WaRP Rules + Q&A: Welcome to WaRP 2022-2023!

Astaroth

[*screaming into the void intensifies*]
Original poster
STAFF MEMBER
DONATING MEMBER
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Not accepting invites at this time
Posting Speed
  1. Speed of Light
  2. Slow As Molasses
Online Availability
It varies a lot depending on my schedule, unfortunately.
Writing Levels
  1. Advanced
  2. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Primarily Prefer Male
Genres
Psychological horror
Body horror
Supernatural
Giallo
Splatterpunk
Dark fantasy
Historical
Low fantasy
Magipunk
Weird West
Noir
Thriller
Gothic horror
Southern Gothic
Gaslamp fantasy
Cyberpunk
Space saga
Clockpunk
Space Western
Space opera
Paranormal
Modern fantasy
Dieselpunk
Post-Apocalyptic
Crime drama
Medieval fantasy

WARP_2022-2023.png

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.

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 four 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 four 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?

@Astaroth and @Diana, along with this year's guest judges: @PavellumPendulum, @Nemopedia, and @Miyu!

Is this a one-time opportunity?

This is the fourth year we've run WaRP. We plan to run it every year (as long as life allows!), with at least two spots open for every contest.

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. You can always run chat RPs that are based on a larger thread-based setting, however.

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!
 
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To clarify, new concepts for existing roleplay universes are considered New Roleplays right?
 
To clarify, new concepts for existing roleplay universes are considered New Roleplays right?

If you are planning as running it as it's entirely own project separate from the original roleplay, then yes! If you have to create an entirely new Signups, then it's def a new roleplay, even if it is a continuation or alternate storyline of a current setting.
 
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I have a question!

If I submit an existing roleplay, is it okay if I use a thread (like a roleplay extra thread) that has all of the world information in one, polished, updated, and all together instead of the OG thread? Or if I I have to submit the original thread can I stead submit the roleplay extra thread for evaluation?
 
I have a question!

If I submit an existing roleplay, is it okay if I use a thread (like a roleplay extra thread) that has all of the world information in one, polished, updated, and all together instead of the OG thread? Or if I I have to submit the original thread can I stead submit the roleplay extra thread for evaluation?
I would submit it as an existing roleplay and include a link to a Roleplay Extra thread if your OG thread is not up to snuff!

EDIT: Oh crap, my brain totally scrambled that question. Submit both threads XD
 
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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.
@Suspended on Rainbow Wings As much as I LOVE your enthusiasm I also want to spare you some future disappointment! Of course we could argue something like: your account will be four months old by the time we are done voting in January, but I don't know how that will hold up for the other judges!
 
Can we not simply put it to a vote among the other judges? @Nemopedia If it comes up in opposition to the factor you mentioned. I'll gladly take my submission down.
 
Can we not simply put it to a vote among the other judges? @Nemopedia If it comes up in opposition to the factor you mentioned. I'll gladly take my submission down.

This is my bad cause I didn't realize how new your account was and I was just so excited to see a happy participant! 😂

Don't take your submission down, and keep working on it! I'll think about this with the other judges and at the very least we WILL review over your roleplay just like everyone elses! Come judging time, if you do qualify for a win then we'll sit down and debate if we can make an exception for you. (Basically weighing against other qualifying winners and whether or not it would be fair to make the exception this time.) That feels like a fair way to go about it for everyone!
 
Thank you based Owl Mom. c:
 
So I have a question:

Before WaRP began, I was using a Discord server to house my RPs new HUB and open world sections, since I wanted to give it more sandbox options for players who are outside the main threads I host on the site.

Would it at all be possible if I included said Discord to links to other threads? I only host the sandbox stuff there, I genuinely hate Discord RP'ing. Lol

But, it has information on the HUB for the heroes of the story, as well as what open worlds are available to play in for their characters.
 
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So I have a question:

Before WaRP began, I was using a Discord server to house my RPs new HUB and open world sections, since I wanted to give it more sandbox options for players who are outside the main threads I host on the site.

Would it at all be possible if I included said Discord to links to other threads? I only host the sandbox stuff there, I genuinely hate Discord RP'ing. Lol

But, it has information on the HUB for the heroes of the story, as well as what open worlds are available to play in for their characters.

It is totally okay to have a Discord for your roleplay as an added resource, ooc, event, or in character area as long as the main roleplaying is done on the forum! 8D We just would not be able to judge any Information content (like about the worldbuilding and plot itself) on that discord server, so make sure all of that is in your on-site information.
 
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So I have a question:

Before WaRP began, I was using a Discord server to house my RPs new HUB and open world sections, since I wanted to give it more sandbox options for players who are outside the main threads I host on the site.

Would it at all be possible if I included said Discord to links to other threads? I only host the sandbox stuff there, I genuinely hate Discord RP'ing. Lol

But, it has information on the HUB for the heroes of the story, as well as what open worlds are available to play in for their characters.

It is totally okay to have a Discord for your roleplay as an added resource, ooc, event, or in character area as long as the main roleplaying is done on the forum! 8D We just would not be able to judge any Information content (like about the worldbuilding and plot itself) on that discord server, so make sure all of that is in your on-site information.
Gotcha, thank you!
 
Anotha question! I figure it's okay, but in case anyone else was wondering the same thing: Is it okay to post a Google Doc with supplementary info/lore in our submissions or would the judges prefer all the content for our roleplays to be posted on Iwaku?
 
Anotha question! I figure it's okay, but in case anyone else was wondering the same thing: Is it okay to post a Google Doc with supplementary info/lore in our submissions or would the judges prefer all the content for our roleplays to be posted on Iwaku?
As long as it's linked in your info thread that's fine! We've had several submissions in the past do this, including winners.
 
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