Author Games: Empty Night

The Law of the Others

Welcome to Author Games: Empty Night! I'm assuming by now you know the drill, so let's get right down to business.

The Competitor's Bill of Rights

In these Games, you the competitor have the right to:

1. A fairly and dispassionately scored entry. It should be a given, but the idea is so important that I'm putting it here anyways. If you're ever concerned that I'm not scoring you fairly as possible please contact me so I can resolve the issue.

2. A minimum of five days for every entry submission, to ensure you all have some flexibility and time to write. In the event of a ballot challenge, this may be hampered by some means.

3. A minimum of 20 hours to vote, so schedules are less likely to hamper the mandate from the masses.

4. The right to vote for yourself, if ever you find yourself up for votes. 

5. Freedom from minimum or maximum word limits, though this may be subject to a ballot challenge.

6. One 24 hour extension, no questions asked. Don't tell me why you need it. Just use it wisely, as I become significantly harder to impress after it's been used.

The Host's Bill of Rights

In these Games, I maintain the following powers for myself:

1. I am the host. In this little corner of the internet, I (benevolently) rule with an iron fist. My scores are final. My decisions are final. This right is absolute.

2. I will cheerfully ignore any entry or form which is not submitted to joe@vaccarofamily.org.

3. In the event of a tie in voting, I reserve the right to break said tie in whatever manner I choose. 

4. I and I alone will determine how many points you get upon handing in late (if any).

5. Please bear in mind that I have a life, and passing Virology may take precedence over prompt scoring. In the event that this happens, rest assured I have not forgotten about you lovely kids. It'll just take me a bit to get caught up.

6. If you're considering being a dick to your fellow competitors (in any way besides the ones I explicitly give you, that is), don't. If you're considering being a dick to me, really, really don't. I will be a dick back to you, and I'm much better at it. Be polite.

With Regards to Tasks and Voting

This will, as usual, be a nine-Task Games. Eliminations will occur after seven of these tasks, and voting will take place after eight of them. Generally speaking, I accept any votes submitted via PM or via comment on the final page, save those taking place in the final round.

The following actions will be considered cheating and, if proven, will result in automatic elimination:

1. Creating a fake account to vote for yourself, or voting multiple times with different legitimate accounts.

2. Directing friends to a voting page in order for them to vote for you.

3. Pressuring individuals into changing their minds about how to vote.

With Regards to Scoring

Rankings in these Games will be based on cumulative scores, and the scores for each round will be determined with the following system (shamelessly appropriated from PanemEtCircuses):

There will be 6 categories in which you can earn points. These categories will be assigned a score from 1 ("This may or may not be English") to 10 ("Thank you for honoring me with this poetry"). The total score from all six categories will be divided by four to yield a number between 0 and 15.

The categories are as follows:

Completion: Did you do what I told you to do in this task? Did I ask for a Bloodbath and receive a 15-page essay on the difference between frogs and toads?

Characterization: Does your tribute have clear and interesting motives, realistic dialogue, and a compelling arc?

Description: What's going on around your character? Is there any evidence your entry does not take place in a featureless white room?

Creativity: Is this entry interesting, developed, and original? Have I read 15 other entries that look exactly like it save for slight changes in the names?

Style: Does your work have a clear and distinctive voice? Does it flow well from event to event? Is it difficult to understand what's going on in the basic plot of the work?

GUMP; that is, Grammar/Usage/Mechanics/Punctuation: 'Nuff said.

With Regards to Kills

This Games will feature two types of kills: ballot kills and in-entry kills. If you're feeling reckless and don't want to tear down your fellow competitors for your own benefit, you can skip the ballot kills. Skipping any in-entry kills, on the other hand, will result in point loss, as it's a requirement for the content of the actual entry.

Regardless of the type, all kills must be included on a kill list which is to be submitted with your entry. Failure to include this list will result in your kills not being recorded; in the case of failure to include in-entry kills, you will lose points unless it is extremely, extremely obvious who has died in your entry.

With Regards to Sponsorships

Ah yes! These will be a thing. I recommend getting them, if you can.

Questions? Concerns? Shoot me a PM, and I'll see what I can do to resolve the issue. Feel like erecting a statue in my honor? While thoughtful, I would much rather you devoted your artistic zeal to handing in an entry ahead of schedule (I kid, of course. Italian marble would be most tasteful for that statue.)