The Grand OC! [CONTEST XXX: HALLOWEEEEEEEEEEN]
12-18-2013, 04:31 AM
(This post was last modified: 10-20-2014, 11:08 PM by Elpie.)
Hey!
So we do this thing called Grand Battles in a subforum here and, well.
Okay. We technically still do Grand Battles. They aren't, um, they aren't the most active roleplays in town.
Given the way so many battles have fizzled out it hasn't escaped our notice that people really seem to like to join Grand Battles. That is, they really like coming up with character concepts, writing it up in a handy-dandy character sheet and submitting them for judgment before a figure of authority (the "host", here symbolized by me). It's just, a lot of people tend to bow out during the part after that where you write for their characters.
So, panderers as we are, we figured we'd give the people what they wanted and create the world's first Grand Battle Character Entry Simulation Game. The rules are simple! The host decides on a theme for the contest. Anyone who wishes to enter a character simply fills out the standard Grand Battle character sheet.
Username: Submitted for posterity.
Name: The character's, not yours.
Species: Or "race" if that's more applicable.
Gender: Or "sex" if that's more applicable.
Color: See, in Grand Battles, every character is set off by a different text color. Since we won't be doing that, pick a color that you think looks nice or that represents your character or just your character's favorite color. It's all good.
None of this should take you long. Here are the big three:
Description: This can be purely physical or a look into your character's mindset. I'm calling a rule that you can't have a visual aid--if you have any art of your character you'd like to show, post it after the deadline passes.
Weapons/Abilities: Grand Battles usually involve at least some measure of fighting. In any case, everyone has special talents!
Biography: What was your character up to before they weren't abducted into a Grand Battle?
This is a lot of ground to cover, and there's a temptation to just throw out everything you have and see what sticks. No dice, pal! I'm establishing a one thousand word limit on profile submissions. So no writing a whole novel as backstory so your character feels like an old friend by the time we get done. Old friends are cheating!
One more thing: we're not going to wait around forever for you to write these things! You can manage in a week. So for this first contest, you're gonna have to submit your profile by midnight EST on the night of Tuesday the 24-- oh okay, probably not Christmas.
This one can be two weeks. Submit your profile before the ball drops on New Year's Eve in Times Square. You have the whole rest of the year! And if you don't make it, we'll host another one of these in a jiffy.
But wait! You might be asking. This isn't the same thing as entering a Grand Battle? Where's the reward structure? Where's knowing that I'm one of the best eight guys out of every guy who ever guyed! (or girl who girled a--whatever).
There's a reward structure! Entering a profile makes you eligible for any one of eight awards--if you get an award, think of yourself as entered in a Grand Battle, kinda. The awards are as follows:
The Best Of Show Award: Okay, while this is technically the Best of Show award, it's really the "best one that wasn't striking in any of the other categories." Your profile is sort of holistically just really good. You should be proud of this, but not too proud.
The Above the Fold Award: Your profile is the best... not counting the Biography, Description, and Abilities sections. We like your character's name, gender, species, color, and your username.
The Iron Chef Special Ingredient Award: For exceptional use of the contest's special theme. This might go either to a character who embodies the theme in an iconic way or to a character who creatively manages to subvert the theme entirely. Not sure.
The Backdoor Worldbuilding Award: For a character who strongly evokes an interesting setting and whose biography we'd all like to see expanded upon. Why even bother with the Grand Battle? Oh, right, we're not anyway.
The Diligent Gentleman Award: For a character who would be particularly interesting to see actually compete in the Grand Battle format, for whatever reason. Why even bother entering this profile in anything other than a Grand Battle?
The 20Q Award for Confusing Me: This isn't a "Worst of" award. There isn't one, cause that would be cruel. Besides, I like being confused. This goes to a character that is just weird; something that shouldn't work, but works well enough.
The Synergy Award: This is kind of like the Diligent Gentleman Award, but more focused. This character, by some stroke of luck, would be really interesting to see interact with one or more of the other award winners. You could try finagling to metagame this one, but might wind up with
The I See What You Did Award: For a profile that seemed really geared towards getting one of the awards in particular, probably at the expense of the character as a whole. Well, you get an award, anyway.
This all sound fair to you? No? Too bad! You have two weeks! The theme of the first contest--this isn't so grand a reveal because it's already in the topic--but the theme of the first contest is FLIGHT. Interpret that as you will.
So we do this thing called Grand Battles in a subforum here and, well.
Okay. We technically still do Grand Battles. They aren't, um, they aren't the most active roleplays in town.
Given the way so many battles have fizzled out it hasn't escaped our notice that people really seem to like to join Grand Battles. That is, they really like coming up with character concepts, writing it up in a handy-dandy character sheet and submitting them for judgment before a figure of authority (the "host", here symbolized by me). It's just, a lot of people tend to bow out during the part after that where you write for their characters.
So, panderers as we are, we figured we'd give the people what they wanted and create the world's first Grand Battle Character Entry Simulation Game. The rules are simple! The host decides on a theme for the contest. Anyone who wishes to enter a character simply fills out the standard Grand Battle character sheet.
Username: Submitted for posterity.
Name: The character's, not yours.
Species: Or "race" if that's more applicable.
Gender: Or "sex" if that's more applicable.
Color: See, in Grand Battles, every character is set off by a different text color. Since we won't be doing that, pick a color that you think looks nice or that represents your character or just your character's favorite color. It's all good.
None of this should take you long. Here are the big three:
Description: This can be purely physical or a look into your character's mindset. I'm calling a rule that you can't have a visual aid--if you have any art of your character you'd like to show, post it after the deadline passes.
Weapons/Abilities: Grand Battles usually involve at least some measure of fighting. In any case, everyone has special talents!
Biography: What was your character up to before they weren't abducted into a Grand Battle?
This is a lot of ground to cover, and there's a temptation to just throw out everything you have and see what sticks. No dice, pal! I'm establishing a one thousand word limit on profile submissions. So no writing a whole novel as backstory so your character feels like an old friend by the time we get done. Old friends are cheating!
One more thing: we're not going to wait around forever for you to write these things! You can manage in a week. So for this first contest, you're gonna have to submit your profile by midnight EST on the night of Tuesday the 24-- oh okay, probably not Christmas.
This one can be two weeks. Submit your profile before the ball drops on New Year's Eve in Times Square. You have the whole rest of the year! And if you don't make it, we'll host another one of these in a jiffy.
But wait! You might be asking. This isn't the same thing as entering a Grand Battle? Where's the reward structure? Where's knowing that I'm one of the best eight guys out of every guy who ever guyed! (or girl who girled a--whatever).
There's a reward structure! Entering a profile makes you eligible for any one of eight awards--if you get an award, think of yourself as entered in a Grand Battle, kinda. The awards are as follows:
The Best Of Show Award: Okay, while this is technically the Best of Show award, it's really the "best one that wasn't striking in any of the other categories." Your profile is sort of holistically just really good. You should be proud of this, but not too proud.
The Above the Fold Award: Your profile is the best... not counting the Biography, Description, and Abilities sections. We like your character's name, gender, species, color, and your username.
The Iron Chef Special Ingredient Award: For exceptional use of the contest's special theme. This might go either to a character who embodies the theme in an iconic way or to a character who creatively manages to subvert the theme entirely. Not sure.
The Backdoor Worldbuilding Award: For a character who strongly evokes an interesting setting and whose biography we'd all like to see expanded upon. Why even bother with the Grand Battle? Oh, right, we're not anyway.
The Diligent Gentleman Award: For a character who would be particularly interesting to see actually compete in the Grand Battle format, for whatever reason. Why even bother entering this profile in anything other than a Grand Battle?
The 20Q Award for Confusing Me: This isn't a "Worst of" award. There isn't one, cause that would be cruel. Besides, I like being confused. This goes to a character that is just weird; something that shouldn't work, but works well enough.
The Synergy Award: This is kind of like the Diligent Gentleman Award, but more focused. This character, by some stroke of luck, would be really interesting to see interact with one or more of the other award winners. You could try finagling to metagame this one, but might wind up with
The I See What You Did Award: For a profile that seemed really geared towards getting one of the awards in particular, probably at the expense of the character as a whole. Well, you get an award, anyway.
This all sound fair to you? No? Too bad! You have two weeks! The theme of the first contest--this isn't so grand a reveal because it's already in the topic--but the theme of the first contest is FLIGHT. Interpret that as you will.