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Ultimate NOT Dredd Tourney (UNDT) - ROUND 3

Started by Colin YNWA, 24 August, 2020, 06:31:49 AM

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Colin YNWA

Right and we're back. Sorry about the break folks and hopefully its not killed momentum too much? Hope to get votes back up and running by Wednesday,  as we enter Round 3...

The fighting has been tough, the warriors, beasts and teenage travellers that have made it to this third round have the scars to show their struggle. Some even have new nicknames, hey 'Bunkie'. They've had a short break. Breathe has been caught, muscles rested, limbs oiled. Guns reloaded, biorhythms checked. Blades sharpened and milk wiped from beards.

But these are superficial repairs. Surface damage covered. This is now as much about endurance as strength and skill...

..or votes if we remove the melodrama...

Round three sees groups done away with. We're into straight knock rounds. Two go in one comes out, that kinda gig. We've still got the divisions, for the last time. A winner from Round One will be drawn against a runner up. Hero will clash with hero. Villain against villain. After this we'll be down to the 16 greatest and we'll no longer be able to tell hero from villain as The Merging occurs OWWWHHHHHOOOOOO.

I'll be adding things to this thread throughout the day (or tomorrow) with any luck and will contain:

1) A full list of characters, winners and runners up who made it through to this round
2) A summary of the structure and format of the draw
3) A recap of the 'rules'
4) Any other mindless blathering we choose...

Voting back Wednesday I hope.

broodblik

Welcome back, hopefully you enjoyed your break.
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

AlexF

Yes, welcome back! Let the cage-fighting begin.

Colin YNWA

Full list of characters that have made it through to the third round

Group winners - Villains

PJ Maybe
Slough Feg
Howard Quartz
Fink Angel
Mean Machine
Stickleback
Judge Cal
Torquemada

Group winners - 'Heroes'

Marlon Shakespeare
Devlin Waugh
Johnny Alpha
Wulf Steinhammer
Nemesis
Halo Jones
Judge Anderson
Slaine

Runner ups - Villains

Judge Death
Satanus
Old One Eye
Owen Kryslar
Stix Brothers
Malak Brood
Nelson Buker Kreelman
Blackblood

Runner ups - 'Heroes'

Zenith
Jack Dancer
Kano
Nikolai Dante
Harry Exton
Sam Slade
Gene 'the' Hackman
Dirty Frank


Colin YNWA

Some quick thoughts on those we've lost and those that remain.

I still think Rogue is probably still the biggest and most surprising loss back in round 1 and would be here too if you ask me. Which is not to say this round lacked surprises, but not of that scale.

Of note in my mind.

Hammerstein was attacked by two mind snakes in a killer of a group and Ace Garp was called "Ten ten never again".

There is no representation left from Sinister Dexter, personally I'm very sad to see Ramone Dexter go, one of my all time favs.

Possibly most telling is the age of the folks in Round 3. Only three (Stickleback, Jack Dancer and Dirty Frank) were created this side of the millenium and half were created in the first 400 issues. I don't think that's a slight on the modern characters. Many of whom have made a BIG impression on us I'm sure. Rather how some of the 'older' folks have had more time to settle into our hearts, like family?

Greg M.

My observations:

People really like the Stixes, far more than I realised. They're fine enough, but I find it bizarre they've got so far against much better foes.

People really like Wulf Sternhammer. I like Wulf too, but I wouldn't have imagined he'd take out Hammerstein!

He may only be in the runner-up group, but Sam C. Slade has done extremely well. He didn't win his group, but across both rounds, he got a lot of votes and never came near to being knocked out. He may yet prove a dark horse.

Owen Krysler has been extremely lucky.

Out of 32 entries, John Wagner had a hand in 15, and Pat Mills co-created 8. Ian Edginton is the only other creator with more than one character here, and frankly, Jack Dancer is punching well above his weight. Dan "Ultra-Competent Forum God" Abnett has only one! If he is indeed the modern face of 2000AD, it definitely suggests a sea-change in the sort of stories told these days - ones with fairly ordinary leads rather than crazed axe-wielding mutant cyborg barbarians.

AlexF

Gene 'the' Hackman is pleased to find that he's settled so far into your brain that he registers as an old favourite, not a young upstart!
Can't complain about the line-up, but sad to see that all the ladies bar Anderson, Jones and lone Prog Oner Ms Eye have fallen - there was some decent representation in them opening rounds.

I guess Hammerstein is too goody-goody to really come out well in a 2000AD contest, but I too am sorry to see him go. Got a lot of time for noble (if foolish) heroes, me.

Colin YNWA

Yeah the lack of Dabnett characters is fascinating given his clear impact on the writers tourney and the his thrills in the recent thrills votes. His stories are superb and his characters more grounded (well in 2000ad terms!) meaning they don't do so well here?

And yes sorry Gene you are just a pup, my bad!

I did try to put as many female characters as possible into this and the sad truth is its an indictment of 2000ad long history as a little boys club that we find that's done no good. Hopefully in the years to come that will change.

Colin YNWA

'Rules'... kinda...

1. In each of the 16 face-offs you vote for the character you'd like to go through to Round 4, just type the names in a reply to the thread.

1a: There will be 2 votes launched a date (might stagger things a little over the Bank Holiday as this place gets quiet over Bank Holidays). One from each 'division' the 'Heroes' and 'Villains.'

1b: Each vote or Face-off (I think to imagine the two characters facing off over shots of strong Mongolian liquor al la Karen Allen and that bearded bloke in Raiders) will consist of one Group winner and one group runner up.

1c: I think I've avoided any pairing of characters who were in the same groups in Round 2 (did course a faff at one point as it goes that lead to a redraw in one Division - don't ask!)

2. You can chat away to your heart's content - in fact I actively encourage you to discuss, dissect and debate why you like one character over another. All I ask is you try to make it clear who you are voting for.

3. After 3 days I will count up the votes in each vote and the character with the most votes will progress into the next round.

4. In the event of a tie I will have any casting votes needed (I will therefore not vote in the actual face offs)

5. What makes the best character - well that's up to you. It's not meant to be the best, or most stories a character appears in, it's how much you like the character. That could be best design, most interesting, heck you can decide it on who would win in a fight for all I care. All I ask is this is about the character not specifically their story.

So in Round One even though I love the strip Lawless above all others I actually gave a casting vote to Devlin Waugh over Metta Lawson as I think he's the better character, even if I prefer the story Metta appears (I do love you Metta I promise!)

6. As ever I'm making this up as I go along and might change things as I go on? Or add rules as they need to be added.

Magnetica

Yes the relative lack of Dan Abnett characters is interesting. I guess it is reflective of his stories typically being based on a situation and are more about that world and how it impacts on the characters than being about the adventures of one specific lead. As you say yourself in the rules, the voting here is on specific characters, not the story they feature in.

broodblik

Even if you look at a character like Nikolai Dante and he should have been an easy number 1 in his category but he only got a runners-up spot. Now why I find that strange is in all the top 10 tourneys his story was always near the top
When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.

Old age is the Lord's way of telling us to step aside for something new. Death's in case we didn't take the hint.

Greg M.

Nikolai Dante isn't the best character in 'Nikolai Dante'.

Colin YNWA

Just a quick note to say there won't be any new votes for the next couple of days. Not a problem just as its the bank holiday traffic can slow down and I want to give everyone a chance to see all the votes so a couple of days off so all the votes have a day or two either side of the holiday weekend will help that.