- Invitation Status
- Not accepting invites at this time
- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- Slow As Molasses
- Online Availability
- 10AM - 10PM Daily
- Writing Levels
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Female
- Genres
- Romance, Supernatural, Fantasy, Thriller, Space Exploration, Slice of Life
Every WaRP we get a bunch of great ideas submitted, but often GMs make some avoidable mistakes that end up ruining their chances at what should've been an easy win! Here is a list of advice and tips on how to give your entries their BEST chance at success, so you can avoid those pitfalls.
☆ We are looking for largescale roleplays that feature rich worldbuilding, cultures, environments and peoples.
Take the time to really flesh out different locations people might be roleplaying in, the different kinds of character options a player can choose from, and consider what sort of stories people will want to tell in this universe. Your content needs to be able to spark a player's imagination quickly and draw them into your world.
☆ Roleplays need to sound welcoming, inviting, friendly!
Because these realms are featured roleplays on Iwaku's main page, they are going to be the first things people notice about Iwaku. While having standards are important, we don't want to see elitist attitudes, snobbery, or condescension. Put your best face forward in representing our community.
☆ Your roleplay should have a feeling or vibe that is more than just "Generic Fantasy #9278" or "Wizard School but Gayer".
It's easy to put together an awesome general setting roleplay and have it be fun - but for this contest we're looking for things that are really special! Make sure you stand out from the crowd in some way by having unique content, whether it's just something well thought out and developed, or a new spin on a common trope.
☆ Give choices and options that are genuinely unique from each other to create diversity and story telling opportunities - not just a visual palette swap!
If you're doing a sci-fi with multiple species, don't just do "Humans, but with pointy ears." or "Lizards with fancy colors." Create an actual culture for these different species and build in some conflict or meaningful story elements that might make playing one of these things more intriguing over the other. The same thing applies to fantasy settings! What sorts of issues can come up between a Wood Elf versus a Dark Elf character? Inspire players!
☆ Don't slack off on the information if you have a Fandom setting by assuming players "already know what it is".
Largescale Fandom roleplays can be hard to pull off, as not only do you have to do something interesting with a preexisting universe, but you have to try and lure in players who might not be familiar with your Fandom. You still need to put in the time to describe your setting and all of the details that makeup this universe.
☆ It's okay to use outside information sources - but make sure you credit them!
Especially in the cases of Fandoms where you can reference wikis and the like to help save you some time. Make sure you always cite and credit your reference sources if you are not writing all of your content from scratch. This also counts if you happen to be rebooting an old roleplay by another GM (with permission of course).
☆ Proofread and organize your content as neatly as possible.
Players need to be able to read your information! That means language that is clear and simple to read. Use flowery prose to create your vibe and ambience in your introduction - but when it comes to the important details, like how to create characters or get involved in your roleplay? That needs to be concise and where players can find it fast.
☆ Don't wait until last minute to post your entries or get things set up. Use the full month to work on it!
We're expecting to see a lot of written content - so get started ASAP! Post your plot introduction, get those locations posts, detail out your races and species. Write your rules. If you do a little bit every day, you're not going to have to scramble last minute to finish.
☆ Pretty graphics and coding do not matter. DO THAT LAST.
This is a competition about engaging worlds and stories - prettiness isn't important. Every year we have several GMs get disqualified because they wasted all of their time making their roleplay pretty and never got to writing the actual content. Avoid this mistake by making sure all of your most important content is done first.
☆ About that pretty bbcode and text color and font sizes... WE CAN'T ALWAYS READ IT.
It is pretty - but often coders are making the text TOO SMALL or using colors that blend together. Pretty coding doesn't do you any good if we can't easily read your text. Likewise, your coding also needs to look good across multiple browser sizes and devices. Computers, phones, and tablets. All of those graphics and coding will move around and shift with each device - which shuffles your content into all kinds of directions. Be sure that we can read everything!
☆ Existing Roleplays have an advantage in WaRP as they're already completed and successfully running - but make sure your roleplay has easy to find "New Players Information".
It's harder to get new players for an already existing roleplay, as they often feel BIG AND INTIMIDATING. Make sure you have an Introduction for New Players so they can get caught up to where your roleplay is now, and have some options on how they can get involved with brand new characters.
Good Luck, Game Masters!