Hello everyone, I'm running a couple of contests over at GrassRootsGamer, and I think they may be of interest to some more "casual" designers out there.
First up, I've got Rollin' Bones wherein I'm looking for dice games. Any number of sides, any number of dice, with board or without, anything! As long players compete by hurling polyhedrons, I'm happy! No matter how simple, if you've got one, and it's voted the best by the community, you win $25US in VISA Gift Card form.
Secondly, there's Change of Venue, which is a chance for RPG game masters to show off, and face off, against each other. I was pretty amazed when I saw this setup from one of the guys over at Penny Arcade, and I'd like to see what others have done with what I'm calling "nonstandard scenarios". If it's more exotic than "a party in a dungeon or town attacking monsters", then I want to see it! Show off, and a SECOND $25 Gift Card could be yours!
Here's the schedule:
- Both contests are open for submission starting NOW! Just log in (accounts are free) to www.grassrootsgamer.com, and submit your idea. Tag your submission as either a "Dice Game" or "Roleplaying Game" (as appropriate), and once it's submitted, you'll have links to enter it in either or both contests.
- November 18, 9PM EDT - submissions to "Rollin' Bones" should be in. Voting on the dice games will start at this point.
- November 25, 9PM EDT - submissions to "Change of Venue" should be in, then voting on the Roleplaying games can start.
- December 9, 9PM EDT - I'll count up the votes on the Dice Games, and pick a winner. The winning entry gets a spiffy badge on their webpage, and I'll send $25 to the submitter!
- December 16, 9PM EDT - Same goes for the votes on the RPGs.
What have you got to lose? Anyone with a free membership can enter and vote, so throw some ideas out and start generating buzz with your friends. There's no risk, and you just might profit!
As always, questions and comments are welcome at admin@grassrootsgamer.com
If your idea is mass-marketable, and you can make $500 + 5% from it, then GrassRoots Gamer is not for you. What I'm looking to build up is a collection of free games (ideally using parts that can be printed at home or looted from other games). Everything posted is shared with a creative commons non-commercial license, so it'll remain free after the contest is over. I won't sell it, and no one else gets the right to copy and sell it.
I recognize that this isn't going to appeal to everyone. I'm impressed with anyone who can follow the whole process on their own, creating a new game from scratch and bringing it to market. What I'm trying to develop is an alternative - a chance for people who are capable of coming up with only part of a game to come together and see what falls out.
To that end, the intent of my contests is not to loot complete games that took a huge investment in time. My intent is to share the smaller ideas (one RPG encounter isn't book-worthy, but it COULD inspire others given an audience), in the hope that others will be inspired.