Junkyard Wars XXVII: US + M... - A

[pabelfly]

Since I'm resigned to the fact I won't be getting a VC entry in, I'll make some time to judge. There are some subsystems involved that I'm not overly familiar with, so I'll need to do some research. Rough ETA at this stage would be "by the weekend".

Thank you for your time as a judge. I, and I'm sure everyone else who's entered appreciates it too.

[Thurbane]

Just an update: haven't had as much spare time as I had hoped: new ETA is in the next 24-48 hours.

[Thurbane]

Sorry if judging isn’t as detailed or thorough as I had first hoped, but my down time was more limited than I had expected.

I just want to say that I did enjoy all of the entries, and any negative comments are meant in the context of judging only.

All categories start at a base of 3.0, modified upwards or downwards from there. I’m happy to listen to disputes (within reason).


Avernia [16.5]
Originality: Vashran - nice touch. Truenamer was also not expected. [4.0]
Power: This is a difficult one for me. Utterances are not something I’ve ever been overly familiar with. Your write-up does a good job of breaking everything down for me, so that is definitely appreciated. If I’m reading everything correctly, you have some pretty useful and powerful tricks to pull off. [4.0]
Elegance: Base class 14 + paragon dip 1. Very elegant. There is some reliance on gear, but that is to be expected of any Truenamer. [4.0]
Use of Components: I feel like this entry made good use of the required feat and template: I never would have thought of Truenamer for SLAs, but it seems to work well. [4.5]


Bolgara the Young [13.0]
Originality: Human, Factotum, Marshal, Ur-Priest and Contemplative aren’t overly unusual, but didn’t expect to see all in one build. FoC was a nice addition, and thematic. [3.5]
Power: 8^th level cleric spells are not to be sneezed at. I’m not really seeing the full benefits of what Factotum (+ Able Learner for skills?), Marshal and FoC are bringing here: a CR breakdown or tactics guide would have helped me here. Still, 8^th level spells are 8^th level spells. [4.0]
Elegance: I can’t help but feel Ur-Priest is at odds with Contemplative – a little more backstory or flavour text would have helped me be more OK with this. Also, with the dips going on, the build feels a little convoluted. [2.5]
Use of Components: Aside from FoC, I feel like this build is mostly succeeding in spite of the ingredients, rather than utilising them. Not enough to draw a penalty though. [3.0]


Karmos The Lawful [14.5]
Originality: Was not expecting a Shifter; same for Weretouched Master. I also dig that this is primarily a melee build. [4.0]
Power: With melee being the main schtick, this build might not have the RAW power of casters or SLA focused builds, but I think it is a more-than-competent combatant. [3.5]
Elegance: Base class 9, dip 1, PrC 5 – all relatively elegant IMHO. As far as I can see, everything is legal and reqs met. [4.0]
Use of Components: I can’t help but feel this build functions pretty independently of the ingredients, but I’m not going to impose a penalty. [3.0]


War Child [14.0]
Originality: Hellbred, Mountebank, Master of Masks? Love it. [4.5]
Power: This is a decent skill monkey with a lot of side tricks going on, but I feel it lacks the raw power of some of the other entries. Not bonuses, no penalties. [3.0]
Elegance: There’s dips there, but not enough to draw a penalty. My real issue here is the alignment change. I mean, I love it as a concept (I have a real soft spot for Hellbred seeking redemption), but in this particular comp? Colour me dubious. Also, how it interacts with the various classes with alignment restrictions? I mean, I know you address this, but I’m still not entirely convinced. Lets call it a wash. [3.0]
Use of Components: Mechanically, some of the other entries may use the components more efficiently, but this entry is dripping with backstory and flavour. [3.5]

[Macabaret]

Thank you, Thurbane. Your time and efforts in this are much appreciated! I haven't (yet) received any disputes (which I can only assume means you've offered up perfect judgements). But we'll see what the future may hold....

[Thurbane]

Thank you, Thurbane. Your time and efforts in this are much appreciated! I haven't (yet) received any disputes (which I can only assume means you've offered up perfect judgements). But we'll see what the future may hold....

No problem.

Any signs of disputes?

[Macabaret]

No problem.

Any signs of disputes?

Just one sign so far: I've gotten one PM from a contestant informing me that s/he had no complaints or disputes of the judging.

I wanted to give an update about this thread and the next contest. I'm intentionally delaying the reveal here in order to delay the start of the next round. With IC on it's 100th round and E6 starting a new round, I figure it's a good idea to space things out a bit. So, unless there is an abundance of descent to the contrary, I'll look to open the next round somewhen around the submission deadline for IC's Swiftblade round. Until then, I'll keep this round open for anyone else who may want to add their own judgements.

[Sian]

I understand where you come from, and are, from a position of having chaired, inclined to agree with your reasoning, even if it'll leave me with nothing interesting to do since I've tossed the towel on Swiftblade :p

[weckar]

Meh, we'll see what happens. Reading these entries was absolutely fascinating.

Still, knowing I'm a terrible backseat driver, I think this comp needs some evaluation of its goals and methods to ensure its long-term viability.
Is the goal to present two options, and remove the most sensible way to unify them; or is it to present a thematic set of parts and forbidden parts?

As for the methods, I'll go ahead and muzzle myself.

[Macabaret]

Is the goal to present two options, and remove the most sensible way to unify them; or is it to present a thematic set of parts and forbidden parts?

I like to see questions like this that seek to evaluate what we're doing and how. I think they most often tend to lead to good discussions.

However, I see the two options presented here as being two sides of the same coin. On one side, the fluff; on the other, the crunch. So, I suppose, in my view of things, the answer is "yes". Or, perhaps, "sometimes one, sometimes the other". But I'm fully willing to acknowledge that I may be reading too much into the question. Or, perhaps, that I'm not reading enough into it?

I'd be interested to hear other people's viewpoints, though.

[Macabaret]

Sorry, folks, for the extended delay. Life got...well...busy.
How about a table?

Place	Entry	Entrant	Score
1st (Gold)	Avernia	pabelfly	16.5
2nd (Silver)	Karmos the Lawful	Falontani	14.5
3rd (Bronze)	War Child	PoeticallyPsyco	14
4th (HM)	Bolgara the Young	Sian	13

Congratulations to our medalists and our honorable mention (which, in this case, includes everyone). And another "thank you" to Thurbane for judging!

Another round will be up soon.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Mechanically, some of the other entries may use the components more efficiently, but this entry is dripping with backstory and flavour. [3.5]

"Dripping with backstory and flavor" was pretty much exactly what I was going for. Glad it worked.

[pabelfly]

Sorry, folks, for the extended delay. Life got...well...busy.
How about a table?

Place	Entry	Entrant	Score
1st (Gold)	Avernia	pabelfly	16.5
2nd (Silver)	Karmos the Lawful	Falontani	14.5
3rd (Bronze)	War Child	PoeticallyPsyco	14
4th (HM)	Bolgara the Young	Sian	13

Congratulations to our medalists and our honorable mention (which, in this case, includes everyone). And another "thank you" to Thurbane for judging!

Another round will be up soon.

Thanks for your judging efforts, Thurbane. It's much appreciated.

And thank you Macabaret, for your efforts in administrating Junkyard Wars.

Can't wait to see what's next.

[Falontani]

Thanks for your judging efforts, Thurbane. It's much appreciated.

And thank you Macabaret, for your efforts in administrating Junkyard Wars.

Can't wait to see what's next.

Aye, can't wait to see what they'll think up next.

[Macabaret]

Can't wait to see what's next.

Aye, can't wait to see what they'll think up next.

Well then, by all means, allow me to draw your waiting to an end. The next round is here!
Good luck, all. And do try to enjoy it, if you can. ;)