Steelclaw

First of all... sorry for missing this entirely the first time you posted it. And thanks for the PM gently prodding me into a state nearly resembling wakefulness if not alertness.

As far as being a celebrity... do they HAVE Z-Rank celebrities? If they do; they're definitely to be found on the internet. And why do I suddenly have an idea for a web-based reality show called "The Omega Celebrity"?

Huh.

Anywho...

The latest Tournament (with a capital T and that rhymes with C and that stands for Compulsive Disorder!) has changed more from the norm than any I've done before. Freedom has actually helped rather than hurt my tournament in several different ways... but the biggest change boils down to one thing:

The Paragon Market.

I have spent real money and all the freebie points I get on grabbing as many Salvage, Recipe and Auction space as I can (without drawing wife-aggro). This has had a number of unforseen repurcussions in the Tournament.

I didn't need to store things in SG bases any longer, so I dissolved my whole "team" concept. This actually created a whole heapin' helpin' of equity among my characters since the first team members through had been spending all kinds of influence on building EVERY recipe they found for future generations. The later team mates didn't have to spend anything until they'd raided the base enhancement tables. On the other hand, the first rounders got a lot more Invention badges than the later ones. With this new level of self-sufficiency all my characters were on their own; sink or swim.

I also created a number of StorageBots and TraderBots which I play to store and generate income for new characters. Every character I create starts the game with half-a-billion influence. Not exactly chickenfeed for a fresh-off-the-boat hero or villain. Now, one of the things I do with my spreadsheets (there's that word again) is plan out every level, every power and every slot from 1st to 50th.

When I play my characters I always think of 50th level. This is hilarious considering how few of my characters ever reach that plateau before I delete them and start over. Historical Fact: I have ONLY ever had TWO 50th level characters in all the time I played the game. They were both outside the Tournament structure and the ONLY reason I had them in the first place was to unlock the EATs and VEATs when 50 was the requirement.

The moment they changed the requirement to unlock the Epics, I deleted both my 50s. No 50 has ever been reached in the actual Tournament structure.

Anyway... Since I am always focused on level 50 I decided I was going to completely ignore Invention Set Enhancements until I could slot them at 50th level. What's the sense of spending all that influence on something you're going to replace six or seven times as you upgrade them? On my spreadsheets I have a spot that tells me what Sets I will eventually slot in what powers.

Now... I have uber amounts of recipe storage space... and 500,000,000 influence just sitting around... hey! What I do now is put in bids for various Purple and PvP set recipes that I want the moment I create a character. You all know how much the market fluctuates... imagine what kind of deals you could get letting a bid just set there for 50 levels of play...

I now have a 7th level Brute with five 50th level recipes.. including a Hecatomb... not too shabby...

Since I did away with teams I have also done away with having a "team" on every server. As such, the only servers I play on are Freedom and Virtue; heroes and villains respectively. I never have problems finding teams now.

I have also thrown out the "compare all the heroes and villains against each other every X number of rounds." And THIS was probably the biggest change of all and the most far-reaching.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? Don't track what the character's status is after every round and throw it on another spreadsheet to see how D'Shan Steelclaw and Guardian Edge compared to one another after 5 rounds of playing the game. Now, I just compare them all in "real time"... The older heroes are just that... older and more experienced. Wolverine and X-23. X is pretty cool but Wolvie's been around a lot longer so has more skills, etc.

Yeah, simple on the surface... but far reaching implications underneath. If I'm not comparing them on a step-by-step basis any longer then the whole concept of "Fairness" gets thrown right out the window. Who CARES if Lord Gravenheart had access to the SSA rewards from the get-go when Whisperstealth didn't? Who gives a rat's patootie if Absolute Acceleration got less Reward Merits as Veteran Gifts than Guardian Edge right out of the gate at first level? They ALL get those things at the same time and since I'm only rating them in real time anyway...

Who cares?

And so... my biggest reason for restarting my Tournament... this concept of "character fairness"... is gone... poof... finito... Ladies and gentlemen, it is entirely possible I may never restart this Tournament again.

Of course, having said that... the Devs will take it as a personal challenge and make a change in the game that I can't ignore... but for now... I am content...

With any luck, my next Tournament announcement will be that I have finally... FINALLY... had a character within its rule structure reach 50th level.

And then I need to come up with a Tournament Rule Structure that takes Incarnates into account.

Ugh... on second thought... I may restart out of simple self-preservation.

Dalia Montgomery stood in the center of the room. The floor around her was littered with the unmoving bodies of those she had already put down.

Her eyes swept left to right, hoping to spot the last three of her quarry. In her hands she held a small glass sphere which pulsed with intertwined bands of orange and blue energy.

Movement to her right had her spinning; dropping to one knee in a single fluid motion. Her hand extended and the orb gave a squelching electronic sound as it spat forth a bright spark. The undulating energy curved slightly, homing in on its target who glanced back over his shoulder with wide, surprised eyes even as he ran. Contact. Two more stumbling steps and he paused; swaying slightly as his eyes went slowly out of focus. He fell in a crumpled heap.

Two to go.

Dalia rose once more, hand still extended. A blur of motion, so fast she couldn’t track it. It passed a pile of papers on a desk and blew them up into the air, see-sawing down in a blizzard of distraction.

“Superspeeder… figures,” she muttered to herself. There was no way she was going to be able to draw a bead on the target unless she could get it to stop moving first.

Her prey was elusive and non-confrontational, but not particularly wily. She reached into one of her many pockets and drew out three coins, the room was dim but the golden surface of the coins still glimmered in it. She tossed them, one at a time, into the nearest corner. Crouched.

And waited.

A minute passed. Two. A flicker of movement and her quarry was suddenly there, crouching with greedy out-stretched hands to gather up the loot. A bright spark of light lit the dark room for a moment, followed by the soft whump of a body hitting the floor.

The last one. And by far the most dangerous of the lot. This one had the power of invisibility. A hunter... And not of gold coins.

This time she had to offer HERSELF as the bait.

Dalia sat on the floor. She set the orb just barely out of easy reach. She was helpless, vulnerable… surely her enemy would not be able to resist…

“RAAHHH!”

She launched herself for the orb even as she felt the impact of a body into her own…

* * * * * *

Dalia groaned as she walked into the break room. She set the Orb of Blissful Slumber on its recharging circle.

“How’d it go?”

Dalia took one of the gold coins from her pocket. Deft fingers peeled the gold foil back before popping the chocolate disk into her mouth.

“I had three hold outs,” she said, falling into the threadbare break room chair with a stifled moan. “But they’re all down for nap time.”

“Just another typical day at Paragon Meta-Child Daycare,” her supervisor chuckled.

“I swear we rate hazard pay,” Dalia said and plucked out another chocolate coin.





Legal Blah-de-Blah: If I am a winner, I permit NC Interactive, Inc. and NCsoft Europe Limited to use my name, likeness, photograph, hometown, and any comments that I may make about myself or this contest that I provide for advertising and promotional activities. I also certify that I am at least 13 years of age and am eligible to participate in this contest.

I would not like to have my Forum Title changed if I win this contest... unless you change it to "Solid Gold Steelclaw"... I guess I could live with that.

As an honorably discharged Marine, I would like to take the opportunity of Veteran's Day to say Thank You to the American public.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. Thank you for providing a culture and idealogy worth fighting for.

But mostly, I would like to thank America for changing. Not so long ago the veterans were, at worst, condemned and reviled or, at best, forgotten. As a community, we Americans have gone through a significant change of attitude regarding those who have served in our military.

Now, our soldiers who return from war with post traumatic stress are not greeted with fear and whispered rumor, but with understanding and gentle counsel. Now, our warriors who have left parts of themselves on the battlefields in lands we don't even know the names of, are not treated like as less than sum of their parts. Our veterans are no longer forced to be social outcasts, hovering on the outer edges of our tables and left to beg for scraps.

We have learned, as a country, to hate war but still to love the people sent to wage it.

So, as a Veteran... thank you.

While I would normally be antsy about having to wait for such a long down time... Today I decided to take advantage of it...

I'm baking cookies! Got Chocolate Chip... White Chocolate Chip... and Oatmeal with Butterscotch morsels...

Been looking for my grandmother's peanut butter cookie recipe but haven't been able to find it yet... so those are pending...

Yes, I plan on passing the down time on a sugar high...

If I am a winner, I permit NC Interactive, Inc. and NCsoft Europe Limited to use my name, likeness, photograph, hometown, and any comments that I may make about myself or this contest that I provide for advertising and promotional activities. I also certify that I am at least 13 years of age and am eligible to participate in this contest.


Before I give my answer I must state my objection to being limited to only ONE response... I may very well have pulled something restraining the urge to list...

In any case... my entry:

"Today the Federal Government threatened to withdraw funding from the Hero Education Program following deplorable results in the Standardized Math Test."

Thanks for the info... I eagerly look forward to its addition in-game.

I will also need to work more dilligently on my search-fu before posting things in the suggestion forum.

The problem I have with tropes in general is if you see it happen more than twice... or even more than once... the concept of a trope means you have the right to instantly scream "Hey! It's no longer original so it must be a gimmick!"

The danger of such thinking is that it robs you of the drama of the writing because it turns every thing into a parody or cliche.

Here's the truth about our world: Everything has been done.

There you go... writing today in a nutshell. No matter how original you think your idea is... no matter how artfully you contrive it... it's been done by someone at some other time. You don't have to be Professor Chaos watching Simpsons reruns to understand that.

Here's another way of looking at it... 50% of the population (roughly) is female... don't you think that's a helluva lot of refrigerators?

I would like a new Tab in the Contacts window just for Signature Story Arc contacts.

The list would only show SSA contacts the account has purchased (all of them for VIP players) and for which the character's level qualifies them. Information about which SSA the contact represents and what sequential number they are story-wise would also be very helpful.

One of the irksome issues I've had with the SSA thus far is finding the contact name, location and level info when they are first introduced. I see this problem as only becoming worse as more and more SSA's are added to the list. A contact tab specific to the SSA would make things much easier.

According to Wikipedia, the Doctor is Doc from the 7 dwarves. The same actor plays both roles, just without the size special effects... that or they threw him on the rack.

Now that we're three shows each deep into each show, I find that the gap between them is slowly widening.

Once Upon A Time has my complete attention. I find myself trying to guess who is who. I am intrigued with all the characters and rooting for good to win out over evil; although I know how foolish that is considering we've barely scratched the surface of the first season. The actors are quickly settling into their characters and making them seem real to me. Normally this sort of thing doesn't happen until the end of the first season, beginning of the second.. but some of these characters are so iconic the cast here actually has an easier job than most.

Grimm still has me a bit conflicted. On the plus side I am absolutely loving the fact that the writers have avoided the cliched "all icky monsters are evil and deserve to die horribly" angle. There are monsters who are, if not completely pure, at least struggling to live in a mostly human world. I would have given up the series already otherwise. Another plus is the Wolf character who is becoming a deep and complex and, quite often, hysterical addition to the story. His sarcastic wit and hesitation to want any involvement in events is a strong motivation for me to keep watching. My biggest problem has been, and remains, my complete lack of interest in the main character. The protagonist of the show is wishy-washy, two dimensional and lackluster, especially when in scenes with his dynamic co-stars. If it were up to me at this point, I would resurrect the Aunt, kill off gloomy-boy and let HER be the star of the show.

It was an awesome and very heart-felt story Zortel... congratulations for a well-deserved win!

The stage had been erected to overlook the disaster of broken buildings and shattered streets below. The platform itself was an incongruous spectacle before the backdrop of destruction; its surface sparkling clean and decked out with bright bunting in powerful primary colors. Standing at the podium perfectly centered on the stage was Rick Razorski; his three piece suit was only slightly less immaculate than the stage. His top button was undone and his tie artfully slackened.

“Freedom!” he bellowed into the microphone. “Paragon City was formed on the foundation of an idea! An idea that Freedom was something worth cherishing! Worth fighting for! The mortar of this ideal made from the very blood and sweat of our most respected citizens, the Heroes of Paragon!”

“Yeah, but none of your blood and sweat! Unless this is just a secret identity… do you wear spandex when not running for office there Rick-O?”

The obligatory voice from the back of the crowd again, Rick fumed. The same voice had heckled at every single one of his appearances since he’d put his hat in for Mayor of Paragon City.

Ignoring the pest as best he could, Rick continued. “If elected as Mayor, the protection and support of our great heroes will be my first priority! For, by keeping our heroes safe and prosperous, we shall keep our populace safe and prosperous!”

“Well that’s downright interesting from someone whose chief campaign contributor is Chris Jenkins!”

Rick’s teeth gritted so hard his jaw creaked, but he persevered. “By joining hands with our community’s heroes, both super powered and non-, we can strengthen that community! The prior administration has dropped the ball with regards to our heroes! That’s why so many of them have gone vigilante in the past year. I promise an open arm policy for our current heroes and a stronger screening process for the so-called Rogues coming up from the Isles!”

“That’s just beautiful there Rick-O! I haven’t heard such a well-rehearsed and artificial sounding speech since I worked in that office building filled with Nemesis Automato-ACK!”

From the outer ring of the crowd, the words “Assassin’s Strike” floated upwards into the suddenly quiet air.

Rick smiled widely around the immense feeling of satisfaction that welled up inside him. Hitting his stride now, he leapt eagerly into the remainder of his speech.

Later, in the back seat of the sedan that whisked him away from the press and his loyal supporters, his chief aide looked at him with an expression of open admiration.

“It’s like I said, Wallace,” Rick drawled between long leisurely draws on his cigar. “Location, location, location. We’ve never been able to even touch that little pain in the neck in any of the other places I’ve given my speeches. At best we could only hope a wandering civilian would push him slowly away.”

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you, sir.”

“Yep, once I’m Mayor I think my Siren’s Call speech will be heralded as the turning point of my campaign.”



And... of course... If I am a winner, I permit NC Interactive, Inc. and NCsoft Europe Limited to use my name, likeness, photograph, hometown, and any comments that I may make about myself or this contest that I provide for advertising and promotional activities. I also certify that I am at least 13 years of age and am eligible to participate in this contest.

On the other hand, I respectfully request that if I AM the winner, that I not be the recipient of a new forum title since I like my "gold plated steelclaw" just fine.

Sorry... thought of another one...

* "You put both feet in... you put both feet out... you put both feet in and you move 'em all about... you do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around... that's what it's all about!"

* Stomp a Mud-hole in someone's a** Myth.... BUSTED! That is definitely NOT mud...

* "Note to self: Apparently 'are you enjoying your back massage' in the Rikti dialect translates to 'please phase shift now'..."

* Laugh if you want to... my feet haven't ached all day...

* Moments after Captain Homonym had leapt in the room and melded their souls/soles together...

* "To the left: move foot! Spleen: crushing!"

* ".... Rikti? It freakin' killed he!"

* "Actually... I never thought of it before but you're right Maria... the little tail stub DOES provide excellent achilles support..."

* "Dang it... those rumors said Maria was really into exotic shoes... and yet she STILL won't notice me!"

* "Athlete's Spine: Better not get!"

* "It looks like you were right, Maria... the Polymorph Cream needs to be applied over the ENTIRE body for it to work properly..."

* "So THAT'S why the Devs haven't created a shapeshifting power set yet..."

* "Hey, Maria... like my new Air Jor'Dann's?"

Creating new toons and stories well written
That Doc Delilah with whom I am smitten
Fighting the Carnies; their Mistress of Rings
These are a few of my favorite things!

Making my lists to post on the forums
Getting Mod-smacked when I lose decorum
When I can fly on a toon with no wings
These are a few of my favorite things!

The ragdoll physics it keeps me from quitting
Defeats on the rails when their legs are splitting
When they reach the Zigg; Soprano they'll sing
These are a few of my favorite things!

When the Skuls Kill!
When the Debt climbs!
When they've killed my /Rad!
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel... so bad!

Going to chuck the list thing in favor of one idea I had that sort of balances between a really GREAT idea and a really HORRIBLE one... I can't decide which is truer...

You decide...

Zombie Armageddon Live

You log in and have ONE character. When creating the character you have a skill tree that isn't all that impressive. Basically, you select from normal real-world occupations like Military, Electrician, Plumber, etc. Your ability scores are fairly standard as well; Strenghth, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence and Charisma.

Once you have created your character (which can be as balanced or unbalanced as you wish so long as it fits within the parameters of "human being"... no super-powers) you are given a Start Time. You must verify this start time with the game system. Each Start Time comes with it a pre-determined "Event Countdown" value (1 day, 3 days, 1 Week, etc). If the Start Time is not immediate, you can log off, go play something else, or watch Evil Dead and Thriller videos for "training purposes."

At Start Time you log into your character and the Event begins.

You are in a city along with thousands of NPCs and everyone else who had the same start time as you. A gas has been released in a random part of the city (specific areas set aside for zombie generation and NOT where any player character will begin their game). The gas infects ALL NPCs in the area who immediately become zombified. These zombies immediately begin shambling off to search for food... otherwise known as YOU.

NPCs who have not been turned will act randomly, running from percieved threats. Since a zombie bite doesn't immediately transform but takes a while, they may very well shoot other humans in their fear. If you are bitten a Countdown bar appears during which you can continue to fight zombies for double their normal point value. Once the countdown has ended, however, you become a zombie yourself. The character is no longer in your control. You can log in as long as the event goes onwards, but you will only be able to watch 3rd person style as your zombie self runs amuck. You will have no actual control.

Zombies can be taken out by severing the connection between brain and body either by breaking the spine, decapitation or crushing/destroying the brain itself. Partial zombies (lost a leg, etc) still function but at reduced capability. While zombies are complete idiots, they are also immune to the need for sleep and will cast about randomly for prey without end. Every zombie has the ability to detect the living within a 40 foot radius. This ability works even through doors, walls, etc.

Game Objective 1: Survive. Survival is a simple game objective. You just have to live until the game countdown that you agreed to (day, week, etc) ends. Note that this is all in REAL TIME. So if you agreed to a week long event then your character will be in the game zone and vulnerable for that entire week. Your character is vulnerable EVEN WHEN YOU ARE NOT ACTIVELY PLAYING. If you log off to sleep, go to work, etc. your character is assumed to be "sleeping". Therefor care must be taken to find your toon a very secure hiding spot prior to logging off. If a character is discovered whose player is not on line the AI will run the character as an NPC, fighting against the horde as best they can. Note, you don't get points for any zombies destroyed while you are off line. The game will have a great system for building traps and protective walls to keep your toon safe.

At the end of the agreed upon time period the Military will show up and spray the entire area with a special chemical that negates the effects of the zombie toxin, rendering all zombies back to simple corpses once more. At this point any Survivors will get their score for zombies defeated (and any other point-worthy acts) transmuted into experience points. Experience points can be spent to upgrade skills and ability scores. Zombie Survivors gain access to zombie-specific skill trees based on their prior experiences with the creatures. The longer the event countdown timer, the greater the point value of each individual zombie and assorted bonuses.

Game Objective 2: Thrive. Just like GO 1 except now you're not just surviving until the military shows up to save your biscuits, you mop up the mess before they ever get there. If you and the other players manage to defeat ALL the zombies before the countdown timer reaches zero then you get the same reward as in Survival, only times five. Destroying all the zombies is the only way to open the Elite Zombie Slayah skill tree and only points gained from a total victory can be used to buy the powers there.

Failure to survive means that character is dead and deleted. This is "real world" stuff here, no resurrections. If they Survive/Thrive then you can use them again in other events.

Pretty much everything in the game can be used or interacted with. Your skills are important but only if you use them right. Electricians can restore power to buildings and set up electrifying traps. Military have instant proficiency with guns, explosives and radios. The game would be stuffed with as many skills and professions as possible and every single one of them will find some kind of significance in the game.

I don't mind the existing zombie games out there. But I would love to find one that operates within real time and models what a real zombie apocalypse would be like as much as possible.

This is sort of a side issue that springs from the original suggestion rather than a direct issue. But I feel it relates.

One of the "problems" resulting from all the Fitness pool being made inherent was the resulting extra powers one had to select to fill those gaps in your old build. This potentially ended up with fewer slots being available for other powers in your build if you replaced a definite one-slotter like Swift or Hurdle with a power that required a few more slots to make it efficient like one of the Patron/Epic power pool choices.

That being said, if the Devs EVER decide to make ANY power or grouping of powers inherent again, I would like to see that change accompanied by an increase in the total number of slots available to 50th level character. Either start the 3-slotting per level up earlier than 31st or add two or three 4-slotting levels at and before 50th.

Another thing... If the Devs decide to make ANYTHING Inherent from among the power pools, they NEED to add more powers from which we can select to fill those gaps in our builds. It irks me to have to take a power that is either useless to me or totally against my character concept simply because a power I would normally have purchased is now a freebie.

Oh... one other suggestion that occurred to me...

A compromise: You may select one Travel Power of the four currently available as an inherent at character creation. The problem? This Inherent version is completely un-enhanceable. It also does improves at 1/2 the normal rate per level advancement so the Inherent would only be like that of a current 25th level character if your 50th had it. If you decide to spend a power slot on it you get full enhancement and advancement potential.

I pretty much agree with your argument. The advent of so many travel-oriented temporary powers has made the existing travel powers (as they are now) a little redundant.

I would suggest one of two options.

1) Make ONE travel power Inherent upon character creation. So, you can pick one of the existing four at creation. This will be greyed out as a taken power when you later go to the Power Pool tables. If you want MORE than that one travel power then you have to spend a slot on it as normal. In any case, the inherent power chosen will count as credit towards later pool powers that require "credit" to choose.

2) Make the existing travel powers better. All powers to get an increase in maximum travel speed so three slotting them will actually accomplish something at higher levels. Powers like Super Speed and Super Jump will get a "Forgiveness Field" that prevents the character from getting hooked/stopped by environmental objects like bushes, raised sidewalks, slight roof overhangs, etc. Teleport will get an automatic Hover aspect to it that merely suspends you in mid-air (no defense buff, etc) so long as you don't attempt to move or use another power. The second you try to do either, you will drop like a rock. Basically, make the existing travel powers so much better than the existing temp powers that you're willing to spend a point on them.

.... casual player....

... CASUAL player...

Do these two words even go together?

OP must have meant to say Causal Player... yeah... that must be it...

I bet with only a few days left you guys thought I wouldn't come out with one this year... Guess you got more Trick than Treat...

* There used to be children in Paragon... they just weren't prepared for this level of trick or treating...

* First Doctor Vahzilok... now Doctor Kane... someone really needs to look into Paragon University's pre-med program...

* Headline: "Doctors recommend Vitamin D supplements as we enter day 10 of the Halloween Eclipse"

* I want to be a fly on the wall if Statesman decides to dress up as Emperor Cole for the Freedom Phalanx Halloween costume ball...

* Point of Caution: You are in a world where some women have superpowers... be very careful on your interpretation of the words "Trick" and "Treat"...

* Obviously the Giant Monster Witness Protection Agency likes Jack in Irons much more than it does Eochai.

* On the Halloween Tip Missions: "It's just another Malleus Mundi... ooh ooOoh... Isn't this fun-di? Oh oooho... On my 5th run-di... ooh ooooho... then I'm all done-di... It's just another Malleus Mundi..."

* Am I the only one... after playing through the It's Alive badge challenge far too many times... who really wished one of the Time Manipulation set powers could slow down a count-down timer?

* Temptation and/or Frustration: "Level 27 Tank looking for Banner team who KNOWS what the heck they're doing or at the very least can read, understand and follow basic english."

* Mind Reading makes it very difficult to convince your wife the Naughty Little Bo Peep costume would be "just for Halloween"...

* Headline: "Local Butcher investigated by child protective services when uses past-date meat to create 'Vahzilok Cadaver' costume for his child..."

or...

* In retrospect the college student agreed that the "Realistic Embalmed Cadaver" costume was probably poorly thought out...

or...

* Although some people found it funny and others got used to the idea... most people decided there were better ways to get their beer than from the mouth of the "realistic attack" animatronic Cadaver statue at the bar's Halloween party.

* I'm not saying Statesman is boring and unimaginative; but his idea of a costume for the Freedom Phalanx's annual halloween ball was to wear a FULL helmet.

* Next Halloween: Egg and Toilet Paper temp powers.

::walks over to it... peers at it while scratching chin ::

Hmmmm...

::wanders around it... kicks it once then presses ear to it and listens intently::

Uh-huh...

::crawls beneath it and stares at its inner workings for a bit... then climbs back out and stands... dusting off dirt that clung to his clothes...::

Yep... Nemesis Plot...

That'll be $195.00 please.

On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1=kill it with FIRE! and 10=worship the golden calf... WORSHIP IT!

Main Character:
Once Upon a Time = 6 (real-seeming character, hasn't completely captured my interest yet but perfectly serviceable as a character-in-development)
Grimm = 4 (dull, uninteresting... the actor hasn't found the fundamentals of his character yet but hey... it's only the first episode)

General Concept:
Once Upon a Time = 9 (very cool concept, love the switching between realms/time lines although that has the chance of getting a little sticky if not handled properly)
Grimm = 8 (also a good concept, loved Supernatural for much the same reasons... taking existing lore and adapting it to a new perspective... a narrower focus of only the Grimm tales may help them stay on target a bit more easily)

Supporting Cast:
Once Upon a Time = 6 (a lot of characters to work from but not much more than hints and glances so far.. a HUGE possibility for improvement in this score as time goes by however)
Grimm = 8 (already fully in favor of the clockmaking Big Bad Wolf... also love the fact that Grimm's police partner is going to be played as a smart cop who can see clues and make deductive choices without having a special advantage... I hate series that have the main character be all knowing and all powerful and the second fiddle is just there as comic relief...)

Villain(s):
Once Upon a Time = 8 (more so for Rumplestiltskin and the ambiguity of his leanings than for the wicked Queen/witch who started it all... one thing I DO love about the witch is that she actually seems MORE evil as mayor and mom than she did as a sorceress...)
Grimm = 6 (not the show's fault tho'... we simply haven't seen enough of them yet... although I was impressed by the cold blooded calm of her entering at the end and employing the needle on Grimm... the Captain being in the car was another good twist to things..)

Interest in Future Episodes:
Once Upon A Time = 9 (Can't wait for the next one... most looking forward to the development of characters and progression of the plot... also very curious about just how many and which fairy tale characters are in this town)
Grimm = 8 (very excited about this one as well but I have major concerns about the main character and whether or not he is going to develop a personality that I can actually care about... to be honest right now I'm much more interested in his Aunt and his new doggy-buddy than I am about him...)