Chiming in: I'm consistently amazed by how adaptable everyone in this forum is when it comes to adjusting to different hosts, hosting styles and the various mechanics that are thrown at them so I'd suggest going with what you already have and possibly just adding a world background in a spoiler box in your first post for the contest if there are any must know things for new contestants that you feel may come up repeatedly in new questions. Similarly, if you feel like introductions of new characters may be helpful for you as a host, you could always ask that any new contestants add some additional information in the first round. I think one or both of those things could save you some extra work and just allow everyone to jump right in.

Hi guys!! I totally forgot to reply to your inputs but hoenstly, thank you very much for letting me know! And also, thank you Dare for you advice, and I think I'll follow it~

Onto other news, The Mad Ghost is meant to start soon. I was planning to start it on the 4th but just wanted to make sure that those who are joining aren't burnt out or need some more time first. I'll confirm first and then post up the official start~

Hi hi again, its me!

Due to some unexpected plans I will NOT be able to host on the 4th but instead, on the 5th.

Okay, so I'm really excited for the re-launch of The Mad Ghost and I warmly welcome anyone who would like to join in on the action. I will add in a slot for new players (if any) to join and will be available for any questions regarding the world. So here's the new summary!

The Mad Ghost: Mayhem At Sea

What was supposed to be a normal trip quickly turned out to be one of the most dangerous trips for everyone onboard The Mad Ghost, a ship meant to carry simple magical cargos back to Atlanta, USA. Something strange and terrifying is happening on the ship and with magic and blood thick in the air, there is definitely a number of concerns:

a) The strong and powerful Flying Atlantis crew, who have temporarily taken charge of The Mad Ghost, seem to become weaker and weaker, leaving the perfectly healthy but poorly-skilled recruits to fend for themselves,

b) The half-deranged vampire is convinced there is something within the walls,

And c) that something might just be claiming crew members one by one.

Last edited by MistyMisty (03/12/2022 at 13:40)

Hi everyone, happy holidays to everyone celebrating! Hope you spent them with loved ones

I'm dropping by to announce I will start with the first round of the Tudors right on the schedule, January 1st, and would like to use the occasion to invite everyone who is (considering) joining to maybe share their preferred FC with me, as I have some set & I also have some I'm still unsure about. Just so we don't clash

My set FCs include Adria Ajrona, Alicia Sanz, Merve Boluğur, and Yuliya Khlynina, but I am still considering 2 roles to fill.

Zaralee wrote

Hi everyone, happy holidays to everyone celebrating! Hope you spent them with loved ones

I'm dropping by to announce I will start with the first round of the Tudors right on the schedule, January 1st, and would like to use the occasion to invite everyone who is (considering) joining to maybe share their preferred FC with me, as I have some set & I also have some I'm still unsure about. Just so we don't clash

My set FCs include Adria Ajrona, Alicia Sanz, Merve Boluğur, and Yuliya Khlynina, but I am still considering 2 roles to fill.

Looking forward to it. I've settled on Kiana Alexis for my FC.

This is all very good I approve of these messages and you already know my fc. Happy new year of writing soon everyone, may time be by our side <3

Happy New Year everyone!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Great New Year!

Happy New Year!

Happy new year everyone!

While Zara is still hosting "The Heir of the Rose Throne" (and I'm fan girling over the outfits you guys are creating), I was reminded today that February is very (very) close and with it's approach I'm scheduled to host.

Quick virtual show of hands: how many of you would be on board and willing for 5 rounds of mystery courtesy of the Moriarty Society? I know life happens and it's not always possible to play out a whole contest, but I'm talking best case scenario here. Please and thank you in advance.

More time on my hands after Feb 5

J3zab3ll wrote

More time on my hands after Feb 5

Thanks for the heads up

Hi, as victorian mastermind crime puzzles sounds like my cup of tea I've been excited for MS coming up. Though as I am presently unable to finish the Rose Throne like I had wanted to, at the moment I'm not sure how much I will be able to dedicte to writing in the coming weeks either. In other words, I'm a big maybe. But either way, if I join or not, is sounds really cool and I'm excited to see how you play it (:

tricole wrote

Hi, as victorian mastermind crime puzzles sounds like my cup of tea I've been excited for MS coming up. Though as I am presently unable to finish the Rose Throne like I had wanted to, at the moment I'm not sure how much I will be able to dedicte to writing in the coming weeks either. In other words, I'm a big maybe. But either way, if I join or not, is sounds really cool and I'm excited to see how you play it (:

I appreciate the input and it's got me thinking...collectively do we all just need a bit of a break to hit the reset button? I LOVE how incredibly active this section is but I've noticed that with the last few contests there's been a bit of a fizzle as they progress which may be attributed in part to how much commitment most of them really require (5 rounds and 5 days per is almost a month which is a big ask for adults). Also from the perspective of hosting it's deflating to build a world that only 2-3 people come to play in (especially for me in the moment since writing has been...hard professionally).

I don't want to throw off the schedule because I think it's brilliant so if we do decide we need a bit of a breather I'm willing to let February pass where we all just catch our breaths and then everyone can comeback refreshed for what's next and I'll slip in at a later available spot.

Thoughts?

Back to back contests are exhausting. If the schedule is up to date, March is unclaimed, so perhaps you can just start a little later into February and carry on into the beginning of March, and there will still be a break before April's contest comes along.

Personally, I have big deadlines coming up later in spring/early summer, so I'll be very dull and not join any contests when that is approaching.

I think no matter how much planning it will never be good timing for everybody. With as many/few writers we are, take into account life, timing and energy, different interests in genres, etc. with all those factors, I think hosts should perhaps go in with the expectation of 2-3 writers carrying through, more than that being an exciting bonus.

So, I would say get a few feelers from the others and see what works best for you!

Last edited by tricole (26/01/2023 at 11:32)

Back-to-back contests are exhausting, and the schedule, asides from Vert, is pretty much empty - so no need to decide right away. I doubt I'll host anything else before (the end of) summer.

While I have to admit it's discouraging to have people start and drop out along the way, it's very rarely something the host can do about it. At the same time, I totally get you, Dare, because planning out a storyline around 6 people and then downsizing to less in a structured contest can mess with plans.

If you feel like postponing it, go for it! If you want to host, also go for it!

I wanted to say something else, but it slipped me, might edit later.

Last edited by Zaralee (26/01/2023 at 12:03)

Thank you so much for your input. Based on it I'm likely going to hold off until at least early Spring to give everyone (myself included) time to catch their breath.

Sorry, I have been unable to respond/get on for a of couple weeks now but I think in my current state I need at least a few weeks to be prepared for anything mental. So spring'ish time frame sounds better to me. Sorry for the delay in response.

Hey hey!

Zaralee wrote

Back-to-back contests are exhausting, and the schedule, asides from Vert, is pretty much empty - so no need to decide right away. I doubt I'll host anything else before (the end of) summer.

While I have to admit it's discouraging to have people start and drop out along the way, it's very rarely something the host can do about it. At the same time, I totally get you, Dare, because planning out a storyline around 6 people and then downsizing to less in a structured contest can mess with plans.

If you feel like postponing it, go for it! If you want to host, also go for it!

I wanted to say something else, but it slipped me, might edit later.

I just randomly thought of this -  why don't we increase the duration for write up to a maximum of two weeks per round? I say this because previously my only free time to write was in the weekends, but even then some weekends I had events so it was hard to find time to balance both.

Aaaand, since that could mean a story contest could take up to 2 months, maybe we could also let another competition run at the same time? So those who have the time/energy/motivation could join both, while those with busy schedules could comfortably join the one that they are able to?



In other news, I have a lot of free time now (har har) so I was thinking of hosting a story, but I just want to know if its something anyone will be interested in.

The story is basically very loosely based on the werewolf/ mafia game.  A cursed town (or is it?) - choose your role/ or I could randomly choose for you (among witch, harlot, insomniac, werewolf, etc)- someone going missing/ dying - your vote on who is suspect (it could be a supporting cast or one of the players) , etc.

Let me know what you guys think 

MissKiki wrote

Hey hey!

(...)

Let me know what you guys think 

Firstly, happy you have time on your hands, and I do like the contest idea, currently I can only make the commitment to try to keep up, the work schedule changes quite erratically, but I would like to do some creative writing for sure.

Regarding the rounds and all, from time to time I feel it might be a good idea, but at times it seems like it would add to the slowness.

Perhaps those who intend to host in the upcoming months could give more opinion on what they think of the model )

Hi, so firstly sorry but my input here is negative. I’d love to think this would work but I do not with multiple contests running at the same time.

That said for Vertatis I’ve checked with EA before and got permission to have rounds be a week long.

This I feel is sort of a majority based thing how everyone else feels about it. But I can’t dedicate time to something I don’t think will cross the finish line then I’d rather spend it on productivity in my everyday life.

So rounds being a week long I fully support, it’d make contests 1,5 months long and the second half of the month could be rest and preparation like casting for the next contest.

Lastly I’d definitively try to join if you host something!

MissKiki wrote

Hey hey!

I just randomly thought of this -  why don't we increase the duration for write up to a maximum of two weeks per round? I say this because previously my only free time to write was in the weekends, but even then some weekends I had events so it was hard to find time to balance both.

Aaaand, since that could mean a story contest could take up to 2 months, maybe we could also let another competition run at the same time? So those who have the time/energy/motivation could join both, while those with busy schedules could comfortably join the one that they are able to?

In other news, I have a lot of free time now (har har) so I was thinking of hosting a story, but I just want to know if its something anyone will be interested in.

The story is basically very loosely based on the werewolf/ mafia game.  A cursed town (or is it?) - choose your role/ or I could randomly choose for you (among witch, harlot, insomniac, werewolf, etc)- someone going missing/ dying - your vote on who is suspect (it could be a supporting cast or one of the players) , etc.

Let me know what you guys think 

Honestly, I think two contests running at the same time could be difficult for people who may want to run in both, but I'm always onboard for anything that would extend writing time for contestants. Aside from time constrictions, there's also the matter of how big the contests end up being and how detailed people can get into while writing. It's hard to write a great story when you're forced to cut back on half your ideas just to meet a deadline.

So yes, I'm down for anything that can stretch  time, plus with how contests have been lately, anything new might be helpful.

Also, mafia-type contest? Count me in :DD