Scenario Design Contest #5

[jim panse]

for i´m nearly finished with my sewastopol scenario i would prefer either a great battles of the world or a great battles ww2 theme.

but most interesting sounds the great battles of ww1 to em ...

[Jimmywax]

I think the fact that you are almost finished disqualifies you. I think you have to start from scratch once the parameters are established, or am I wrong?

[jim panse]

you´re right. i feel ashamed. let´s do some ww1 great battles

[Jimmywax]

NO NO NO, Alternate History! I mean come on, really people! Ohhh! I feel so alone...

Ah screw it, I probably wouldn't fininsh it anyways.

[Boco]

Yeah, WWI sounds great (says Boco who's trying to hide the fact that he's been toying with a WWI campaign for 8 months)! A battle can cover three years and a thousand square miles, can't it?

Ah screw it, I probably wouldn't fininsh it anyways.

I wonder what the ratio of unfinished to finished scenarios ratio is? My disk is littered with unfinished debris. Techumseh's pretty prolific, but even he mentions having half a dozen unfinished ones.

JW, does your alt history idea fit into any of the times or places mentioned to date?

It'd be great if WV or some wise soul (even Canadian) would start a new contest poll with viable options from this thread. If I had any experience and/or sense, I'd do it myself.

[Case]

Originally posted by Boco
A battle can cover three years and a thousand square miles, can't it?

I vote that it can

(*pulls cloth over own half completed 'battle' scenario covering the North Atlantic convoy routes* )

[Jimmywax]

Actually I was thinking of doing something loosely based on the S.M.Stirling book "The Peshawar Lancers". I really enjoyed the book and have read another short story of his set in the same universe that shed a little more light on his vision.

P.S. I guess it might fit into one of the other categories too. It would be mostly set in Asia, but I think WV is right and that the entries would be too spread out for him to research.

[jim panse]

i would prefer this one:

how about providing a map and letting people do whatever they want with it?

(kobayashi).

this is a great idea and would provide much fun?!

[techumseh]

This discussion is clearly headed nowhere. If people are serious about a CONTEST, then some rules are going to be needed. The idea that anybody can submit anything is nice, but it's not a real contest.

To my mind, a fair contest requires a level playing field. That means everyone starts from scratch, the theme is tight enough that comparison is meaningful, rules are spelled out in advance and are followed, and that judging is free from bias or the appearance of bias.

To accomplish this, an untried theme is best, so it's unlikely that someone has something half finished on their hard drive ready to submit. Rules need to be followed, unlike the last contest where two of the entries violated the contest rules, and should have been disqualified.

The timelines originally established should be followed, within reason. If someone needs and extra week, that's one thing, but time frames shouldn't repeatedly be extended.

If people want objective judging, then anonimity MUST be assured. In the last contest, I withdrew from participating in the judging when the identity of contestants was revealed to me. Those who think it doesn't matter are just kidding themselves.

Perhaps those who want a WWII scenario could suggest a theme that will be specific and new, if not unique. If there is such a suggestion, then maybe we could test the community on whether they want WWII or an Asian/industrial or some other theme.

[Michael Daumen]

Althist Contest Guidelines proposal 1.1

Here are some ground rules for a potential scenario contest involving alternate history.

1. The designer shall provide a short description of the departure point from Earth's history. Anything from the specific - "Union troops fail to discover Confederate plans prior to the battle of Anteitam" - to the general - "the Axis wins the Second World War" - to the far out - "Plato never wrote the Republic." The designer does not have to defend his choice of departure point or provide a logical/scientific basis for one. An unlikely or implausible departure point shall not affect the scenario's final score.

2. The designer shall state the length of time elapsed between the departure point and the start of the scenario, if any. For example, a scenario set in 2003 after the invasion of Japan by the Allies has a elapsed time of 58 years. A scenario about Lopez' invasion of Cuba in the 1850's after a more-harshly-worded Ostend Manifesto has an elapsed time of "immediate." All scenarios shall not start later than 2003 (alternate future?). Designers may wish to expound on the changes that have arisen during the elapsed time, but this is not required (NB: it is NEVER necessary to explain the presence of dirigibles in ANY alternate history; their existence is assumed).

3. The designer is free to use any map depicting a portion or all of the Earth. Changes to allow for the effects of the departure point - terrain representing asteroid-devastated areas, a map of Pangaea for a time-travel accident, Central America with a Nicaraguan canal - are all permissible. The designer shall include a base (unchanged) map in the zip file.

4. Unusual technology is permitted as a departure point for a scenario. A Roman empire with gunpowder, Ming Dynasty alchemy, and Merlin as the leader of the Britons are all acceptable.

5. All civilizations meant for play must represented by a human nation. No alien invasion scenarios will be considered. Natural forces (dinosaurs, hurricanes, et al.) can be simulated by the use of not-for-play nations.

6. Solo play, PBEM, alternate starts, bat files are all permissible [?]

7. FW vs MGE [?]

Finally, such a contest could use someone uninvolved (ie not designing or judging) who can relay specific questions entrants have to the judges, making sure that their ideas are OK before too much time is spent. If not, I would err on the side of including any wierd idea the Civ2 community comes up with.

[Michael Daumen]

Jimmywax,

What's the name of the short story?

[Henrik]

I think those are a great set of contest rules

[Boco]

Uh...Tech, I think the Apples and Spaceships / Level playing field is a distinct minority here. Granicus to Bulge was too restrictive by about 65 million years!

Let the majority rule...sigh! I'll wait for something other than a freeforall. JW's 'probably never finish it' quote holds for me, too.

[Jimmywax]

Originally posted by Michael Daumen
Jimmywax,

What's the name of the short story?

The title of the short story is the "Shikari in Galveston" from the book Worlds That Weren't. It has stories by Turtledove, Stirling, Mary Gentle, and Walter Jon Williams.

[Michael Daumen]

I only mentioned Pangaea to show an extreme example of a permissible map, that's all. Make a requirement that all scenarios must involve humans, and not aliens, dinosaurs, or anthropomorphic beings - or require a minimum starting date. Personally, I would expect most scenarios to fall within the Granicus to Bulge bloc anyway. I just wouldn't want to discourage any potential entrant.