The Between: Shrouded London Writing Contest
We are holding a writing contest to coincide with our crowdfunding campaign for The Between. There are two submission tracks: Locations and Unscenes.
To learn more about The Between, go here.
Submission Guidelines
Locations Entries
Unscene Entries
Resources Folder
Resources can be found in this folder. The folder contains:
Discord
You are invited to discuss the contest and solicit feedback on your entry on The Gauntlet Discord server, via the #writing-contest channel. The server can be found here.
Writer’s Workshop
Game creator Jason Cordova will be holding a short writing workshop on October 13th, from 11 AM - Noon Eastern. The workshop will be about Paint the Scene questions, and how to structure and Unscene, as well as general feedback on in-progress submissions from attendees. Anyone participating in the contest is welcome to attend; a Zoom link will be sent out via Discord. The workshop will be recorded so it can be viewed later.
Public Viewing Folder
Entries will be made available for public viewing after the deadline for submissions has passed. If you don’t want your entry included in the public viewing folder, you can opt out by telling us so when you send your submission email.
Judging Criteria and Announcement of Winners
The entries will be judged on writing quality, creativity, and playability. The winners and runners-up will be announced in the middle of November during a special podcast episode.
Prizes
While the primary aim of the contest is to have fun and engage in a creative process with like-minded writers, there are also some prizes available.
Publication and Text Ownership
You own the text of your entry and are free to publish it wherever you wish after the announcement of winners. If you publish it commercially, please check in with us before using any named characters, entities, or locations from The Between roleplaying game, apart from the general setting of London. Additionally, your commercial publication should say "This product is not associated with Gauntlet Publishing, but it is published with their permission" somewhere on the document.
To learn more about The Between, go here.
Submission Guidelines
- You can submit one entry for each track (Locations and Unscenes).
- Each entry should be no longer than 230 words for Locations and 230 words for Unscenes. If you submit one of each, you must submit them separately.
- Submissions must be in a Google Doc, 11 pt. Arial, with no special formatting (bold, italics, and bullet points are fine). Your name should not be included anywhere on the Google Doc.
- Send a link to your Google Doc to Alex Rybitski who will be organizing the entries for the judges, via email: [email protected]. Subject line: “SHROUDED LONDON - LOCATIONS” or “SHROUDED LONDON - UNSCENE.” By submitting, you are representing your entry is a work of your own creation.
- When you send your submission email, indicate if you wish to opt-out of the public viewing folder (see Public Viewing Folder section, below).
- The deadline for submissions is 11:59 PM Eastern on October 31st, 2024 (the same day the crowdfunding campaign ends).
Locations Entries
- Your entry should consist of 4 Locations found somewhere in London, organized around a theme. For example, your entry’s theme might be something categorical, such as Shops, with Locations such as Dressmaker, Candy Shop, Haberdashery, and Fishmonger. Or your theme could be something more, well, thematic, such as A Night on the Town, and your Locations could be Dancehall, Midnight Garden, French Bistro, and Bawdy Theater.
- Your locations can be somewhat generic, as in the examples above, but you’ll get creativity points from the judges if you give things proper names (example: Mr. Fizzleton’s Confectionary instead of Candy Shop).
- Your Locations should generally conform to the era the game takes place in, but they can have supernatural elements, such as A Hidden Fairy Circle or A Vampire’s Nest. Please keep in mind that winning entries, if published, will be included in a section of Shadow Society that is general-use Locations for Keepers to use wherever they are needed.
- Your Locations should generally conform to those found on the Threat sheets: Name of Location, 3 descriptive details, and a Paint the Scene Question.
- Please note your theme at the top of your entry.
Unscene Entries
- Unscene entries should generally conform to the structure and style of those included in The Between.
- Entries will receive creativity and playability points if they are distinct from those included in The Between, though you’re welcome to create “sequels” to the existing Unscenes, such as new plays at the Grand Guignol, the aftermath of bloody Unscenes like The Bellefort Murder, or the ongoing lives of characters like Sister Mary Edward Price or Teddy the Concierge.
Resources Folder
Resources can be found in this folder. The folder contains:
- 3 Threat sheets (so you can see what Locations look like)
- The Unscenes from the core game.
Discord
You are invited to discuss the contest and solicit feedback on your entry on The Gauntlet Discord server, via the #writing-contest channel. The server can be found here.
Writer’s Workshop
Game creator Jason Cordova will be holding a short writing workshop on October 13th, from 11 AM - Noon Eastern. The workshop will be about Paint the Scene questions, and how to structure and Unscene, as well as general feedback on in-progress submissions from attendees. Anyone participating in the contest is welcome to attend; a Zoom link will be sent out via Discord. The workshop will be recorded so it can be viewed later.
Public Viewing Folder
Entries will be made available for public viewing after the deadline for submissions has passed. If you don’t want your entry included in the public viewing folder, you can opt out by telling us so when you send your submission email.
Judging Criteria and Announcement of Winners
The entries will be judged on writing quality, creativity, and playability. The winners and runners-up will be announced in the middle of November during a special podcast episode.
Prizes
While the primary aim of the contest is to have fun and engage in a creative process with like-minded writers, there are also some prizes available.
- The judges’ three favorite entries in each submission track will each receive a cash prize of $50 USD.
- The judges’ three favorite entries in each submission track will each receive a publishing offer to have their entries included in the upcoming books!
Publication and Text Ownership
You own the text of your entry and are free to publish it wherever you wish after the announcement of winners. If you publish it commercially, please check in with us before using any named characters, entities, or locations from The Between roleplaying game, apart from the general setting of London. Additionally, your commercial publication should say "This product is not associated with Gauntlet Publishing, but it is published with their permission" somewhere on the document.