If we are going to have a FFA, we should have a time limit on how long someone can take to post their reply.
For instance, let's say, each person takes a generous 3 days to post, each. First person posts, if we're lucky two others post on the same day, but the last guy posts the next day.
19 to go.
Guy 1 takes another day to post, 18.
Guy 2 gets a bit busy, 15
Guy three posts next day, 14.
Finally, we get through the first real round of combat after guy 4 posts the next day, 13.
A week goes by and we go through 1 round of combat. And let's be completely honest with each other, not everyone is even going to post an entrance on day one, or two xD
I hate the idea of people being able to put up 4000 character long posts, doing shinigami knows what, stalling till the time is up (Getting busy), then having the judge have nothing else to look at but the Wall of Text no Jutsu you put up and winning because of it. That's not earning, it's rubbish. While I would never accuse any of the other contestants, *cough* athos *cough* Curse *cough* (What? Did you actually think I wasn't going to?), it's a completely viable strategy if allowed, even if done unintentionally.
I say 24 hours is a fair limit, we get through a round of turns every 4 days Max, and give the eventual judge something substantial to work off of when making his decision. And please, don't go through to the 'people have lives' argument. If every other person takes 12 hours or so to post, you've got mad time between your last post, and this one.