This is a small introduction to an idea for a Writing Contest I had.
Being a huge fan of games with drafting aspects, I decided to create a variable tournament, in which each participant drafts their challenge together out of individual requirements and then tries to write a compelling article
Enjoy!
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Table of Contents
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The Rules
The minimum amount of participants is 3. The maximum amount is only limited by the number of requirements available. Before the contests starts, the number of requirements to compose a challenge has to be decided, I suggest anything between 4 and 6. The number of requirements needed for the pool is the chosen amount per participant+2 times the number of participants.
The pool should be picked randomly from the following list, surplus is discarded. (I suggest to limit the amount of special requirements that can end up in the pool to prevent the contest from being to one-sided.) The pool is then randomly split up into an amount of batches equal to the amount of participants (meaning each will contain the agreed-upon number+2). The content of each batch is to be kept secret.
The the drafting phase begins: each participant is revealed one batch and allowed to pick 1 requirement. (This requirement is then given to them, i.e. removed from the batch.) After this, the batch is sealed and rotated to the next participant (mean the second participant gets the batch of the first, the third of the second, and the first of the last). The participants repeat to pick again from this new batch.
The procedure is repeated until participants return to the batch they started with, where they will make their final pick (in case of less participants than the amount of requirements, they might have to do two full rounds). Once an participant has reached the amount of requirements, they can no longer pick, but must swap on of their requirements with one in the current batch (this is mandatory).
In the end, each participant should have a set of requirements that they will have to meet when writing their Item. A time period (I suggest six weeks) is left to the authors to write their Item and get as many critique as they want, then the Items will be posted.
After a voting period (participants are not allowed to vote), the Item with the highest rating wins.
Of course, the purpose of this contest is not to win (it totally is) but to have fun and enjoy writing.
Special Requirements: GoI and PoI
Scam. Con. Phoney.
Your Item is in relation to the SCP Foundation.
Bookwyrm
Your Item is in relation to the Serpent's Hand.
Fleshed Out
Your Item is in relation to the Sarkic cults.
Deus est machina
Your Item is in relation to the Church of the Broken God.
Five Missions
Your Item is in relation to the United Nations Global Occult Coalition.
Cooler than Black and White
Your Item is in relation to SEPIA.
White to move and win.
Your Item is in relation to the White Empress.
Magic Mirror on the wall…
Your Item is in relation to the Mirror Men.
Highest Bidder
Your Item is in relation to Marshall, Carter and Dark.
Special Requirements: Mythology
Not the druids you are looking for.
Your Item references Celtic or Norse mythology.
The inventors of the catgirl present…
Your Item references Egyptian mythology.
Need more Mana!
Your Item references Maori (or other Polynesian) mythology.
Older than dirt
Your Item references Mesopotamian mythology.
Father of all
Your Item references Abrahamic (e.g. Jewish, Christian or Muslim) mythology.
Fan of Nirvana
Your Item references Dharmic (e.g. Hinduist, Sihkist, Jianist of Buddhist) mythology.
???
Your Item references Mesoamerican mythology.
???
Your Item references Aboriginal, Native American or Inuit mythology.
Normal Requirements
Size Matters
Your Item measures more than 1 km in at least one spatial dimension. (Potentially infinite things like extra-dimensional spaces of an endless spool of string don't count.)
Nothing Duct Tape can't fix
Your Item was broken when it came in the Insurgency's possession. Now it is not.
Tag Team
There are two copies of this requirement in the pool. If you were they only one to pick it, you got lucky: no restrictions for you. If not, both of you now have to reference an article written by the other one who picked this requirement.
The Power of Love
Your Item includes an aspect of romance. Star-crossed lovers, cheating, self-sacrifice, every romantic trope goes.
Deja-vu
What was that? Your Item manipulates memories.
Creepy Crawly
Your Item just has too many legs (more than 4).
On the scale
Your Item is covered in scales or otherwise consists of them.
Dusk Till Dawn
Your Item's effects or behaviours are heavily influenced by the time of day.
Money Sink
Sustaining or maintaining your Item costs the Insurgency significant resources. It better be worth it.
Not so fast
Your Item is slow. Like really, painstakingly slow.
Worse than tickling
Your Item poses a biological, chemical and/or radiological hazard.
Please no photos!
The Required Wear/Weaponry for your Item is deeply embarrassing. Inflatable armbands, bubble pipes, mittens shaped like chickens… the choice is all yours!
Gullible to the Max
Somebody or something got tricked into helping the Insurgency against their will.
¡Đΐẵḉᶉīťįċȿ!
The name of your Item includes non-standard latin characters. (Don't just add Metal Umlauts, make sure it makes sense in-universe.)
Muse
Your article contains at least one original poem (minimum size Haiku) or song
Blast from the Past
Your Item is much older than the Insurgency.
What doesn't kill you…
Destruction of your Item only means it comes back for revenge.
Wheel of Fortune
Whether your Item works (as intended) is mostly a matter of chance.
Relay Race
Your Item staying for too long with the same people means trouble. Personnel must be rotated in handling it.
Does it make me look fat?
Your Item can be worn. Be it clothing, accessories or protective gear.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
The two main human senses (seeing and hearing) are completely irrelevant to your Item. It doesn't matters what it does as long as no visual or acoustic perception is required.
In the Eye of the Beholder
Frankly, there is a disagreement on what your Item even is.
Ooh, shiny!
Your Item sparkles, glitters, or is otherwise scintillating.
