Posted by lunarfish at 2006-07-13 08:14:34 Voted 9.50 on 07/13/06
An extremely entertaining short module. The choice of a goblin barrister to defend a man accused of goblin murder was incredibly funny (even if you could see it coming). Also, both judge and prosecutor had very amusing dialogue, and the dialog options for my character were good, with no leading the PC by the nose. I definitely had to play this module through several times (although that isn't terribly hard, since the module never actually "ends"). I would have the module end when the player reaches an ending, but that's just a little quibble with an otherwise entertaining piece of work. Good luck, hope you get into the Hall of Fame.
Ryan B.
Posted by Boozehound Blue at 2006-03-20 13:55:50 Voted 10.00
Interesting and decently written, but failed to see the ultimate point. Didn�t understand why I was on Trial in Hell. Extremely limited dialogue options, basically prompts to allow NPCs� bulky monologues. Characters similar�all lawyers, after all. Got sentenced and don�t know why. (7)
Posted by aelin ( 84.222.xxx.xxx ) at 2006-03-12 07:31:57
Expansions needed!
Posted by Recap at 2006-03-11 15:00:48 Voted 10.00 on 03/11/06
That was good. Very good. This is my favourate to win :)
Posted by Arik at 2006-02-27 07:25:44 Voted 8.50 on 02/27/06
I really liked the humour of this one - the characters had personality (apart from Stiev, although his role was amusing), the story was well conveyed and the player had a lot of choice in terms of dialogue options. The player is also encouraged to use his or her own intuition in order to figure out what arguments are most likely to impress the judge, which is an idea I like a lot.
The endings occasionally seem to fall on the random side, but other than that it's probably my second favourite comedy module of the contest.
We would like to thank our many avid fans for their obvious grasp of parody, irony, and humor in general. Especially we'd like to thank Lance Botelle, Mister_Leebo, and most of all lancem. It's votes like yours that make it all worth while.
Posted by Kirian at 2006-02-25 04:54:26 Voted 5.50 on 02/25/06
I agree with other voters about lack of interactivity. As for the humor: there were a few lines that made the corners of my mouth curl up, but most of the puns were rather puerile and stale. The writing wasn't all bad, but I did stumble on a few typos here and there (for example: intellegent). All considered, I cannot give this module a high mark. Please don't let this recent wave of low votes (a 1 is completely uncalled for, by the way) bring you down: this mod relies heavily on its humor, and what's considered funny is very much a question of taste. Some people obviously like the jokes in this mod, and other people don't. It's impossible to please everybody, so don't worry about it too much.
Posted by lancem at 2006-02-25 03:57:53 Voted 1.00 on 02/25/06
Thought it was going to be good. like the idea of the court scene. But bit like ITcrowd - a wasted opportunity. Far too much confusing text. Played for an agonising 25 mins and then gave up
Posted by Mister_Leebo at 2006-02-24 21:15:35 Voted 4.00 on 02/24/06
I don't know what other reviewers have seen in this module, but it did not seem at all fantastic to me. Typically when this is the case I spend a little extra time with the module, possibly opening it up in the toolset and examing the raw dialog so I am not distracted by set pieces and special effects and can grade the writing as it is, hopefully finding some redeeming quality.
Because of that effort, it gives me no pleasure to rate any module low. I may well be the lowest vote this module receives, but I believe my vote to be justified.
Let us start with what I liked:
The module is certainly original, but that isn't always a good thing. It speaks directly to the player (as the character dialog is too absurd to believe) and makes them attone for participation in the beaten-to-death quest schema of Kill The Goblins that positively drown low-level module adventures.
While I found none of the NPCs to be entertaining on any broad scale, I did like the particular quirk of the plaintiff's attorney trying to win goblin voters over with his pro-goblin arguements.
Lastly, the pacing was good. This is mostly due to its linearity and single-conversation design so there was no way to just linger around and absolutely no puzzles on which to get lost.
Now we progress to my arguements:
I did not find it funny. It's been said that this module is like an interactive Monty Python skit, but I found it closer to an unwritten Harvey Birdman episode.
I refered to the module's originality not always being a good thing. Now, here's the problem. Killing goblins is boring. So talking about killing goblins, that's even more boring. Perhaps if the module's humor hadn't been met with crickets in my dorm room this matter might be overlooked. When you compare a juvenile story outline such as this to what most of the modules in this contest has produced, I don't feel that they stand together.
Writing, I found it to be very weak considering it had two authors instead of one. When it wasn't cliched it was swinging around modern court lingo that added nothing to the story or humor. I simply don't feel that one can create a fantastic fantasy story while referring to Levels and Feats and +2 Armor while dishing out court lingo.
When you ignore the modern lingo, the cliches, and the DnD references, there is precious little gradeable writing material left and what was there did not wow me. I apologize, but I cannot vote for this module as anything greater than a curiosity.
Posted by Starchamber at 2006-02-23 10:14:41 Voted 9.25 on 02/23/06
Not sure how it works out that there were two of you working on this. But, that is not for me to worry about. I liked this module a lot. It was fun and funny both. This is the 5th module I have played so far and damn it all, they have all been good.
Posted by MikeLM9215 at 2006-02-22 20:13:44 Voted 7.00 on 02/22/06
If Stiev is trying to lose it's his big day. If he is trying to win he gets one short statement and is shut out. Character has only one choice that makes a difference. Other choices just determine length of his sentence.
_________________________ The road to Ravenloft is paved with good intentions.
Posted by Brougham at 2006-02-21 14:59:03 Voted 9.75 on 02/21/06
Interesting idea carried off by very funny and good writing.
Posted by greatllama at 2006-02-19 11:48:18 Voted 9.00 on 02/19/06
Hilarious dialogue, I could totally see this in a fantasy movie spoof. Yes the bunt cake was a nice addition. Good job!
Posted by herrjeff at 2006-02-15 07:30:19 Voted 8.25 on 02/15/06
Very funny, ironic scenario that offers a good number of convoluted endings. Dialog options were rare, compared to long lectures or NPCs interactions.
Posted by Lance Botelle at 2006-02-14 13:42:56 Voted 5.25 on 02/14/06
5.25 STIEV�S BIG DAY (120TH TESTED MODULE)
My intention is to give feedback on both the writing (competition) and design (not necessarily competition) for every module I have the chance to play. NB: Judging any material is always subject to personal taste. I have tried hard to be as objective as possible and apologise if I have appeared harsh in any of my scores. Also remember this is only my opinion; Bioware�s is the one that counts!
NB: I have changed from my current choice of modules (working my way through one by one), to check some of the top modules. I will do this from time to time just to ensure I do comment on the top modules.
WRITING: I do not understand why this module has scored so highly. Sorry. I can appreciate that it is a comedy piece, but other than that, it does not have much more going for it. I certainly would not be excited by it in a game � and I soon grew tired of the humour in the part I played. As I have said before, to me, an exciting fantasy story is �serious action� first with a touch of comedy second. The choices soon grew linear and I soon lost interest. I guess comedy in fantasy to this degree is not my thing. Even from a writing perspective only, I did not think it was above average.
DESIGN: A courtroom.
FINAL: Compared to many I have played, this is simply not up with them. There have been other comedy pieces written, which compare to this, which I have given a similar score. If I changed from that opinion now, it would make me look a hypocrite.
MY SCORE SYSTEM (IMHO):
< 5 Not up with the competition.
5 - 6 Average.
7 - 8 Above average.
> 8 An exceptional piece
SCORING FACTORS (IN ORDER OF MY PRIORITIES):
GRAB FACTOR: How quickly am I involved in the action? Do I have direction?
PLOT: Is the story engaging? Is subject interesting? Varied conversation choices?
CHARACTERS: Are they easily identifiable? Are they rounded/memorable?
SPELLING & GRAMMAR: Is the text easy to read? Are there quite a few errors?
OTHER FACTORS (MINOR INFLUENCE): Design for atmosphere & scenery, including sounds & props. Quality of module stability; does it break easily? _________________________ World of Althéa Blog: Link
Posted by Llyranor at 2006-02-10 11:09:26 Voted 9.75 on 02/10/06
The PC starts off as the accused in a quite unconventional trial. This mod really helped make the author�s writing shine. You didn�t have access to a large number of dialogue choices, but each of them lead to vastly different outcomes. I would complain that some of the text was longwinded, but - though that�s true technically - it didn�t *feel* that way, and I found myself actually enjoying all of it. As mentioned, the writing is quite excellent, and made me guffaw at numerous points. I like the author�s style. Seal of approval earned.
Posted by RobFaeth at 2006-02-08 15:26:33 Voted 8.25 on 02/08/06
So, your module's not really a module, per se. You hit a lot of my pet peeves, like giving me a wholly pre-defined
character, and limiting dialogue options. I thought that you drove the character in too much of a linear direction,
and much of the dialogue was way too long. That being said, I LOVED YOUR MODULE. I couldn't stop laughing
for most of it. I thought it was great, and I kept playing until I'd achieved a wide variety of alternate endings.
***SPOILERS***
I thought your alternate endings and unpredictable paths were brilliant. Bunt cake. Heh heh. And going to get lunch
for everyone? It was all loads of fun. The conversations you had with the judge about weapons (though far too
linear) were a blast, and kept me rolling. Probably, your module is the funniets I've played.
***SPOILERS ENDED***
I have given you the highest score I feel comfortable with giving you (and I believe it's the 4th highest score of the
50 I have rated thus far). I could have given more if this were more of a "quest," "story," or "true module." As it was,
though, it was something more like a very fun interactive, twisted comic-book.
Bravo, my friend, and good luck in the contest!
Posted by War Bones at 2006-02-06 13:39:17 Voted 8.25 on 02/06/06
Just want to let you know I changed my vote.
Posted by War Bones at 2006-02-06 13:38:28 Voted 8.25 on 02/06/06
I re-evaluated my vote and changed it. You got .5 more from me because I forgot to take into account that you spun a good yarn and did so without the need for scripts outside of dialogue. To me, that's an important aspect. The rest of my former review remains . . .I had to think a long time on how to rate this module. I appreciate the humor. It was entertaining and funny. But as stated by others, there was alot of clicking without interaction. And though there were not any typos I could find, there was one instance when Mr. Jones is talking about the actions of my character and refers to me as he. That would've been fine, except I was playing a female character. But I'm not deducting points for that. Basically, I'm giving this score because it was clever, and I could see it as a side quest (maybe I was wandering the countryside and was overwhelmed by goblins who tied me up and brought me before the judge) but a big penalty is the word count. I'm just a stickler for that rule.
Couldn't play the mod, as it required an expansion I don't have.
But I will add that rules page for the competition states: "A maximum of 3500 words in total including dialogue and setting." Under the FAQ it has the 'clarification' of the word count that dugold provided. _________________________ Link
Posted by Tyrannus at 2006-02-05 00:07:36 Voted 9.75 on 02/05/06
man i almost quit when the judge said the defendents name wus jeff or somethin. but i kept goin for some reason and man thats pretty good. lol! this is so much different then anythin else i played so far. i took off .25 cause i didnt feel very involved in the conversation in parts but since it was so funny i didnt take off much. lol! good luck
Just a quick comment in response to War Bones. We would like to preface this with a quote from the contest rules...
"...this is not a hard word count; it should be the writer's target. The actual word count can come in a little high or low and this will not affect the review of a really good piece of writing."
We tried very hard to keep the word count under 3500. We cut and shortened many aspects in order to arrive at our current length. Sometimes it was painful to have to get rid of strings that we labored over and enjoyed writing. We ended up having to choose only our favorite lines of conversation or those that worked best with the ones we absolutely had to leave. In the end, we decided that it would be better to leave solid elements and be over the word target than to present a product that was missing most of our best work.
Although we did over-shoot the word count, it wasn't by much, and we feel that we presented a better product for it.
(Perhaps we should deduct points from your mod's score for not thoroughly reading the rules...)
Posted by Caprial at 2006-02-04 21:01:01 Voted 9.50 on 02/04/06
Wow. What a treat!
This entry is excellent. It�s truly funny, fresh, and engaging. All of the characters come to life instantly and stay interesting and true to character all the way through. There is a lot of wit and imagination in the dialogue. This author can write!
It�s not exactly interactive, and there is certainly a lot of NPC speech, but it works in the context of this module. A great break from the ordinary.
Thanks for voting. We appreciate all the comments and hope you get a laugh or two from our little mod. (Nice quote from "The Princess Bride", Remir.)
Posted by zenman63 at 2006-02-04 10:27:31 Voted 6.50 on 02/04/06
Nice dialogue. Tough to feel like I was participating. Good set work.
Posted by gregcason at 2006-02-04 10:22:25 Voted 6.50 on 02/04/06
I enjoyed the dialog, and the area was nicely done. I didn't feel like I had a lot of control over my character though. It didn't feel like a story.
Posted by okobojii at 2006-02-03 00:41:45 Voted 9.75 on 02/03/06
Fantastic job! You really 'get' the humor Bioware seems to use. Nice job of taking a stereotypical courtroom idea and turning it into something funny that anyone who has played the game can understand.
Great!
Posted by chillibaby at 2006-02-02 11:08:00 Voted 9.00 on 02/02/06
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