The Story Corner » Discussions

Event Idea: Character Journal Competition

• Halifax

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  Hello, everyone! 

  I've dreamt up a little event idea, and figured I should share it with you all for the sake of feedback - and the chance that something like this will be made official! 

  For now, I'll call it the Character Journal Competition. Here's how it works:

  • A build is selected from the Character Building section. This can be chosen either via event judges/popular vote...or may alternatively be created from scratch with a little collaboration from the Character Building community! 
  • Contestants must then play that build (On Expert), all RP aspects included, and must then write an in-character journal of their day-by-day thoughts and experiences. These can range from the character's beginnings, all the way through to the moments leading to their death! 
  • Should a character not be killed, their journal must still be sent in before the deadline of the competition.
  • Following this, judges will decide upon the best journals, making honorable mentions for aspects such as creativity, wordsmanship, accuracy (lore), accuracy (build), humor, immersiveness/depth (?) and so on, ultimately deciding on an overall winner. These journals will then be showcased in a discussion/announcement for all others to read!

  I'd also like to include a "one life only with no reloads" aspect to the competition as well, if possible. This rule would mean that those whose characters have "died" will have to stop writing since their last journal entry....potentially leaving things to a frustrating, and potentially mysterious cliffhanger! 

  This, along with the slightly heightened difficulty may provide better incentive for people to "plot" out their characters' actions and decisions with greater weight...opening options such as running away, relying upon/replacing followers, stocking up on potions, influence, daily powers, moments of genius (clutch survival!)...and the like. It'll also indirectly affect the intervals at which people may make their entries - such as in the middle of a crypt, during an ominous, and soon-to-be-dangerous moment...or at any other point where the player may feel threatened in any way. 

  ..Still, I doubt there would be much chance to regulate such a rule, so I suppose it'd be a matter entirely down to honor. It might be difficult to keep up the impact of things if you keep it for too long though - just saying! 

  Finally, screenshots (and/or Sketches) may be included within reason, and writers may put a note at the beginning of the text denoting the place of death / place where the journal would be found, if they believe that it so enriches the text. 

  Please, do message me about any inquiries, suggestions and opinions you may have regarding this idea! Not only do I want this to be accepted, but I want to make sure everyone enjoys things as well! 

  Hello, everyone! 

  I've dreamt up a little event idea, and figured I should share it with you all for the sake of feedback - and the chance that something like this will be made official! 

  For now, I'll call it the Character Journal Competition. Here's how it works:

  • A build is selected from the Character Building section. This can be chosen either via event judges/popular vote...or may alternatively be created from scratch with a little collaboration from the Character Building community! 
  • Contestants must then play that build (On Expert), all RP aspects included, and must then write an in-character journal of their day-by-day thoughts and experiences. These can range from the character's beginnings, all the way through to the moments leading to their death! 
  • Should a character not be killed, their journal must still be sent in before the deadline of the competition.
  • Following this, judges will decide upon the best journals, making honorable mentions for aspects such as creativity, wordsmanship, accuracy (lore), accuracy (build), humor, immersiveness/depth (?) and so on, ultimately deciding on an overall winner. These journals will then be showcased in a discussion/announcement for all others to read!

  I'd also like to include a "one life only with no reloads" aspect to the competition as well, if possible. This rule would mean that those whose characters have "died" will have to stop writing since their last journal entry....potentially leaving things to a frustrating, and potentially mysterious cliffhanger! 

  This, along with the slightly heightened difficulty may provide better incentive for people to "plot" out their characters' actions and decisions with greater weight...opening options such as running away, relying upon/replacing followers, stocking up on potions, influence, daily powers, moments of genius (clutch survival!)...and the like. It'll also indirectly affect the intervals at which people may make their entries - such as in the middle of a crypt, during an ominous, and soon-to-be-dangerous moment...or at any other point where the player may feel threatened in any way. 

  ..Still, I doubt there would be much chance to regulate such a rule, so I suppose it'd be a matter entirely down to honor. It might be difficult to keep up the impact of things if you keep it for too long though - just saying! 

  Finally, screenshots (and/or Sketches) may be included within reason, and writers may put a note at the beginning of the text denoting the place of death / place where the journal would be found, if they believe that it so enriches the text. 

  Please, do message me about any inquiries, suggestions and opinions you may have regarding this idea! Not only do I want this to be accepted, but I want to make sure everyone enjoys things as well! 

• Borommakot

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  DiD on Expert, eh? Sounds exciting.

  DiD on Expert, eh? Sounds exciting.

• Alastor

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  It does sound pretty fun :)

  It does sound pretty fun :)
• Golden Fool

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  Now this sounds interesting.

  Now this sounds interesting.

• The Lone Prisoner

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  This sounds fun, but the whole concept would be an honor thing, as people could just make up their journals. Still, I would love to so it. Although DiD could make for a boring story as my experience has mostly been running and hiding the whole game. Perhaps we could take some creative license with that? We say something like - "I dodged between enemies, my sword flashing left and right," rather than, "As soon as I saw the enemies I hid behind a tree. The first one came past and I stabbed him. The second came past and I stabbed him. The third who came past had a warhammer so I ran away, firing arrows at him as I went for around 10 minutes."
  
  

  This sounds fun, but the whole concept would be an honor thing, as people could just make up their journals. Still, I would love to so it. Although DiD could make for a boring story as my experience has mostly been running and hiding the whole game. Perhaps we could take some creative license with that? We say something like - "I dodged between enemies, my sword flashing left and right," rather than, "As soon as I saw the enemies I hid behind a tree. The first one came past and I stabbed him. The second came past and I stabbed him. The third who came past had a warhammer so I ran away, firing arrows at him as I went for around 10 minutes."
  
  

• Halifax

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  Oh, I think that would be fine! o: To be honest, since journals and stuff happen between fights and all, the character could even provide commentary on themselves getting used to a weapon type, realizing how dimwitted some enemies can be, or simply marveling at how many there are in an area. They can talk about their injuries too - like how they hate removing the painful two-pronged forsworn arrows, or about how a certain attack/magic style has been giving them trouble, and how they should develop a strategy/poison for it!. Goodness, they can even express disgust at how enemies like falmer always seem to poison their weapons, and/or flesh out their fear of spiders! Skyrim's got plenty of atmosphere and little nuances as well, so whilst recuperating/waiting around, one might write about the view, lore/books, atmosphere..or even IC thoughts about the people they've met in cities and on the roads! It's a journal, after all...so it can be as personal and opinionated as one wants!

  Buuut I digress! :D Creative license sounds A-OK, so long as things're not blown too far out of proportion. And I get the feeling that we'll be able to tell, even if it does o;

  Oh, I think that would be fine! o: To be honest, since journals and stuff happen between fights and all, the character could even provide commentary on themselves getting used to a weapon type, realizing how dimwitted some enemies can be, or simply marveling at how many there are in an area. They can talk about their injuries too - like how they hate removing the painful two-pronged forsworn arrows, or about how a certain attack/magic style has been giving them trouble, and how they should develop a strategy/poison for it!. Goodness, they can even express disgust at how enemies like falmer always seem to poison their weapons, and/or flesh out their fear of spiders! Skyrim's got plenty of atmosphere and little nuances as well, so whilst recuperating/waiting around, one might write about the view, lore/books, atmosphere..or even IC thoughts about the people they've met in cities and on the roads! It's a journal, after all...so it can be as personal and opinionated as one wants!

  Buuut I digress! :D Creative license sounds A-OK, so long as things're not blown too far out of proportion. And I get the feeling that we'll be able to tell, even if it does o;

• Okan-Zeeus

  

  Member
   

  November 6, 2014

  So these journals... They will be released over time or all at once? What constitutes a journal entry? 

  So these journals... They will be released over time or all at once? What constitutes a journal entry? 

• Halifax

  

  Member
   

  November 7, 2014

  Oh, I'd say that they'd be released all at once - on or before a deadline. Over time would require people to play at least once every few days, and with our irregular schedules that would probably become very inconvenient very quickly. I see this as a means of keeping a word document open on another tab (Or if on a console, on a nearby laptop), and "updating" it with thoughts and journal entries as one plays. Journal entries can be short snippets - sometimes a sentence, other times a paragraph or two - or in other occasions, a single, longer entry simply summarizing the events of a (possibly uneventful) day. Honestly, it's all really up to the user, and what they think will be a fun and engaging narrative for their character. To put it into example, say your character has a thought, idea, or whim whilst travelling along an otherwise uneventful road. Jotting down said wayward thought in a short entry at that "point" will be fine - after all, if something else happens down the road or if they get into any sort of future trouble, they'll be able to update their journal within the same day, accordingly. That being said, players can feel free to jot down any number of observations that they may find as well - say, if they wish to take a break by a nearby river in an effort to "sketch" it for the journal...or if they're hiding, and want to make a quick entry about a situation that they've gotten themselves into without risking a longer message and getting caught. This'll preserve the "pacing" of events - supposing that the player wishes to do so for their journal, of course. Players can also opt to write in a journal at the "end" of each day, instead - such as during the "timeskip" created by a carriage ride, where they may take creative license with the view, the background of the city travelled to, and their thoughts on the city they may or may not have left behind. This'll also give them time to flesh out the events of a day in greater detail...and perhaps do so with greater fluidity, though it might result in a loss of overall spontaneity in the writing. Furthermore, unlike shorter, more suspenseful "entries" like "Hid in a ditch to escape. Gods, there's a lot of them. Far too many...can't even count the number of arrows I've had to pull out of me by now, though that might be the blood loss talking." and such, these entries may also remove a considerable amount of....hmm...uncertainty, should I say? By limiting oneself to only making entries towards the end of any given day, the reader will immediately be assured of your survival....assuming, of course, that something's happened within the in-game day to threaten it. Nonetheless, I find the idea of having a quick, panicked "entry" or a short foreboding message ("I'm feeling chills just *looking* at the room ahead. Something big is in there, and it wants me out") as a final entry just that much more impactful. From a personal point of view, of course! :D I'd still say that a mix of both types of entries could do one well, though. Both have their part! Anyway, moving on... Naturally one'd have to "write" in a journal like this when given a moment to themselves / a moment in private. This generally means "not during active combat" and "preferably not in a dialogue sequence where the player is assumed to be involved". Of course, it'll still be fine to write entries like "Have to stop. Someone's coming." if sneaking / being pursued. It's not active combat after all....I suppose! Players'd also have to provide date (and, in some cases time - should they be stalking a target, or working on quests and investigations such as Blood on the Ice), when appropriate. They won't have to do so for every post, though this helps denote the passing of time in the character's world (and serves as a reminder for RPing acts such as sleeping and eating, to boot!). To close this off, I'd like to offer a few measure / alternatives that could be applied to this activity. I'm not a fan of any of them since word / day limits are my bane....but I'll put them out there just in case you want to consider them instead! Seeing that candidates'll have varying "real life" schedules, some may be able to write more - far more - before any given deadline. One could include a word limit as a result, if this is a matter of high concern. One should also note that players need not "die" to stop writing in a journal. They may choose to "retire", or "lose" their journals as well - be it to leave things up to imagination, or to simpy provide a "peaceful" ending to the subject's adventuring days. Another alternative would simply be a "day limit", preventing journal entries past a certain number of in-game days. This might be a little more difficult to gauge, however, considering elements such as fast travel, sleep, and the like. I'd recommend excluding fast travel from the day limit, or simply limiting things to "days where entries have been made". Then we have the "X in-game days per week" option, where players will have to write and submit entries equivalent to no more than a certain number of in-game "days" before waiting for the week to end. Every week, the maximum entry cap will then be raised accordingly. This system may allow newer candidates to simply enter and play / write out the appropriate number of in-game days to catch up...though naturally it will become harder to do so as time goes by. Thoughts? If you've got any other alternatives in terms of limitations, I wouldn't mind hearing them! Not that I'm a fan of limitations...but well...sometimes they're necessary, right? :D (Apologies for any incoherence on my part, by the way. As much of a chatterbox as I am, I'm completely and utterly exhausted right now! D: I'm also well aware that my writing rapidly degrades when in this state...so if you need any sort of clarification about anything I've just said, don't be shy!)

  Oh, I'd say that they'd be released all at once - on or before a deadline. Over time would require people to play at least once every few days, and with our irregular schedules that would probably become very inconvenient very quickly. I see this as a means of keeping a word document open on another tab (Or if on a console, on a nearby laptop), and "updating" it with thoughts and journal entries as one plays. Journal entries can be short snippets - sometimes a sentence, other times a paragraph or two - or in other occasions, a single, longer entry simply summarizing the events of a (possibly uneventful) day. Honestly, it's all really up to the user, and what they think will be a fun and engaging narrative for their character. To put it into example, say your character has a thought, idea, or whim whilst travelling along an otherwise uneventful road. Jotting down said wayward thought in a short entry at that "point" will be fine - after all, if something else happens down the road or if they get into any sort of future trouble, they'll be able to update their journal within the same day, accordingly. That being said, players can feel free to jot down any number of observations that they may find as well - say, if they wish to take a break by a nearby river in an effort to "sketch" it for the journal...or if they're hiding, and want to make a quick entry about a situation that they've gotten themselves into without risking a longer message and getting caught. This'll preserve the "pacing" of events - supposing that the player wishes to do so for their journal, of course. Players can also opt to write in a journal at the "end" of each day, instead - such as during the "timeskip" created by a carriage ride, where they may take creative license with the view, the background of the city travelled to, and their thoughts on the city they may or may not have left behind. This'll also give them time to flesh out the events of a day in greater detail...and perhaps do so with greater fluidity, though it might result in a loss of overall spontaneity in the writing. Furthermore, unlike shorter, more suspenseful "entries" like "Hid in a ditch to escape. Gods, there's a lot of them. Far too many...can't even count the number of arrows I've had to pull out of me by now, though that might be the blood loss talking." and such, these entries may also remove a considerable amount of....hmm...uncertainty, should I say? By limiting oneself to only making entries towards the end of any given day, the reader will immediately be assured of your survival....assuming, of course, that something's happened within the in-game day to threaten it. Nonetheless, I find the idea of having a quick, panicked "entry" or a short foreboding message ("I'm feeling chills just *looking* at the room ahead. Something big is in there, and it wants me out") as a final entry just that much more impactful. From a personal point of view, of course! :D I'd still say that a mix of both types of entries could do one well, though. Both have their part! Anyway, moving on... Naturally one'd have to "write" in a journal like this when given a moment to themselves / a moment in private. This generally means "not during active combat" and "preferably not in a dialogue sequence where the player is assumed to be involved". Of course, it'll still be fine to write entries like "Have to stop. Someone's coming." if sneaking / being pursued. It's not active combat after all....I suppose! Players'd also have to provide date (and, in some cases time - should they be stalking a target, or working on quests and investigations such as Blood on the Ice), when appropriate. They won't have to do so for every post, though this helps denote the passing of time in the character's world (and serves as a reminder for RPing acts such as sleeping and eating, to boot!). To close this off, I'd like to offer a few measure / alternatives that could be applied to this activity. I'm not a fan of any of them since word / day limits are my bane....but I'll put them out there just in case you want to consider them instead! Seeing that candidates'll have varying "real life" schedules, some may be able to write more - far more - before any given deadline. One could include a word limit as a result, if this is a matter of high concern. One should also note that players need not "die" to stop writing in a journal. They may choose to "retire", or "lose" their journals as well - be it to leave things up to imagination, or to simpy provide a "peaceful" ending to the subject's adventuring days. Another alternative would simply be a "day limit", preventing journal entries past a certain number of in-game days. This might be a little more difficult to gauge, however, considering elements such as fast travel, sleep, and the like. I'd recommend excluding fast travel from the day limit, or simply limiting things to "days where entries have been made". Then we have the "X in-game days per week" option, where players will have to write and submit entries equivalent to no more than a certain number of in-game "days" before waiting for the week to end. Every week, the maximum entry cap will then be raised accordingly. This system may allow newer candidates to simply enter and play / write out the appropriate number of in-game days to catch up...though naturally it will become harder to do so as time goes by. Thoughts? If you've got any other alternatives in terms of limitations, I wouldn't mind hearing them! Not that I'm a fan of limitations...but well...sometimes they're necessary, right? :D (Apologies for any incoherence on my part, by the way. As much of a chatterbox as I am, I'm completely and utterly exhausted right now! D: I'm also well aware that my writing rapidly degrades when in this state...so if you need any sort of clarification about anything I've just said, don't be shy!)
• Okan-Zeeus

  

  Member
   

  November 7, 2014

  Don't worry, this all makes sense (whether its long winded or not ^^). Let's see if we can't get a few more people to express interes before moving forward.

  Don't worry, this all makes sense (whether its long winded or not ^^). Let's see if we can't get a few more people to express interes before moving forward.
• Tolveor

  

  Member
   

  November 9, 2014

  This is interesting, and has been a pet idea of mine for some time. Unfortunatly I don't play the character I planned to start a journal with anymore :)

  I also think it would have to be up to the writer which build if any he does, or if he wants to do a journal of an existing character of his/her. I don't think we should be strict on creative freedoms either. DiD is an interesting thought, and I would suggest at the end of the journal we could go on to describe the death or something like that.

  This is interesting, and has been a pet idea of mine for some time. Unfortunatly I don't play the character I planned to start a journal with anymore :)

  I also think it would have to be up to the writer which build if any he does, or if he wants to do a journal of an existing character of his/her. I don't think we should be strict on creative freedoms either. DiD is an interesting thought, and I would suggest at the end of the journal we could go on to describe the death or something like that.