Did Dicken & Co have it too easy?

[Werewolf]

Now, before I begin, I'd just like to say that Dicken, Dominic, Tim and Praveen are one of my all time favourite Knightmare teams. They handled everything well, didn't panic too much, and Dicken, being one of the most intelligent dungeoneers ever (remembering the Dooreen recital, working out that he had to return to the middle tile in the transporter room, the occasional witty remarks he gave etc etc) really deserved to win.

However, I think this particular quest was just too easy, for the following reasons:

Level 1 -  They HAD to carry the brandy for Hordris, and so they had no difficult item choices to make (the horn was essentially chosen for them by Oakley). There were no Oakley riddles, as the one question he asked had already been answered by them by Mellisandre.

Level 2 - The Weeping Door riddles were the only real challenge here, as Motley and Gundrada did nothing more than fill up the story a bit. The Uppers and Downers were a nice touch, though they weren't exactly cerebrally challenging... Ariadne was pathetically easy, seeing as how Gundrada lured her off (I bet Nicky's team were fuming at this ) and then all that they were required to do with Brother Mace was hand him the bottle (although very amusingly done  ;D) Across the water using some silver, and then into Level 3.

Level 3 - The transporter room and corridor of blades were nicely handled here (I thought it was great they had him step over the tile into the door). No difficult choosing between objects, as they were given the single bottle of poison. The spells given by Hordriss were pretty self explanatory (ok, maybe the OPPOSITE one wasn't, but it was obvious which one they had to use for Malice  ;)). Treguard pretty much told them what to do when their lifeforce nearly expired; "You must eat or DRINK something", although they seemed pretty quick to work it out (shouldn't the poison have gone in the knapsack though?). Finally, a few more generic riddles from a Weeping Door, then they get the Crown.

Now, I must emphasise that this team was fantastic, and I really enjoyed watching them win. However, I think they got off lightly with respect to some of the challenges that the other teams had to endure.

Am I just being too harsh? Or does anyone out there agree with me?

[Gerz]

I was thinking the same thing!

They Had to have had a winner in Sersie 4 due to the hardness of Series 3 and therefore making serise 3 next to impossible to win. (The two teams that got to the "stain glass room" in level 3 on seirse 3 got killed off due to the difficultly of the questions they got asked) I am sure if Leo's team and Martin's team where in this serise and not the prevous they would have won.

Dicken did do well in the Corridor of Blades and if Treguard didn't suggest they lie for the information they wont have thought of that.

They were a good team though, maybe had it a tad bit easy.

[GrimaldineGrimwold]

To be honest, a lot of S4 was a bit easy. Unlike S3, there really wasn't a whole lot in Level 1 to bother teams. As you say, in this quest and in others the choice of items was seemingly easier too. I bet the teams who missed out on advancement- or likely victory, in two cases- in S3 might have enjoyed the general true/false questions of S4.

On this specific quest, I can see the point. There wasn't a huge amount of thinking to do in a lot of cases. It was usually obvious which item to use in any situation. As you right say, when they do need to think- Dooreen's questions and the Transporter pad, for example- they do so well. And when they're required to be quick, they are- the first part of Ariadne's lair, the Corridor of Blades. Their general guiding is quick, clear and decisive.

But it would be nice to see what they'd have done with a few more challenges.

[Crispin]

Also this team, and another earlier one, didn't seem to come across the Block and Tackle.

[Purgatory]

^ Oh yeah lol

But i do agree, but looking at the way they did beat the very few hard tasks im sure they could have beating a harder challenge..  In fact most of level 3 was easier then level 2, the quest as a whole seemed like it was missing something.. but i think all theses early quests were like that.. at i think it was the lack of story line,

Anyway that evil queen woman should have become more of a challenge she didn't come across as being much of a danger and sounded way to soft.

Just to add.. Wan't the life force slowed down during that drinking part? im sure they was not about the allow the team to die because of this after they finished off the evil queen?

[Gerz]

Like I said, they wanted a winner, because of the difficultly of serise 3, they didn't want to put people off from applying if someone didn't win serise 4, not saying the exactly let them win, but it did seem slightly more easier then say the previous ones, maybe it was the team that made it look easy though?

[NouCamp]

i think series 4 was the easiest of the lot.  of the eight teams, 3 got to level 3, 1 won, and the rest at level 2.  The first team did well, but all the hard work was for nothing due to their stupidity in using a longer spell against Mogdread.  The team after were just too slow for the coridoor in level 3 (hellooooooo, it's a corridoor of blades, like we need to be quick, not just side-stepping as if there's nothing there.) The last team, would have won if they got a bit more of a shorter route, due to the season end.

So, to sum it up, It's harsh to say dicken had it easy, I think they just handled it better than anyone else.

[Werewolf]

mmm...I agree, they handled it very well, but I think that, to an extent, their talents were wasted. The challenges just weren't....challenging enough. I'd have liked to see them struggle through alot more adversity  before winning.  At the very LEAST they could have gotten some hard questions....hell, a Backwards Riddling Confus-athon with Merlin would have spiced up the proceedings a bit...

[Gerz]

The team after were just too slow for the coridoor in level 3 (hellooooooo, it's a corridoor of blades, like we need to be quick, not just side-stepping as if there's nothing there.)

To be fair it was the first time that the corridor of blades ws ever used.

[Pickle123]

im seriously not surprised that the room of opposites died after one trial run..it was insanely unfair and confussing. the guiding in the corridor of blades and dickons quick jumpy sidestep were brilliant they deserve it if only for that

[Steve]

I agree that dickon's team might have had it a little easier but i reckon they could have taken a harder quest easily - they impressed me quite alot. great team work and communication. especially where they agreed to pladge to malice "for the time being" most would have given a straight yes or no answer at this point(probably no which would have gotten them killed)

there were other incedinces where they showed this level of skill.
one thing tho. didnt they use the horn TWICE. once for the goblins and again for fatila. is this not against the rules?

[Pickle123]

well, i suppose since they didn't give it away or use it up in anyway it would have been quite silly for the horn to disappear. bleh, im sure you'lll throw loads of other examples of when this has happened right back at me

well, maybe they were allowed due to *having* to carry hordriss' bottle?

[Purgatory]

yeah i pointed out the horn thing a few days ago.. i really think that was a cheat.. all other objects that was used they lost.

little note about the current team who just died.. im pretty sure they could have used that hour glass during the Block and Tackle ?

[Pickle123]

nah coz they had to put it down on the conveyor belt to stop it....hence they lost it there are plenty of other examples though

*cough* Sig *cough*

[Steve]

Their mistake seems to have been to go for the left hand door dispite the obvious destruction of the room at that side and the Right hand rule on the adventurers code.

They also used the hour glass in level ONE.