! *Sniffing* ... Whew, say, heh heh heh... are you guys getting hot? Kinda *pant* kinda toasty up heerrrrrhoooOLYCRAPITSAVOLCANO!"
And now you realize why we gave you the honorary title Fire King. >:D
What are your thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and musings?
- A Hero of Destiny (your hero has a special calling -- I'd suggest 21st level)
- An Anti-hero (your hero does the right thing for all the wrong reasons -- I'd suggest high heroic, early Paragon)
- A Reluctant Hero (Some choose to be heroes; you had heroism thrust upon you -- 6th-8th level)
- A Foe-Specific Hero (Your hero is built for fighting one type of creature, but can still contribute meaningfully to a more generalized party)
HA6 is up and ready! You're delightful self-sacrificing and exceptionally handsome judges are Tylara, Dragoncat, and Wrecan. The theme is DOOM! and your characters will be 21st level
Now. Everybody get rocking.
You're delightful self-sacrificing and exceptionally handsome judges are Tylara, Dragoncat, and Wrecan.
I am the "exceptionally handsome" one, for the record.
I've always found Dragoncat quite delightful. I'm glad you all figured it out.
That explains the feelings of dread I have been enduring the last few days....I've always found Dragoncat quite delightful. I'm glad you all figured it out.
You thought the theme of DOOM was mere coincidence? Silly Dragoncat.
Well, that's my idear. Looking forward to the next contest.
Also, Hero Artisan-land needs judges for our 7th crusade against lack of player characters!
There's nothing there? What did I miss?
Hmmm, Johnathan said he was sending you a PM. Check out the HA7 prep thread in the HA judges group.
Also, I'm still looking for a third judge.
Wink wink, nudge nudge?
I'll try to put it back up momentarily. One of the things I really like about the XDMC is the optional elements. The Hero Artisan contests aren't as interesting with only the theme to match. Have you considered adding optional elements? (Granted I've done horrible in these contests so maybe I shouldn't get you to add more requirements.)
This man echoes my own beliefs.
I'll post something in the Hero Artisan Group.
It's in the Hero Artisan group, which, for those not familiar with it, is a great way to keep up with the HA contest if you're even remotely interested in it, as we send out broadcasts when a new contest goes up (and are trying to work on using the calendar for additional notifications).
Side note: Johnathan, I'm not sure you configured the actual poll tool correctly; it won't let me vote (or even show me the choices), instead it acts like I'm trying to view the poll results and tells me nobody has voted in the poll yet. Who did you flag as being allowed to vote in it? Keep in mind I'm pretty sure you're still the only person flagged as a mod in that group.
I'd like to participate in these contests, as they look interesting and I have more character ideas than I have 4e D&D games.
Actually, I was just coming here to dig out this thread and see how the feelings are for another round.
I'm not going to volunteer for judging though, unless setting up a new thread takes so long that the judging will have to be done AFTER the 21st May.
I know this is sort of a newbie question, but I was wondering when is the next contest? (or is there a contest currently running right now?)
I'd like to participate in these contests, as they look interesting and I have more character ideas than I have 4e D&D games.
Well - if you have character ideas - you can always find more games. Real Adventures and PBP Haven are both good groups to find online games with. You could also try the Core Coliseum if you wanted to try out a couple in an arena format.
Shameless plugs - but it could be just what you are looking for