Word limits

[Guest Tod deKindes]

I was wondering. Suppose I have a 3000 word match to write. I know I can't go over by TOO much, but is it ok if maybe I fall short and arrive at, say, 2537?

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

That's no problem, Tod.  Word limits are a guideline, not a minimum requirement.  We judge on quality, not quantity--on plenty of occasions, a great 5000 word match has killed 7500 less well-organized words.  Don't go too far under your limit as a general rule, as that's just short-changing your abilities, but it's much better to go under than over.  Once you cross the limit, your marker reserves the right to auto-job you, though for the most part we just take it into account as a penalty.

 

In short: going 400 under, no problem.  Going 400 over--quite a big problem.

[Guest 5_moves_of_doom]

Ah, I was wondering the same thing. So basically, you can pretty much get away with 400 words under and 100 over? My first match I just had against Tod deKindes (by the way I read his side of the match and it was great) was about 26 words over and I got away with it, but that was HVille Thugg. Are there certain markers more leniant than others?

[Guest Thoth]

Here is a rule: Never go over the word limit.  If you go over the limit, Even by one word, you can be automically disqualified.  That said, I don't know of anybody anal enough to DQ for one word.  100 words... that's different.  If I were marking, and you went 50 words or more over the limit... buh-bye.  Hell, if you read this, and decided to be a smart-ass and do 49 over the limit, that's an auto-job, too.

 

In short, don't take a chance: If you see you're over the limit, trim your match.

 

Also, matches don't always have to be to the limit.  I once won a match writing only 4500 out of 6000.  Quality, not quantity.

[Guest crusen86]

Thoth's a prick.

 

Personally, I'd let 100 slide, but anything over is pushing it. But yeah, generally don't go over. Better safe than sorry.

[Guest Beingz0wningj00]

I don't even check unless the match seems extremely long. Then I just blarg them to death.

 

I got away this week by going 13 words over the limit... in most cases, it's very easy to edit down... other cases, you just don't care. Ugh.

[Guest]

SK was nice enough to give me a 50 word window to write into, since I went about 300 or so over.  Luckily, I had enough parts to cut out of my match that I didn't have to cut into the action too much.

 

I just write to the limit, and if I go over too much, I see what I can edit out.

[Guest HVilleThugg]

Actually TNT, Suicide King ended up marking that match, not me.  So, it was him who DQed you on word limits.  I suppose he's pretty strict on the word limit thing, which he reserves the right to do.  I judge mine on a case by case basis, but I'll generalize it and say that I'd give probably 100 words of leeway.

 

Now that you all know this about markers though, that doesn't mean you should start going over the limit because you can get away with it on certain markers.  Personally, if I start to see constant disregard for the word limits, I will start to be more strict in enforcing them.

 

Rule of thumb...Trim your matches and stay witin the word limit.  If you've trimmed your match as much as possible, and anymore trimming would hurt the quality of the match, but you're still a little over (not a lot), then I say go ahead...And remember, you can always PM your marker to ask him or her if it's ok to go over.

 

Da "not guilty this time" H

[Guest Tod deKindes]

Actually Thugg, I'm the one who got DQ'ed cuz it sure wasn't my match that was used for the show.

[Guest ErekT2k]

This is so great. Now I'm not the only one to get jobbed because my match was too long.

 

Haha! Here's the deal, you can write 100 words for a 3000 word limit match. You probably won't win the match but you won't get DQed for it.

 

I've had that problem before. I was in a Cage match against Matt Myers and I wrote 5100 words for it. Unfortunately, the word limit was 4500, so I went 600 over. Great, huh? Of course, I got jobbed. But I learned from it. Now, I outline my entire match first and estimate the length. WOOHOO!

 

Btw, who jobbed me that match? I forget.

[Guest Ace309]

I average about 43 (read: random number between 1 and 50)words over, which I'm sure is going to bite me in the BUTT someday.

 

If you notice, a lot of my matches include one too many back-and-forth sequences, which is the result of trying to get to the word limit. Hm. I'll have to see what I can do about eliminating those.

[Guest Suicide King]

Actually Todd and TNT, I didn't even check the limits on your matches since you're both utter n00bs and Thugg had a bit of an emergency.  I just judged them on their merits. And let me say that I am once again thrilled to be able to welcome such talented n00bs... the JL is better talent-wise than it has ever been.

[Guest 5_moves_of_doom]

It's funny how much worthless stuff you realize is in your match when you go over it. My match for Metal had a 4001 word limit, and I trimmed it down from about 4200 to...4001! Ha ha ha! I'm DQ proof! Oh and thanks for the compliment Suicide, it's nice every once and a while to be reminded that I don't suck.

[Guest Tod deKindes]

With the recent situation, is the show still taking place here on wednesday?

 

(my match's done, by the way. awaiting to find out who to send it to.)

[Guest 5_moves_of_doom]

With the recent situation, is the show still taking place here on wednesday?

 

(my match's done, by the way. awaiting to find out who to send it to.)

I feel your pain Tod. I'm also done with my match and am wondering if the show is till on (probably) and if so then who the hell are the markers.

[Guest Edwin MacPhisto]

As long as these boards are still working and everyone finds them all right, the show, in the words of the esteemed Freddie Mercury, must go on.  Right now it's looking fine, but if you talk to any fellow JLers on AIM, direct them to this spot or to the Proboards IGNWF bomb shelter so that they can find it.  Markers'll be up eventually--heh.  See, you guys are so eager to write that you're getting your matches finished days ahead of time.  We're not used to that.  Good work, though.

[Guest 5_moves_of_doom]

Well, I didn't figure there was anything better to do on Sunday.

 

Weekends rule.

[Guest Beingz0wningj00]

I will job all you leaguers if you even look at me wrong!

 

Now off I go, to go kill your former god.

[Guest Tod deKindes]

I stayed up till 2am to finish up mine. If that's not dedication, then I dunno what is.