I’ve been thinking about the “schtick” for coverage of the matchups. For the Free IF Playoffs, it was “mock ESPN” with an overarching metaphor of being some nonsensical blend of various spectator sports. Some ideas I’ve had for something different this time around include:
Debate Club – The grand metaphor would be a stuffy club atmosphere in the style of the 19th Century. Everyone would get bonus points for commentary in that style, with awards like Most Bombastic, Most Convincing, Most Obscure Vocabulary, Most Strained Similes, etc. The big plus here is that critical commentary can also be made funny.
Gladiator Arena – The grand metaphor would be a crowded arena in ancient Rome, with the contestant games being gladiators pitted against each other as entertainment for the mob. Leaves the field wide open for unconstrained booing, for good or ill. Bonus points for commentary in the style of a bloodthirsty commoner?
Reality TV – The grand metaphor would be that each competing game is a contestant in an early reality TV show such as “Survivor.” This matches the expected length of the tournament and might be best for pacing. Bonus points for commentary in the style of obsessive internet fans hoping for one game or another to win.
Pokemon Battles – The grand metaphor would be that each competing game is a captured “monster” in a Pokemon-like game. This idea amuses me, but I doubt I know enough about Pokemon to make it work, so this option might depend on volunteers to help with coverage. Also, I can’t think of how to make fan awards out of this except via a performance of their picks, and I’d rather have some dynamic that can play out in commentary. [EDIT: Based on the response so far, I think it’s safe to drop this idea!]
Dog Show (suggested by AmandaB) – The games are treated like various breeds of dog. Dogs are judged on appearance (polish), temperament (genre), movement (length of play time), and how closely they match the ideal of the breed (old school vs more modern).
the 19th Century club and the gladiator arena fits my peculiar prose and my Italian fierce argumenting, respectively (so I guess Hanon will be all-out against the arena style, I suppose … )
I only know that Pokemon is a thing kids like. That’s it. I played Pogoman Go and it took me a long time to get that it was a spoof of Pokemon. I vaguely remember people going around with their phones looking for AR thingybops. Mostly I remember that it was annoying.
Let’s keep it understandable for the olds, please.
I’m happy to see the “official” coverage in whatever format you like, but I’d rather not see a bunch of rules introduced encouraging participants to write in any particular style. I was interested in this for the sake of discussing IF, not role-playing Pokémon fans.
I think too many repetitions of “Bogeyman spears Scroll Thief in the gut and leaves it bleeding out in the dirt while it rifles through its pack” is going to put at least some people off…
How about like a dog show? With games being various breeds of dog. Dogs are judged on appearance (polish), temperament (genre), movement (length of play time), and how closely they match the ideal of the breed (old school vs more modern).