Forum

[jdrakeh]

I'm going to keep this simple, so it can be easily managed and so that we (hopefully) produce a wide range of submissions.

The Big Theme

Magic. That's it. There has been a lot of discussion lately about where it went, what it is or isn't, and how to bring it back. Magic of some kind should be the central focus of your game submission.

Other Things to Incorporate

In the interest of shaking things up a bit, you should also incorporate a specific source (or sources) of magical energy, a ruined city, a prophecy, and a near-ominpresent threat into your game.

Gee, That's Awfully Slim Pickings!

Maybe — but that's what you have to work with Keep in mind, however, that there are not very many thematic limitations placed on you. You can define "magic" and those Other Things pretty much however you want.

Work/Submission Window

You can begin committing things to paper/photons on January 1, 2009. If I get a document with a creation date from 2008, it will be automatically disqualified in order to remain fair to those who choose to put off actually writing their game until the aforementioned start date. I will quit accepting submissions on February 28, 2009.

Size of Submissions

Please limit the size of your game to 50 pages or less. For the curious, I didn't pick this figure out of thin air — it's Holmes BD&D rules + 10 pages. That should be plenty of room to work with, for the purposes of this contest.

Where to Submit

Right here. Post a link to your submission in this thread during the submission window outlined above, or post the plain text as a forum post. Easy!

How I Will Judge Thy Deeds

Completeness. You will be scored for the ability of your game to stand alone as a complete work. Ideally, this means that it will contain rules and a setting. And not refer readers to other books for rules on X, etc.

Topicality. You will be scored on the prominance of The Big Theme in your submission. The inclusion of Other Things to Incorporate can help your Topicality score, as well. More topical means more points, basically. [Edit: See Wik's excellent elaboration below for more details.]

Originality. I've read hundreds (possibly thousands) of RPG books. If the ideas in your submission are relatively obscure or if I've never seen them before, you'll score pretty high here. Think outside the box! (This is the most subjective rating.)

Playability. I am absolutely convinced that Hybrid is a complete game (in fact, I am not sure I have ever seen a more complete game). I am also convinced that the Average Joe cannot play it. The other three scores count for little if you score low here.

Other Questions?

Feel free to email me here.