SPECIAL NOTE: DUELING TOURNAMENTS

 

Dueling tournaments are much like RPGs, but with a few key differences:

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• Get help with judging. This is not an issue of workload -- it is an issue of impartiality. Having a few respected helpers to judge the dueling posts is a really good idea, and they can help resolve disputes.

• Only two players will duel at once.

• Players will duel in pairs of two until the final two players battle. If you have an odd number of players, give the best one of the losing players a second chance by having them duel the odd man out.

• There will be one winner at the end, who should be congratulated and rewarded accordingly. Give it some flair. Perhaps award them a crown or an artifact of some importance. Find a pretty picture and perhaps add some music.

• You may reward a few runner ups if you want, but make sure their recognition does not overshadow the winner. You can't actually give anyone money, so you have to make the praise and recognition worthwhile

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Of special importance, be sure to tell players what you'll be grading them on. Suggestions would be grammar, spelling, punctuation, creativity, damage, and quality of the story. I advise that you choose between grading on damage and grading on the quality of the story, as these can often be at odds. I've seen some really good dueling posts where both players (best friends IC) nearly murdered other because they lost control. So, be clear so that your players can adjust accordingly. Damage is easier to measure.

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Otherwise, it works much in the same way as any other RPing event. As always, be professional and polite, and enforce the rules as needed.

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