R2M14 Jojolity Delibs

Judge Spartacus (Discloud)

Harvest Moon Boulevard begins each section with an epigraph telling us something about the Gauls and then ties this piece of historical narration into the current story beat of the strategy - opening with the predisposition of the Gallic tribes towards infighting plays nicely with how June genuinely sabotages Cerise’s mental state, and the transition to the notes on the druids over a purely warlike cultural perception heightens the GARDEN SHED-inspired second wind. I think good work was done here, though it also sometimes feels as though the JoJolity didn’t inform the strategy so much as place a (very well-applied, admittedly) garnish on top. Still, a very clear research understanding of the Gallic campaigns is on display and the thesis is clearly stated, bringing you to a comfortable **8/10**.

COLOSSI makes very little the Hellenic army beyond the style of Aristi’s armor and the pseudo-phalanx of the bugs, but there’s still something there, and again with the Agamemnon and Aeneid stylings, there is some consistency to be found in the references to Ancient Greek warfare, though largely on Aristi’s side. What’s there is robust, but nothing terribly exciting or impressive either, resulting in a comfortable **7/10**.

Judge Ben-Hur (Dice)

COLOSSI:

Here I think the styling like a Greek Epic works somewhat with the focus on the chorus and special effects. Aristi I think maybe could have done more though besides the phalanx and armor, but it might just be how the strategy is formatted that it’s a bit difficult to see other inspirations shine out. I’m going to give this a low **8/10** where the primary focus on the narrative helped do a lot of the heavy lifting with the ending sections and more story based approach.

HMB:

The take you had here for jojolity was very interesting and notably researched as well. The direction June took and ways it pushed Cerise in the narrative shows a well integrated jojolity. I also especially want to highlight here the benefits of explaining the inspirations behind the direction of your jojolity, something that Colossi had to some degree, but here is put very clearly in service to the narrative. This is something I think a number of other strategies have missed in some regards and is very important for not just judges but also for the stratters to give themselves something to shoot for and change things around to work with the jojolities they are given. All in all, **8/10**. You did well here, but I think that for a higher score I’d have needed to see something more in a few places.

Judge Maximus (Logic)

Not only is this a Philosophy Jojolity (define the philosophy and reify it through mechanical plays) but it’s a Research one, where the more the teams understand Gaul and Greece the more they may push that Philosophy. Just as high a skill ceiling as the match itself!

There’s a universe where I ding COLOSSI for not fitting with the Hellenic *army* in particular, but that universe blows so I’ll ignore it. The use of Camisa Negra as a phalanx formation is clever, but the “highlight” is the structuring as a Greek Tragedy, focusing on Aristi vs Cerise while Solsbury acts backstage.

While it’s Creative and I appreciate the emphasis on form and flavor, its mechanical and philosophical robustness gives me pause. If it’s a Greek Tragedy, what’s Cerise’s Hamartia? What is the fatal flaw that Aristi and Solsbury establish for the audience and exploit for their catharsis? There is the argument of pride, having gone for minor, but ultimately crippling wounds that are suddenly and cruelly taken advantage of to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Even if I think it could have been more actively framed and more thoroughly researching and speaking on the terms set would push this score higher, I find this argument consistent and compelling enough to net an 8.

HMB provides an interesting counterargument to the “Jojolity Counterfactual Test” I often use: “how different would this strat look if it had a different Jojolity?” The answer might be “not much,” but that overlooks the research done here. While the tactics and the strategy aside from a passing mention of a sling are in keeping what likely would have happened, each section is tied back to an aspect of the Gallic tribes’ fight against Caesar; imagine my glee at noticing passages that I once translated into English, the caul of Roman propaganda removed from them. For this creativity and consistency in presentation, HMB earn themselves an 8. Write what you know, learn what you don’t, and you clearly did both!

Very good showing from both teams, and into the T6 Hall of Fame with the both of you!