WaRP Rules + Q&A: Welcome to WaRP 2024!

[Astaroth]

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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:
Other Links; eg. Roleplay Extras, Discord servers, Google Docs, etc. (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 three winners will be selected. HOWEVER, there will be at least one winner chosen by community vote as long as it meets the criteria!

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 February 29th, at which point judging will begin and take place over a two-week period. Once winners are announced on March 14th, 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, @rissa, @Sorrelfur, and ]@Lyrikai!

Will there be a public vote?

For the first time in the history of WaRP... YES!!! There will be a community vote starting March 1st, to take place alongside the judging. We encourage everyone to go check out the entrants and use the discussion thread stickied at the top of the forum!

Is this a one-time opportunity?

This is the fifth 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 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 February 29th, 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. If it's going to be a separate project from the existing RP, 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?

No. Interns are not considered full staff members. They come and go and it would be unfair 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.

Is it okay if most of my setting lore is in an external source such as a Google Doc?

As long as it's linked somewhere in your info thread that's fine! We've had several submissions in the past do this, including winners.

If you have more questions, ask here!

 

[Ardent]

I plan on submitting an existing role-play, but I have never posted my lore on Iwaku (just my website and Google docs). I will be filling out the existing RP form, but for the purposes of this competition (mainly for advertisement and visibility, since a vote will be held), is it ok if I post a lore thread on this (warp) forum as well?

 

[Diana]

I plan on submitting an existing role-play, but I have never posted my lore on Iwaku (just my website and Google docs). I will be filling out the existing RP form, but for the purposes of this competition (mainly for advertisement and visibility, since a vote will be held), is it ok if I post a lore thread on this (warp) forum as well?

Additional off site content is totally allowed linked in just your submission, as many people have done that before! But you can also post it up in a thread presentation if you wish. 8D

 

[Diana]

Submissions and editing of submissions are now CLOSED! 8D

We're super excited to have so many entries this year! <3 We'll be lookin over entries this weekend to make sure everyone qualifies and then post up the COMMUNITY VOTING POLL for everyone to vote while judges are deliberating!

 

[iridescent]

Forgot to finish mine but good luck to everyone!

 

[Ardent]

@Diana

Just wanted to check in and ask: when can we expect the results? Will there still be a community vote?

 

[Diana]

There will still be a community vote yes! We're just having a couple ill-timed real life things pop up at the most inconvenient moments. O_O

 

[Diana]

Just to keep people in the know, we're still having RL work difficulties causing delays!