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Charity Fundraiser - our own setting search!
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
BiggusGeekus
That's Latin for "cool"
What's the deadline on this, or did I miss it?
Sorry to drag my feet.
Sorry to drag my feet.
kkoie
First Post
I personally don't see any problem with the judges submitting their own entries so long as their are enough judges selected. For example, if you have 10 judges judging say, 2000 entries ( I'm sure it could be more) the 10 judges would be submitting at most 10 entries(maybe more but my example still fits), that would be less than 1%. And since its 10 judges, it would take a significant majority of the panel for even 1 of the judges entries to make it to the final 200, let alone final 10.
Anyway considering the work the judges will have to do, it seems unfair for them not to be able to enter since they will be spending the hundreds of hours reading submissions and considering them.
Koie
Anyway considering the work the judges will have to do, it seems unfair for them not to be able to enter since they will be spending the hundreds of hours reading submissions and considering them.
Koie
It's just a bad idea to let the judges submit something. No matter how hard they try, chances are good that something will be skewed because of it.
I mean, if a judge is looking at his/her own setting and yours, and they both have the same idea, he/she is going to probably choose their own, even if yours was better written. It's human nature to be biased in favor of your own work despite efforts to be impartial.
I mean, if a judge is looking at his/her own setting and yours, and they both have the same idea, he/she is going to probably choose their own, even if yours was better written. It's human nature to be biased in favor of your own work despite efforts to be impartial.
Well you could allow judges to enter and then just forbid them from voting on their own entries. For instance, if you have each judge pick their favorite 10, without considering their own, it's still possible that PKitty will like Teflon Billy's and vote for it. Thus, the judges are no more disadvantaged than the rest of us. They get to participate without the fear of bias.
Some thoughts,
Alan
Some thoughts,
Alan
Guilt Puppy
First Post
Considering I missed the WOTC setting search, I love this idea. Gives me a chance to design something.
As for voting system, I agree on the don't-have-open-internet-votage thing. Notoriously screwed. You might do something where only submitters vote, but again, if people do multiple submissions under multiple names things get screwy.
You might talk to the people who run the <a href = "http://www.irtc.org">International Ray-Tracing Competition,</a> as it's been running monthly for years, and I don't think there's been a single case where the votes have gotten screwed over. But again, the internet is a tricky beast.
PS: seasong, I love the idea of a setting anthology.
As for voting system, I agree on the don't-have-open-internet-votage thing. Notoriously screwed. You might do something where only submitters vote, but again, if people do multiple submissions under multiple names things get screwy.
You might talk to the people who run the <a href = "http://www.irtc.org">International Ray-Tracing Competition,</a> as it's been running monthly for years, and I don't think there's been a single case where the votes have gotten screwed over. But again, the internet is a tricky beast.
PS: seasong, I love the idea of a setting anthology.
Last edited:
JediGeneral73
First Post
I like the idea. 
KDLadage
Explorer
The thoughts of a rambling madman...
Morrus:
First let me say that this is a wonderful idea. The idea of handling a WotC-style setting contest for charity is, for lack of a term that fits, so you. My thoughts on this whole thing can be found below, but first let me say that I will participate in this in any way that I can.
PDF or PRINT?
Morrus, I hate to say it, but a few people on these boards are right when they say that PDF can be a hassle; this is one of the reasons that the PDF files for UMbragia are free. I will change for this stuff only if and when I can get them printed and done right.
Besides, I think something like this deserves to be printed. You have enough connections in the RPG/d20 world that I think it should not be too tough for you to find a publishing house that would be willing to help out in that area. After all, many of them are very thankful for your maintaining this arena for discussion.
However, if that falls through, PDF will do in a pinch. Lord knows, a good RPG setting with the money going to charity should be enough to convince most to not pirate the material... but unfortunately, that is not the world we live in.
Still, consider yourself as having at least one sale (to me) no matter what happens.
SIZE?
This will depend on the format it is published in. If it is a print volume, I would say go with a 160 page hard bound volume. For that, I would break it up like this:
If you wanted, you could flesh this out to 320-pages and divide it up like this:
If, however, you find yourself limited to the PDF format, then you could make each of the 80 page sections above a separate download.
COMPENSATION
Personally, I would consider this charity work, and thus my time as an author would be given for free. However, if the winners were to be given a cut, I personally consider the 20-30% marks a bit high -- after all, this is for charity and the author retains rights to the material. Assuming the 15 winners of the 320-page option above, I would grant a percentage something akin to this:
FORMAT
WotC showed a 1-pagers outline. As has been pointed out, a format for this will need to be finalized before hand. However, in order to keep the initial work for you and the others that will have to read these, I would suggest making the initial round a formatted two-or-three page deal with the format laid out explicitly. These should be judged by a panel of judges (much like the ENnies). I would suggest about 5 judges. This round should reduce the field to 15 entrants.
This round should be a 10 page deal -- again, with a format that you have specified. Someone here suggested a peer-voting system from that point. I like this idea, only I would modify it somewhat... I would say that the peer voting round should be the twenty in that round plus the judges. The one caveat is that no entrant may vote for their own work -- this way it does not end up as a 20-way tie with the judges making the choice. Now, when this round's voting is over, it should reduce the field to 7 participants. The eight that fell out at this point become the "Campaign Starters" for the book. The remaining entrants continue on to the next round.
Round three should be more free-form. Give the entrants the goal to include all of the information thus far gathered on their setting and flesh it out to 20 pages -- written as if it were a long magazine article. Voting should take place with the seven participants and the judges choosing a total of three to continue. Those that lose out in this round then become the "Honorable Mentions" for the final book.
Round four is again, a freeform round handled much the same way -- one this time the three remaining people take their article length work and expand it out to a 40-page mini-campaign. Vote as in the previous rounds and reduce it to the winner and the two "Runners up" for the book.
The winner then fleshes the 40 pager to an 80-page campaign.
That is how I would run it, anyway.
Other Thoughts
Morrus, I realize that money to the winners is not (and from a charitable point-of-view, should not) be a given award for the contest. However, there are other things that can be given. Product from d20 Press, for example. Donated material from game companies. Let me know, and I will chip in for some prizes to be given. I have a bunch of older, hard to find RPG material that I would end up selling on e-Bay anyway...
Anyway... thanks. Things like this remind me that there are great people in the world, and I have a life that is often blessed in such a way to be witness to them.
Morrus:
First let me say that this is a wonderful idea. The idea of handling a WotC-style setting contest for charity is, for lack of a term that fits, so you. My thoughts on this whole thing can be found below, but first let me say that I will participate in this in any way that I can.
PDF or PRINT?
Morrus, I hate to say it, but a few people on these boards are right when they say that PDF can be a hassle; this is one of the reasons that the PDF files for UMbragia are free. I will change for this stuff only if and when I can get them printed and done right.
Besides, I think something like this deserves to be printed. You have enough connections in the RPG/d20 world that I think it should not be too tough for you to find a publishing house that would be willing to help out in that area. After all, many of them are very thankful for your maintaining this arena for discussion.
However, if that falls through, PDF will do in a pinch. Lord knows, a good RPG setting with the money going to charity should be enough to convince most to not pirate the material... but unfortunately, that is not the world we live in.
Still, consider yourself as having at least one sale (to me) no matter what happens.
SIZE?
This will depend on the format it is published in. If it is a print volume, I would say go with a 160 page hard bound volume. For that, I would break it up like this:
- 80 pages -- Winning Setting (80 pages)
- 80 pages -- Runners Up (2 settings, 40 pages each)
If you wanted, you could flesh this out to 320-pages and divide it up like this:
- 80 pages -- Winning Setting (80 pages)
- 80 pages -- Runners Up (2 settings, 40 pages each)
- 80 pages -- Honorable Mentions (4 settings, 20 pages each)
- 80 pages -- Campaign Starters (8 settings, 10 pages each)
If, however, you find yourself limited to the PDF format, then you could make each of the 80 page sections above a separate download.
COMPENSATION
Personally, I would consider this charity work, and thus my time as an author would be given for free. However, if the winners were to be given a cut, I personally consider the 20-30% marks a bit high -- after all, this is for charity and the author retains rights to the material. Assuming the 15 winners of the 320-page option above, I would grant a percentage something akin to this:
- Campaign Starters -- 0.5% each (total: 4%)
- Honorable Mentions -- 1.0% each (total: 4%)
- Runners Up -- 2% each (total: 4%)
- Winning Setting -- 4% (total: 4%)
FORMAT
WotC showed a 1-pagers outline. As has been pointed out, a format for this will need to be finalized before hand. However, in order to keep the initial work for you and the others that will have to read these, I would suggest making the initial round a formatted two-or-three page deal with the format laid out explicitly. These should be judged by a panel of judges (much like the ENnies). I would suggest about 5 judges. This round should reduce the field to 15 entrants.
This round should be a 10 page deal -- again, with a format that you have specified. Someone here suggested a peer-voting system from that point. I like this idea, only I would modify it somewhat... I would say that the peer voting round should be the twenty in that round plus the judges. The one caveat is that no entrant may vote for their own work -- this way it does not end up as a 20-way tie with the judges making the choice. Now, when this round's voting is over, it should reduce the field to 7 participants. The eight that fell out at this point become the "Campaign Starters" for the book. The remaining entrants continue on to the next round.
Round three should be more free-form. Give the entrants the goal to include all of the information thus far gathered on their setting and flesh it out to 20 pages -- written as if it were a long magazine article. Voting should take place with the seven participants and the judges choosing a total of three to continue. Those that lose out in this round then become the "Honorable Mentions" for the final book.
Round four is again, a freeform round handled much the same way -- one this time the three remaining people take their article length work and expand it out to a 40-page mini-campaign. Vote as in the previous rounds and reduce it to the winner and the two "Runners up" for the book.
The winner then fleshes the 40 pager to an 80-page campaign.
That is how I would run it, anyway.
Other Thoughts
Morrus, I realize that money to the winners is not (and from a charitable point-of-view, should not) be a given award for the contest. However, there are other things that can be given. Product from d20 Press, for example. Donated material from game companies. Let me know, and I will chip in for some prizes to be given. I have a bunch of older, hard to find RPG material that I would end up selling on e-Bay anyway...
Anyway... thanks. Things like this remind me that there are great people in the world, and I have a life that is often blessed in such a way to be witness to them.
