balmung The Grindstone - Saturdays at 10 PM EST (9 PM Central)

[Warren Castille]

Grindstone 189 is in the books! 67 fighters, 4 hours of fun, and one winner! W'chaza Yheli!

 

[Leggerless]

Idk Warren. That's just the ground you got in that picture.

 

 

I know it isn't, but look how well it camouflages with the ground

 

 

[Nodem]

Seventy One fighters entered, but only one swung for the fences and came out on top during Grindstone 190!

 

This weeks Grindstone Champion is Swyreyn Keltiyrn!

[Talman Chryses]

That's the acting head of security for the Crystal Chronicle! For once I had to interview one of our own people. More details here.

[Warren Castille]

Grindstone #191 is in the books and it was a doozy! We had an astonishing 83 people line up for fun and games - which is actually just one person shy of matching our highest-fighter total set back in February! It also means we had more people playing our sub-game inside of an MMO than Battleborn had tonight at the same time.

 

When all was said and done, our newest champ is a repeat customer: Congratulations to Berrod Armstrong on his victory! Be sure to watch out for Talman's scoop in the Crystal Chronicle for more details!

 

 

There's only eight Grindstones left until our big #200 part at the end of July!

[Warren Castille]

Eighty-four people! Holy shit! Grindstone #192 is done!

 

One winner!

 

Beexu Spiritbreaker!

 

GRINDSTONE 200 COMETH. WE'RE HARD AT WORK COMING UP WITH ALL KINDS OF RIDICULOUS SHIT TO MAKE FOR FUN TIMES. BRACE YOURSELF.

[Talman Chryses]

Our artist Kay'tethanir Dotharl drew a picture of Beexu for this week's Grindstone writeup. You might need to scroll down a bit. news.thecrystalchronicle.com

[Warren Castille]

GRINDSTONE 193: DONE

 

FIGHTERS: 72

 

WINNER: KEIICHI JEJEICHI

 

HE'S NOT A LALAFELL

 

Thanks to everyone who hung out, all of the folks who shared some tasty tunes, and all of the folks who regularly make this event possible.

 

YES, WE WILL BE HERE NEXT WEEK. EARLY ACCESS WILL NOT STOP THE GRINDSTONE. Come by and show off your new lv60+ skills!

[Tyndles]

I like the Grindstone, but it's popularity makes committing time to it anymore difficult because it takes a while! Have you considered altering the structure at all? Maybe I'm in the big minority, but changing it so instead of attack/defense its just highest roll per round so there is a guaranteed point and matches would take at most 5 rounds?

[Aaron]

I actually RPed last night at this. I'm proud of myself. IM EVOLVING

[Warren Castille]

I like the Grindstone, but it's popularity makes committing time to it anymore difficult because it takes a while! Have you considered altering the structure at all? Maybe I'm in the big minority, but changing it so instead of attack/defense its just highest roll per round so there is a guaranteed point and matches would take at most 5 rounds?

 

The time investment is definitely a thing we're aware of! We went from usually finishing up around 1am to suddenly pushing after 2 and sometimes into 3.

 

Trying to change format at this point is kind of impossible, though. Despite this thread being the "source" there's such a sprawling pool of players that some don't even know the RPC exists, and while I know there are folks active on tumblr who post about us we don't have a page ourselves.

 

I agree with your pains, though (and I suspect a lot of people do!). I think we've all been hunting around for whatever means we can implement that would help snip off the lengthier stuff, but without an outright huge format adjustment we're kind of beholden to the numbers we get. I think the system we use is decent enough but it wasn't designed with this kind of scale in mind.

[Parth Makeo]

Or maybe make people try and condense their posts? One complaint i hear more than the 3-0 knockout for people is the length and time it takes to post. The spam is already going to be intense with so many people and while I also experienced this when I did fight before, lengthy posts are fine for smaller group of people like the original in a sense but now it's far too chaotic to keep up and try to see every fight.

 

I know people love typing paragraphs but those same people take the most time to execute an action that could of been condensed into something simpler or get rid of fluff.

 

" turns around, swinging his blade with the utmost speed and power around the head at a ninety degree angle at from his stance on the ground from her previous blow. His blade shining and gleaming in the sun of Thanalan to give him the strength to win-"

 

This already lost my interest for a big event. Smaller and more personal fights i understand...but maybe cut it down to something like

 

" swings his sword horizontally at in an attempt to disarm his opponent and ensure a victory."

 

Again this is all personal opinions and changing things now IS far too big. But the general feedback from my friends who use to attend and even watch the Grindstone say their opponents take way to long to post.

Someone can take 1 min to type, others might take 6-7 mins and that is where a lot of the time stretch comes from. Because they ALL want to be fantastical and show off... but as warren stated too

 

Despite this thread being the "source" there's such a sprawling pool of players that some don't even know the RPC exists, and while I know there are folks active on tumblr who post about us we don't have a page ourselves.

[Aaron]

Or maybe make people try and condense their posts? One complaint i hear more than the 3-0 knockout for people is the length and time it takes to post. The spam is already going to be intense with so many people and while I also experienced this when I did fight before, lengthy posts are fine for smaller group of people like the original in a sense but now it's far too chaotic to keep up and try to see every fight.

 

I know people love typing paragraphs but those same people take the most time to execute an action that could of been condensed into something simpler or get rid of fluff.

 

" turns around, swinging his blade with the utmost speed and power around the head at a ninety degree angle at from his stance on the ground from her previous blow. His blade shining and gleaming in the sun of Thanalan to give him the strength to win-"

 

This already lost my interest for a big event. Smaller and more personal fights i understand...but maybe cut it down to something like

 

" swings his sword horizontally at in an attempt to disarm his opponent and ensure a victory."

 

Again this is all personal opinions and changing things now IS far too big. But the general feedback from my friends who use to attend and even watch the Grindstone say their opponents take way to long to post.

Someone can take 1 min to type, others might take 6-7 mins and that is where a lot of the time stretch comes from. Because they ALL want to be fantastical and show off... but as warren stated too

 

Despite this thread being the "source" there's such a sprawling pool of players that some don't even know the RPC exists, and while I know there are folks active on tumblr who post about us we don't have a page ourselves.

 

If people want that route of being so cut and dry the only people who would ever get any decent level of RP that didn't come off as rushed just to win or lose would be the bystanders

[Gegenji]

I dunno. Knowledge of how long it takes you to write things might just be good thing to know for courtesy's sake? If you can hammer out a paragraph in a minute or two, then feel free to wax poetic all you want. If it takes you five minutes to write a couple lines... maybe be succinct.

[Keiji Naru]

Or maybe make people try and condense their posts? One complaint i hear more than the 3-0 knockout for people is the length and time it takes to post. The spam is already going to be intense with so many people and while I also experienced this when I did fight before, lengthy posts are fine for smaller group of people like the original in a sense but now it's far too chaotic to keep up and try to see every fight.

 

I know people love typing paragraphs but those same people take the most time to execute an action that could of been condensed into something simpler or get rid of fluff.

 

" turns around, swinging his blade with the utmost speed and power around the head at a ninety degree angle at from his stance on the ground from her previous blow. His blade shining and gleaming in the sun of Thanalan to give him the strength to win-"

 

This already lost my interest for a big event. Smaller and more personal fights i understand...but maybe cut it down to something like

 

" swings his sword horizontally at in an attempt to disarm his opponent and ensure a victory."

 

Again this is all personal opinions and changing things now IS far too big. But the general feedback from my friends who use to attend and even watch the Grindstone say their opponents take way to long to post.

Someone can take 1 min to type, others might take 6-7 mins and that is where a lot of the time stretch comes from. Because they ALL want to be fantastical and show off... but as warren stated too

 

Despite this thread being the "source" there's such a sprawling pool of players that some don't even know the RPC exists, and while I know there are folks active on tumblr who post about us we don't have a page ourselves.

 

 

Bear in mind, this is an RP event. Telling people they need to limit their posting times/intricacy would defeat the purpose of calling it an RP event, I would think. I would catch holy hell if I tried to tell anyone else how to RP, so why would the hosts of the event implement rules to tell other players to do the same?

 

Furthermore, not everyone has a keyboard with which to type out their posts, namely people who are playing on the PS4. Some people still don't even know they can hook one up to their PS4 at all! A few friends of mine didn't know until I let them know, and even I wasn't for sure. I wanted to still think you could only hook up a PlayStation brand keyboard (which turns out is not really the case). So, of course it takes those people a longer time to post, even smaller posts (nevermind longer ones). Hell, some people are just lousy typists. I try to have as much patience as possible because you never know the reason, unless you ask them.

 

Lastly, if you believe for any reason you can't stay for the entire event, then you reserve the right to not participate. I set aside enough time that I can stay for this entire event if I need to, even if it goes to 3am for me, and I'm on PST. If I don't think I can stay for the whole thing, then I just don't participate. I'm not always able to attend at all because of work because sometimes I gotta close, but I accept that. Bottom line is, the hosts of this event are doing the best (I think) they can, even going so far as to add another bracket to accommodate the larger turnouts. I'd also like to add this also isn't the only (although perhaps the biggest) event there is out there that uses the same style of RP fighting. There are plenty of smaller events that occur throughout the week at aren't as hectic on the chatbox as this one. If the Grindstone is too overwhelming, then I would encourage you to try one of those.

[Nodem]

"Grindstone never cancels!" ~Warren

 

Never have words been spoken truer as nothing halts the Grindstone, not even Early Access to an Expansion! Not even 90k's, whom ultimately won by claiming the most victims. There has to be a bounty out on the 90k beast by now I'm sure.

 

Nearly 40 Fighters walked into the fray tonight, but only one could come out a champion! The victor of the 194th Grindstone is:

 

Ehpo Pekhti

[Star Lin]

Sorry John missed out on Grindstone last night.  Looks like the error code (2002) I was having issue with during queue is now not letting past the start screen.  Not sure when or if I'll be able to get back into game again.

[L'tohk Rhoto]

The fights were close and fun, a better showing than the first round elimination the previous week!

[Gegenji]

A little over 40 people came together despite massive queues and the looming threat of being DC'd! And from that lineup we have tonight's winner: Percival Turner!

 

 

Thank you all for coming out, as always, and our condolences to those who were claimed by the red dot during proceedings (including our stalwart Arbiter).

[Warren Castille]

I live, I die, I live again! Tonight saw the redemption of the Whetstone!

 

[1:19]Warren Castille: Oliver, the Arbor champion, defeats Sil, the Bridge champion!

[1:19]Warren Castille: ...however...

[1:20]Warren Castille: The Whetstone has been sharpened, and Gegeruza will now face off with Oliver to determine out night's champion!

 

 

 

Congratulations to Oliver Delvants for fending off both tournament foe and outside opponent!

 

The Whetstone has been turned in! The stage is set for Grindstone #200 which will be taking place on July 29th! We'll be doing the usual Money Where Your Mouth Is fight auction offer and the Whetstone will be back up for blind-auction!

[Warren Castille]

The Grindstone in July! Still in the wake of the expansion, we had a respectable 44 people turn up for fighting! After all was said and done, we crowned a new champion in Talan Dracht!

 

[Avocados]

I knew that guy was going place the moment he stood next to me.

 

Grats, and thanks for the fun all!

[Nodem]

56 people shows up to Grindstone tonight, but only one can come out on top. Tonight's champion is:

 

Vektis Sol

[Warren Castille]

Grindstone #199! We had 46 people turn up for fighting, and the end result was NEPOTISM as usual Grindstone healer Subtle Raptor won the whole damned thing with a bag full of rocks!

 

 

NEXT WEEK! Grindstone #200! We'll be reopening the fight bids once more and the Whetstone will be up for grabs to whomever offers the most for it.

 

If you've ever wanted to pick a fight with someone at the Grindstone, this is one of the rare chances anyone has to directly set up the match. So long as that person is actually amenable to the combat, you get your match if you put up the most gil for that person. If you're into that sort of thing, this also includes the people who stand around all hoity-toity on the rock.

 

So, what do we do with all of this money?

 

I put it into a big pile, documenting all of the incoming bucks on the spreadsheet (that's linked in my signature block, on the "Bids" tab!) and then dole out money to the winners of the Grindstone. We've got a long history of transparency and honest, as evidenced in the spreadsheets in my sig block: All of the winnings are accounted for and doled out!

 

 

How do I know you're not just going to take this and transfer servers?

 

You don't! If anything, take solace in the fact that you can't take more than 1m with you if you jump servers!

 

I don't fight at the Grindstone, but I want to give you money anyway because I'm a crazy person!

 

...okay! Get a hold of me via PM so we can arrange when to do the drop-off, all spy-like. If you want it to be OOC, that's fine! ICly might be a bit harder given the "we have no actual investors" fluff going on at the moment, but talk to me. We'll work something out.

 

We're also happy to continue to test The Whetsone.

 

 

WHAT EXACTLY DOES THIS ENTAIL

 

Whomever winds up with possession of The Whetstone will have the ability to insert themselves in the final round of the Grindstone, no muss no fuss, even if they've already been eliminated for the night. There's more to it, but that's only pertinent to the holder.

 

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS WONDERFUL PRIZE

 

The night of the auctions, I will be taking entirely blind bids for this item. I will not be updating the tracker or announcing the current top bid, and I will not be telling anyone who is winning until bids close. If you want this item, you must offer what you think it is worth. I do have a reserve in mind of what I think would be a fair price for it, so don't try to scoop it for 25 gil! Or do, I guess, but that probably won't work if last time is a precedent.

[Warren Castille]

 

Grindstone #100! Another record-breaking 53 fighters tonight! A night rife with pushy saleswomen, songs, violence, drama, violence, celebration and violence! When all is said and done at the end of the night, we're left with only one winner...

 

 

 

Okay, I did the lazy recap post, took a shower and am exhausted, so it's a good time to get sentimental.

 

Tonight was probably the most fun I've had the Grindstone in a long time, if not ever. It's still amazing to me that after a hundred (give or take, but it's been 100 weeks since the GS first happened, so I'm declaring it!) that so many people like to participate, and as of lately, show up in full force. I'm constantly asked by people how they can help, if we need more healers or overseers, if they can donate gil, if they can do anything to help lend a hand. There's almost always a new person or two asking if they can sign up or how to compete. You guys are always understanding and polite, and you basically always do what we ask, and you don't bitch when things sometimes don't go so smoothly. I think Lynx has done more thinking about the logistics of the GS than I have, and that's saying something. It sounds like a generic turn of phrase, but there really wouldn't be a Grindstone without everyone who comes together for it: Fighters, audience, overseers, healers, arbiters. For fuck's sake, we know GMs watch it sometimes.

 

Tonight was a lot of fun for me as a roleplayer and as an event person, and I'm really thankful for everyone who comes out to participate and take part. I'm blown away, as poor Howl and Sei have heard me lament in real life constantly and I wish I could buy you all pizza and beer and have a party.

 

Thank you. I'll try not to get maudlin again until episode 200.

 

 

 

 

100 weeks later...

 

76 people! Like, six hours! One winner, and that's Saiya Tayuun!

 

 

We had an extremely colorful turnout tonight. Free paladins, dragoons, former dragoons, monks, Grand Company soldiers, mercenaries, someone who's probably a voidsent, some vath, a vanu vanu...

 

It's safe to say the Grindstone's grown a bit in the past two years. Two years? Man, time flies by. The Grindstone doesn't turn 4 for another couple of months but it's amazing to look back on the extremely wide spread of colorful characters who've turned up and turned out for our little Thanalan party. As the game has grown (consider that 100 weeks ago, Heavensward was still only in patch 3.05!) so has the roleplaying community. Au Ra were new and exciting and still sort of feeling out their role in the world (and Stormblood has certainly thrown some of those people for a loop with how the tribes are represented!). Red Mage and Samurai were hypothetical classes. We had no idea how awesome the Alexander music would end up being.

 

Over the years (I can't stress enough how weird it feels to say those words when talking about our roleplay pretendy times) we've seen a huge number of people, some alts, some genuinely new, turn up to hang out with us. We've had a ton of people volunteer to help run things on the back-end. I've received probably a thousand bits of advice on how to make the Grindstone "better" up to and including removing the /random rolls and relying on an honor system (lol). Through it all, though, we've had the support and appreciation dozens and dozens and dozens of roleplayers. There are the regular folks who turn up every week to fight for glory, there are the lurkers who show up to watch just out of curiosity or amusement or whatever! There's the cheering crew for some of the folks who show up, and there's definitely strong heel/face vibe for some of the regulars. Some people fight with honor and respect, some folks try to boot you in the balls after shanking you in the kidney. It's really amazing that such a wide array of people and characters, from differing roleplaying philosophies and power levels and concepts and beliefs, agree to spend time with us. While we've had some challenges and issues and problems arise over the years with differing opinions that can't be smoothed over, by and large everyone agrees to play by our completely arbitrary ruleset.

 

Last time I went on about how amazing our community is, and I stand by those things. Any legitimacy we have comes from the community granting us that, and the only reason we can do what we do is because you all allow us to. I don't know what the future holds for Final Fantasy, but I can assure that there will be a Grindstone as long as people want there to be one. The turnout tonight continued the abundant show of support and we're happy and honored to continue to provide a setting for people to roleplay.

 

I still want to buy you all pizza and beer. Fanfest 2018, anyone?