WaRP Rules + Q&A: Welcome to WaRP 2021-2022!

[Astaroth]

SUBMISSION RULES

There are two categories for submissions: Existing Roleplays and New Roleplays.

To submit a New Roleplay, post a mock-up OOC thread in the WaRP Contest forum to pitch your roleplay concept. This thread should include as much information as possible about the roleplay. Treat this like you're creating the official OOC and plot info thread.

To submit an Existing Roleplay, fill out the following form and post it in the Existing RP Submissions thread stickied at the top of the WaRP Contest forum.

Existing Roleplay Submission Form

Name of Roleplay:
Link to OOC/Plot Info Thread:
Link to IC Thread:
Links to other threads (if applicable):
Co-GMs (List all, if applicable):
Original or Fandom-Based?:
Is this a Redstar/Bluestar RP?:
Current number of players:
Why do you think your RP deserves to win?:

All entries must:

• Have a single, clearly defined setting. This may be on any scale, from a specific school to an entire planet or star system.
• Be intended for long-term play. Roleplays designed to wrap up within one or two months of play will not be accepted unless they are part of a larger, directly-related setting.
• Be thread-based. Chat roleplays will not be accepted.

Fandom, Redstar, Bluestar, and Staff-run roleplays are allowed as submissions. However:

1. Only one fandom roleplay may be chosen per category.
2. Only one Redstar/Bluestar roleplay (EITHER, not both) may be chosen per category.
3. Only one entry submitted by a Staff member can be chosen as a winner out of the entire six winning entries.

These limitations are stacking. This means that if a Staff member submits a Redstar fandom roleplay, it would count for all three limits if chosen as a winner.

Note: This does not mean for certain that fandom, Staff-run, or redstar/bluestar RPs will number among the winners.

If not enough entries meet the criteria, less than six winners will be selected.

All participants in the contest must be a member of at least 4 months and must never have had their account banned or suspended. Warning points do not disqualify you for entry.

One entry may be submitted per user.

Entries must be submitted under a "main" GM. If there are two or more equal-footing co-GMs sharing a roleplay, they must pick one person among them to submit. Being a co-GM doesn't count toward your entry limit but we reserve the right to reject anyone we think is trying to abuse loopholes. All co-GMs must be listed in mock-up OOCs for New Roleplays or on the submission form for Existing Roleplays.

The submission period will last until December 17th, at which point judging will begin and take place over a two-week period. Once winners are announced on January 1st, the contest forum will be closed and all threads moved or archived.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Who are the judges?

Your admins @Astaroth, @Diana, and @Kitti will be judging, as well as surprise guest judges!

Is this a one-time opportunity?

This is the third year we've run WaRP. We originally planned to run it every year, with at least two spots open for every contest, but life has a way of getting in the way. We're trying to bring it back now!

Previous contest winners whose roleplays have become inactive will have their subforums moved to the archives, and the number of open spots for any future contest will be at the judges' discretion as well as dependent on the number of newly-open spots. But always at least two!

What happens to my threads if I win (with an Existing Roleplay)?

Any and all existing threads will be moved to the winners' new private forums. From there it is up to GMs to restructure as they see fit.

What am I allowed to do with my forum?

The subforums for winners will be totally up to the GMs. The GM (and any necessary co-GMs) will get full mod powers over their own forum, and they have free reign from there. Staff will not be archiving threads from these forums and will only moderate if requested by the GM or if something gets reported. However, all Iwaku rules still apply. GMs may be punished if they knowingly allow or ignore rule violations.

Will I be able to add my own moderators to my roleplay after the fact?

Yes, absolutely. Just send in a Contact Us request or PM any of the judges asking them to give the helpers forum permissions.

Will there be a public vote?

No, not for this contest. Winners will be entirely up to the judging panel. However, we encourage everyone to go check out the entrants and use the discussion thread stickied at the top of the forum.

Will submissions get reviews by the judges?

No. The focus of the contest is promoting roleplays and rewarding GMs rather than on improving writing, so we will only be focusing on choosing winners.

Can I edit my entry after I submit it?

Submissions can be edited without restriction up until the 17th of December, when submissions close and judging begins.

Can I advertise my submission?

Ads for these RPs shouldn't be posted in the Roleplay Advertisements forum unless they are existing RPs, as this would be confusing. GMs may create Interest Checks if they wish for the New RP submissions.

Are alternate versions of existing RPs allowed? What about reboots of past RPs?

Yes. Submit them as "new" roleplays with a mock-up OOC.

Why aren't Chat RPs allowed?

GMs of chat roleplays can already create private chat rooms for their roleplays, and a roleplay that isn't thread-based has far less need for a forum.

Do I need to save my stuff so it won't get lost when the contest ends?

Nothing will be deleted. Any entries that don't win will simply be moved to the Archives.

QUESTIONS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS

Questions asked in previous Q&A threads have been collected in paraphrased form and answered here so there can be a shiny new thread without losing any valuable information.

Can roleplays that have been run on other sites or for a very long time be submitted?

Yes. As long as it meets the criteria outlined in this thread for what sort of roleplays we're looking for, we don't care how old it is or where else it has been run.

Do winning roleplays have to start running immediately after the contest ends?

Nope, you can take your time getting things set up before officially starting.

Do I have to run the submitted roleplay if I win?

Technically no, we can't force you to actually run the roleplay, but if you're not certain you want to do it then don't submit an entry. This is a contest with limited winners and you might be rudely taking a spot from someone who would actually make use of it.

Can the roleplay have an open-world structure?

Yes.

Do Interns count as staff members in regards to the one staff winner rule?

Nope. They're sort of demi-staff, not full staff folk, so they don't count for this purpose. They come and go and it could create some awkwardness if they're counted as a staff member at time of submission and then are no longer an Intern at the end of it. This also means that anyone hired as an Intern after submitting an entry hasn't ruined their chances of winning.

Is it okay to make multiple posts in my roleplay submission thread to make sections for different information?

Absolutely.

If you have more questions, ask here!

 

[Moose]

I have an already existing setting, however I do not have active RPs of it on this site. I believe I have copies of my notes somewhere on here... But would this be entered as an existing RP, or new RP?

 

[Astaroth]

I have an already existing setting, however I do not have active RPs of it on this site. I believe I have copies of my notes somewhere on here... But would this be entered as an existing RP, or new RP?

I would pitch it as a new RP so you can show us what your signup thread would look like, and just note that you have been developing the setting for a while. The existing roleplay category is for currently active RPs where signup threads have already been created.

 

[Moose]

Awesome

 

[LuckycoolHawk9]

The existing roleplay category is for currently active RPs where signup threads have already been created.

I have a question regarding that. I plan on doing a reboot of a RP but the old sign-up is up ( The IC is dead). I would submit that as a new RP and request a lock for the old sign up, correct?

 

[Diana]

I have a question regarding that. I plan on doing a reboot of a RP but the old sign-up is up ( The IC is dead). I would submit that as a new RP and request a lock for the old sign up, correct?

If you are rebooting and the old RP is dead (and needs archiving), then yes you could submit as a brand new RP!

 

[Wade Von Doom]

So I have a question regarding submitting a RP, especially mine.

My setting is the multiverse. I use both fandom and original worlds/characters/plots for threads and story ideas, all centered around a main original plot that explains how they're all connected. Like the main bad guy of the RP is pulling all the strings and being this shadowy, manipulative figure behind the scenes that ties into the various plot threads and missions me and my GMs run throughout the RP

But, because I don't focus on just original or one fandom, does that mean I can't submit my RP?

 

[Diana]

You can still submit it if it contains multiple fandoms and/or multiverse scenarios! It would just be at our discretion how it compared to other submitted roleplays for similar content!

Right now since our roleplay realms is empty, anyone with a well constructed roleplay has a very good chance at getting a slot cause they're empty. 8D Next year if we only had one or two slots opens and already had a multiverse style rp we'd be like "HMM, is this new entry good enough to stand out?" OR "hmm we already have X rps that are based in a fandom, do we want to add another"

If that makes sense.

 

[Astaroth]

Also regarding multiverse RPs, if your RP uses NPCs or allows people to play characters from recognizable IPs such as the MCU or anime, we would define it as fandom-based even if it focuses more on your original concepts and also features original characters. Similarly to how if someone took all the characters from Harry Potter and dropped them in a roleplay that was entirely their own world and had original characters as well (e.g., Harry Potter characters if they were born in a cyberpunk future without magic), we would still consider it fandom-based. The important distinction is if you're incorporating elements that aren't yours and not claiming you own them.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Also regarding multiverse RPs, if your RP uses NPCs or allows people to play characters from recognizable IPs such as the MCU or anime, we would define it as fandom-based even if it focuses more on your original concepts and also features original characters. Similarly to how if someone took all the characters from Harry Potter and dropped them in a roleplay that was entirely their own world and had original characters as well (e.g., Harry Potter characters if they were born in a cyberpunk future without magic), we would still consider it fandom-based. The important distinction is if you're incorporating elements that aren't yours and not claiming you own them.

So when listing out if it's fandom based or original, I should put fandom, as it incorporates various characters and worlds from games, shows and animes?

 

[Astaroth]

Also regarding multiverse RPs, if your RP uses NPCs or allows people to play characters from recognizable IPs such as the MCU or anime, we would define it as fandom-based even if it focuses more on your original concepts and also features original characters. Similarly to how if someone took all the characters from Harry Potter and dropped them in a roleplay that was entirely their own world and had original characters as well (e.g., Harry Potter characters if they were born in a cyberpunk future without magic), we would still consider it fandom-based. The important distinction is if you're incorporating elements that aren't yours and not claiming you own them.

So when listing out if it's fandom based or original, I should put fandom, as it incorporates various characters and worlds from games, shows and animes?

Yep, that's correct!

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Thank you! Hopefully what I send in is okay, I don't have the coding skills to make the examples you showed off.

 

[Peregrine]

Now that I've actually submitted, I realized I didn't ask a critical question. Most of the content and details for Wild Divine is in a public-access google doc that is linked in the mock up OOC. Is that acceptable? Or does it all need to get transferred to Iwaku to be considered during the judging?

There's a lot of words there, so I definitely don't expect the judges to read it all. But I do want to make sure a link to separate docs is valid content. :)

 

[Diana]

As long as we can access the doc and find it clearly in your entry, that is not a problem. :D Using off-site resources is common for large scale roleplays.

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Quick question:

I have several IC threads in use for my RP, which would you like for the link to the IC?

 

[Diana]

Quick question:

I have several IC threads in use for my RP, which would you like for the link to the IC?

All active threads relating to your rp pls!

 

[Wade Von Doom]

Gotcha,

and for past/old threads, I put them in the other threads section?

Quick question:

I have several IC threads in use for my RP, which would you like for the link to the IC?

All active threads relating to your rp pls!