Judging Rubric

[Christoph]

The Rubric

The Rubric consists of a set of carefully selected and defined categories and is designed to gauge the overall level of quality found in a player’s writing. These categories are split into three groups: “Story”, which contains the Pacing, Setting, and Storytelling categories, “Character”, which contains the Persona, Action, and Dialogue categories, and “Writing Style”, which contains Technique, Mechanics, and Clarity. There is also a five-point “wildcard” slot.

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Story: In general, a good score in the Story categories will require three things. First, it will need to be well placed in time and location. Second, it will need to proceed with sufficient development to interest the reader without boring him or her at the same time. Most importantly, though, it will need to be original and creative
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Storytelling (5 Points)

The Storytelling score is influenced by exactly that, the story being told. Does the writer situate the thread within a broader sheath of his/her character's storyline or personality so that it fits nicely in place, or does the thread seem to be a random spot of light in a sea of vagueness? Does the player weave the battle into a creative and compelling tale, or is it ‘merely a battle’? A good Storytelling score does not require a massive, epic storyline or a convoluted history or introduction. Instead, success here comes from answering the question of “Why is the story taking place?” in a compelling way.

A note: If a reader needs to read your character's profile to understand his or her story, or to get the basic information required to understand your character, then you will most likely get lower scores in Continuity. Remember, profiles serve not as general reference guides for readers and judges, but as tools to help you (and to some extent, your teammate and opponents) as you write.

Here is the point breakdown:

5: Great – Your ability to conceive and deliver a compelling story was masterful. Everything that occurred fit into a wider web of storytelling genius. You made the thread into more than just a battle; you made it into a real story.
4: Solid – You clearly know how to tell a story. Though you may have lacked the skillful creativity to earn a 5, you managed to give the battle real significance.
3: Average – Clear effort was made to tell a good story. It wasn’t great, nor was it bad.
2: Below Average – Some traces of an actual story were present, but little was explained coherently. The thread lacked any meaning or place in a larger storyline.
1: Awful – Not only did you not explain why your character was there or why it was important, you may have even neglected to explain that there was a tournament going on. Your writing gave no meaning to the events that transpired or any wider sense of scope regarding your character’s past existence or potential future.

Setting (10 Points)

Each round, players are assigned a wide variety of arenas. To score high in Setting, however, a player will need to go beyond merely acting in front of a painted backdrop. Setting isn’t just to look at, it exists to be experienced by the characters. For instance, if a chair is described, is it merely mentioned or is it used as a seat, or to beat an opponent in the face with? Is it hot or cold or sunny or rainy, and are the effects of it upon the character described? In short, a good setting not merely describes the place, it also makes use of features objects within that place. There is also the factor of realism – does your character interact with the setting realistically? And remember, setting is not a canvas but a world. Here is the point breakdown:

10: Masterful – The setting never vanished and its effects were vividly described where appropriate. Not only did your character use elements of the setting, the setting at times “used” the character. The environment had a clear, but appropriate impact on the story. In addition, you utilized the guidelines provided in your arena in an inventive and engaging manner. In short, the reader felt completely immersed in the environment, as if actually there.
9: Great
7 - 8: Solid
5 - 6: Average - Usually, a score of five or six comes from players who do a decent job of describing the setting, but fall short in terms of really using and immersing the reader in it. Perhaps you did a little of both, but didn’t follow through with the level of quality needed to score higher. Usually, though, it means you’re heading in the right direction.
3 – 4: Below Average
2: Awful
1: Abysmal- Either it seemed as though your character was fighting in a void, or you completely ignored the setting. Perhaps you wrote as though you were in an entirely different place, such as a desert when the actual arena was a jungle or a city. Needless to say, ‘ur doin it rong!’

Pacing (15 Points)

In simple terms, Pacing gauges the flow of the battle and overall way in which the plot unfolded, and more specifically, how your posts contribute to its benefits or detriment. In scoring Pacing, judge will try to determine the author's intent. If the intent is to keep the reader from putting down the story, then a good Pacing score requires that the story delivered: it kept the tension high, releasing it in certain places and building it in others. It kept you guessing. If the intention of the Pacing is to develop a particular character, then the development of the plot must serve to provide the character with specific ways to grow. In other words, the thread’s story must keep you reading, but must also serve the intent of the author without clashing with the battle on the whole. Here's the breakdown:

15: Masterful – Your posts fit the tempo of the battle like a glove. The reader was left at the edge of his/her chair the entire time as you wove your piece of the story with twists and turns. Whether flowing like sweet music or a brutal raging river, your posts moved the story along wonderfully every time.
14: Excellent
12-13: Great
9-11: Solid
7-8: Average – Often defined as a “lack of bad” in this case, an average score typically comes from writing posts that don’t fall into the typical traps of PBP writing that cause the story to put the reader to sleep. However, it likely failed to truly keep the reader engaged, either by dragging on a bit too much or by causing an ending that was too abrupt, or just by following a straight line with no interesting twists and turns.
4-6: Below Average
2-3: Awful
1: Abysmal – The only way to score this terribly in pacing is to take one of two extremes (or some twisted combination that defies the laws of nature). Either you did everything in your power to bring the battle to an abrupt end and subvert any sort of plot progression, or your posts were so painfully long-winded and off-topic that the reader forgot what the thread was supposed to be.

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CHARACTER: There is one important factor kept in mind when the Character scores are judged. Do the thoughts, words, and actions of your character exhibit who they really are? If a particular character is doing something completely contrary to what they are normally like and do not justify that behavior in-character, then a low score will be awarded. If the character's actions truly illustrate who they are, then a high score will be awarded. Above all, a character should be BELIEVABLE. Does it make sense for an illiterate barbarian to talk his way out of a mess? No. Does it make sense for a dull-witted human to come up with a brilliant plan for ambushing the enemy? No. Does it make sense for a first-time lover to comprehend the depth of his emotions? No. In other words: simply because a character does something "smart" doesn't mean the player should get high scores. Sometimes, a stupid response to a situation can be just as important as an intelligent one.
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Dialogue (10)

Dialogue must be sensible and believable. A fighter in the midst of a battle should not USUALLY break off the fight for a long-winded speech. A poorly educated human would not be able to converse with an extensive vocabulary. A quiet, withdrawn person would not speak at all, but might do more internal thinking. A dullard might not do much speaking OR thinking. On the other hand, a particularly flamboyant, arrogant, or witty character might indeed decide to pull away in order to deliver a speech he or she thought of on the fly. A poorly educated human might, in a moment of crisis, say a few words, which, although short and unadorned, are elegant in their simplicity. A quiet person might do the same thing, or a dullard might assert their dignity with a few protesting, angry, halting words. The question with dialogue is not "How much talking was there?” Nor is it “How many cool lines were delivered?” Instead, the question is this: does the dialogue properly represent the character?

As a precision, Dialogue is not merely the explicit conveying of information between characters (or in a battle, opponents and teammates) through words: dialogue includes all methods, means and contents of communication used by the characters, and how relevant these methods are to them. For example, a mute character might communicate his intentions through sign language, or by pointing objects relevant to the understanding of his message. Internal monologues and general introspection are also included in Dialogue. Battles are not excuses to ignore Dialogue: having your character communicate (or explicitly refuse to communicate for reasons you must explain) with their teammate, or with their opponent at the beginning and/or the end of a battle, can net you many points here, as long as it is relevant and fits your character.

The breakdown:

10: Masterful – Your character’s speech was used as an astounding engine for character insight and development. The dialogue felt truly real. The reader could feel the emotion being portrayed (or the lack thereof if that was the goal).
9: Great
7-8: Solid
5-6: Average – Either nothing particularly out of the ordinary for better or worse, or some great moments mixed with some not-so great moments. Perhaps it served a solid purpose in the story and made sense, but lacked any kind of originality.
3-4: Below Average
2: Awful
1: Abysmal – Nonsensical, pointlessly inconsistent, completely clashing with the character speaking, blatantly stolen from other sources, and/or just plain annoying our mind-numbingly boring to read. It would be a chore to intentionally think up dialogue this horrible.

Action (15 Points)

Naturally, actions are very important in battles, since the characters will at some point have to take swings at each other. This can be explained in virtually the same way as dialogue. For an example, consider The Lord of the Rings. When the Witch-King of Angmar was slain, it was because he had ignored the hobbit Pippin, who was able to creep up from behind him and stab him in the heel at an opportune moment. This is entirely fitting with Pippin's character; he cannot block the attack of a man, jump back flips, or cast spells. But he can crawl quietly and wait for a chance to strike. His action made sense for his character. Keep in mind that action is not limited to fighting! For example, a character might have a favorite book. A player could begin a thread with her reading it for a third time, and commenting on it as a friend walks in. Etc.

Think of action as being just what it says: anything a character DOES. Likewise, though strategy is an important part of the Action score, it is far more important that the strategies fit the character. IE: strategically savvy ‘chess master’ type might brew an ingenious plot, but be unable or unwilling to adapt to a changing scenario, or a brash or lazy character might decide to forgo planning and just think up tactics on the fly. Alternatively, an unintelligent character might not plan at all and could merely be prone to doing whatever makes the most noise. Just like dialogue, action is not defined by how cool a maneuver is or how intelligently the character planned and executed it. Rather, action is scored based on whether or not a character does what fits with his/her personality. The point breakdown follows:

15: Masterful – The actions your put in your posts not only portrayed your character, it helped define your character’s personality. Your character reacted to different situations in a realistic way and displayed fair and realistic limitations and weaknesses. Your use of action kept the reader engaged and helped move the plot. Etc.
14: Excellent
12-13: Great
9-11: Solid
7-8: Average
4-6: Below Average
2-3: Awful
1: Abysmal – The actions you described made no sense and chronically annoyed the reader. Powergaming more than likely ran rampant to the clear and severe detriment of the thread.

Persona (10 Points)

Persona refers to how well your character's emotions are depicted in relation to their personality. Emotions can be one of the trickiest things to write about -- either one doesn't portray them enough or one does a bit too much. Characters, for the most part, do have emotions. They feel pain, they feel love, hate, anger, confusion. A few pointers can help with improving your Persona score. First, the characters should feel emotion, but not always know what to do with it. Most people feel emotion, but they often struggle with knowing the precise emotion they are having or determining how to act on the emotion. Whether a player portrays this conflict or not should determine the score. Second, is the emotion believable? Absent a specific reason, emotion should not be overblown. A lengthy description of how much love you feel for the person you just had sex with, for instance, can be rather obnoxious.

Keep this in mind, however: both these rules can be suspended if the emotion depicted is well done in relation to personality. For instance, a character might be a warrior, used to pain -- used to not reacting with tears or cries if a dagger pierces them, for instance. Or they might have tried to harden their heart to love, or ignore feelings of hate because they think hate is a bad thing to feel. Or a character might be the clingy type, ignoring subtle emotions in favor of seeking that clear feeling of "I love her so much" that may characterize an adolescent boy. Or the character might merely be expressing emotions of an overblown nature as a way to mask their underlying uncertainty and fear. Persona is one of the hardest areas to judge; however, in a sense, it is like what Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said about obscenity: "I shall not attempt to define the kinds of material I understand to be pornography, but I know it when I see it."

10: Masterful – Your portrayal of your character’s emotions was exceptionally realistic and absolutely fit with your character’s personality. Every piece of introspection was written in such a way that the reader could delve deeper into your character’s psyche. If your character’s mindset was meant to be humanely relatable or chaotically confusing does not matter, because you successfully conveyed your intent. You did not merely strike a chord, but strummed a most poignant (or frighteningly cold, or debilitating, etc.) song in the reader’s heart.
9: Great
7-8: Solid
5-6: Average – While you were generally successful in accurately conveying the emotions of your character (or lack thereof), some passages felt excessive, forced, lacking, or generally hard to believe. It might be that some parts were bland to read, or written too awkwardly for the reader to try and understand better.
3-4: Below Average
2: Awful
1: Abysmal – The way you demonstrate your character’s emotions or lack of emotions was painfully clichéd on one side, utterly absent on the other, and had about as much depth as the plastic, dollar-store fish tank you bought for your goldfish cracker.

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Writing Style : To use a metaphor, writing style is the bones, sinew, and skin of a thread’s “body.” Mechanics specifically refers to the basic building blocks of language – the bones. Technique ties things together, using different methods of stylistic devices to make the mechanics transcend the mere words on the page – sinew. And clarity is the public face of it all, what people see…the part of a body that people immediately interact with and try to understand – the skin.
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Technique (10 Points)

This refers to special literary devices, such as foreshadowing, metaphors, allusion, symbolism, or other "advanced" forms of writing. This tends to be judged in a few ways at once, often interacting with the other categories. For example, devices such as foreshadowing can be used to build tension to help Pacing, or metaphors and imagery can be used to flesh out the setting. However, Technique also be applies to how well a special device was used. For example, was the foreshadowing effective in creating tension? Given the nature of this category, it tends to be subjective, as one person could dislike a style that another loves. Judges, however, are asked to do their best to remain objective and gauge whether or not the literary objectives of the writing were met, regardless of their personal preferences.

10: Masterful – Contrary to common belief, it doesn’t take Homer’s eloquence, vocabulary or general greekiness to have mastery over your personal writing style. In fact, sometimes, having the above is frowned upon by your contemporary peers. Your writing is rich with rhetorical devices without containing an overabundance of them, which tends to cheapen their effect. The flow of your writing is impeccable, and not a moment does the reader feel bogged down or jarred by your writing; instead, they are drawn deeper into it, and urged on to read until the climactic end. Simply put, your writing has an undeniable flair that distinguishes you from the masses.
9: Great
7-8: Solid
5-6: Average – You are comfortable with your style, and know well enough to give it a more oomph where you deem it necessary. However, some of your literary devices either do not come across the way you intended to or completely backfire. Some passages of your writing could do better with more, while others seem a bit excessive. The flow of your writing, though clear and usually fluid, can at times feel tedious.
3-4: Below Average
2: Awful
1: Abysmal – You think ‘simile’ is smile misspelled. You believe a ‘metaphor’ has something to do with robotics. The word ‘analogy’ makes you laugh. It is quite likely that you slept through English class most of your life, and you snicker perversely every time you hear the name ‘Shakespeare’.

Mechanics (10 Points)

This should be obvious. Are your commas in the right place? Are your sentences actual sentences, and not fragments? Do you spell words properly? In other words: are you following the basic rules of English? As is said in writing style, these rules can be broken without detriment, provided they are broken INTENTIONALLY in order to MAKE A POINT. And, as always, the judges will determine whether poor mechanics actually serves the purpose of enhancing the style. Here's the breakdown:

10: Masterful – Not only were your posts free of typos and bad sentences, but your writing took more subtle aspects of the English language into account, such as building flowing sentences based on the way certain words are accented in their pronunciation. You also likely displayed an extensive, but prudently used vocabulary. It’s not about using a thesaurus to find the biggest words; to reach this pinnacle of English mastery, you must use the most fitting words for a given situation, both in its definition and pronunciation. In short, you went beyond flawless.
8-9: Flawless – If your writing is at least 99% free of mistakes, your Mechanics score will likely wind up in this range.
6-7: Mostly Clean – A few typos or bad sentences here and there, usually things that a good proofreading could have picked up.
4-5: Sloppy – You probably didn’t put enough effort into your writing if you score within this range. You made quite a few typos or grammatical errors, most of which could have been fixed with a spellchecker.
2-3: Awful – Sweet Jesus, use Microsoft Word or an online spellchecker. There is no excuse for this level of poor grammar and spelling.
1: Abysmal – Is that even English? My eyes are not only bleeding, they exploded in my skull.

Clarity (10 Points) ~ Basically, this refers to whether or not your posts make any sense. For instance, read the following few sentences: "Becky was a rat. The billygoat jumped over the wall. "Oh no," said Allan, "I have no idea what to do with my life. The pretty penguins parked in their parkas while praying." These sentences were technically grammatically correct. The last sentence even showed evidence of stylistic touches, using alliteration. Yet, did they make sense? Did one follow from another? Was the narration clean and easy to follow? No.

Clarity, in the purest sense, asks this: do you say what you need to say using effective, clear, easy-to-follow language? Naturally, just about every other category can affect Clarity in some way or another, such as poor mechanics making writing illegible or actions that were difficult to follow. However, don’t fall under the impression that all confusion will hurt your score here, so long as it is used intentionally as a literary or plot device, such as to use a dose of mystery elements.

10: Masterful – Not only were all of the meanings and messages in your writing conveyed to the reader successfully, but there was nothing missing in the prior information the reader needed to understand your story. When you refer to characters and NPCs that the reader should not have any knowledge of, you take the time to describe them, to explain a bit of their past and their incidence in the story you are writing. The same goes for original species, creatures, weapons and the like. Basically, you have not once left the reader in the dark unless it had been your full intention to do so.
9: Great
7-8: Solid
5-6: Average – While it was generally easy to understand what you were writing, the reader sometimes felt inconsistencies and missing spots in the information that was provided, and the wording of some sentences did help the reader understand during the first read-through. The reader had to backtrack a number of times to figure out exactly what you were trying to say.
3-4: Below Average
2: Awful
1: Abysmal – Shoehorns administer copious degrees of helicopter intercourse. Narm! NARM! NUMAAAARRRRM!

Wild Card (5 Points)

Wild Card takes into account any facet of writing that does not fall under the description of another category. It’s the category that allows the judges to be a little subjective and award aspects of your writing that they liked that fell outside of the regular rubric. Think of it as a small “judge’s choice” award.

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Final Notes: Given the nature of the Tournament of Champions, teamwork is very important and is likely to affect every category on the rubric. Also, prompt replies can work to your team’s benefit while repeated long delays can cause point deductions.

Also, don’t let the fact that some categories are weighted more heavily give you the impression that they are “more important” than others. The value of a category is determined by the scope of factors that contribute to it, such as teamwork, strategy, realism, and characterization all being part of Action, not the importance.