TGC Staff Roll and Write Challenge

Contest start date: November 5, 2019 8:45 PM

We’re looking for the next great Roll & Write or Flip & Write game. Roll & Writes are generally games where you roll a die and write something down on a pad of paper. However, sometimes instead of rolling, you draw cards. Examples are:

• Cartographers
• Roll Through The Ages
• SteamRollers
• Yahtzee
• Doodle City
• Quixx
• Harvest Dice
• and the list goes on!

Here's the twist: Your judge will be the entire staff at The Game Crafter, led by long-time crafter Terri Bass. This has the added benefit that if anyone on staff likes your game, it will be given an automatic Staff Pick on The Game Crafter.

You must create a game using the roll and write (or flip and write) mechanic. You may use any theme, other mechanics, or components that you wish. The game should be explained in less than 5 minutes, and playable in less than 45 minutes. You may include any number of players that you wish.

To qualify, your game must comply with all of the following rules:

• Your game must use roll and write (or flip and write) as a mechanic.
• Your game must be explained in less than 5 minutes.
• Your game must play in less than 45 minutes.
• The total cost of your game must be less than $39.99.
• A rules document must be downloadable from your game's shop page, and a booklet or document must be included in the game.
• The game must be publish-ready (as it relates to our shop, not as it relates to being finished). This means it has a logo, backdrop, shop ad, action shots, description, and cool factors. It must also have all images proofed, and have packaging.
• This must be a new game created for this contest. It cannot have existed on TGC prior to the start of the contest.
• All artwork must be your own, commissioned by you, licensed to you, or in the public domain.
• All entries must be submitted through TGC's game editor (by clicking on the "Contests" button) no later than Noon UTC (6am US Central) on February 17, 2020.
• Contestants may submit multiple entries to this contest. Each entry will be judged separately.

Notes

You retain all rights to your game and are welcome to sell it in our shop during and after the contest, regardless of the outcome of the contest.

The first round of judging is handled by a community voting process. The final two rounds are handled by the judge. See complete details.

After the community voting process, you will have 1 week to make changes based upon any feedback you received. Then the judges will score the games looking for 3-7 finalists.

Prizes

The winner shall receive all of the following prizes:

• $250 of shop credit on thegamecrafter.com.
• Automatic Showcase status for their game on thegamecrafter.com.
• The possibility of judging a future contest.
• Induction into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame.
• Possible Staff Pick status regardless of whether you win the contest.
• Semi-finalists, finalists, and the winner will all receive accolades for their achievements.

Semi-Finals Scoring Rubric

The following will be used to determine a list of finalists for this contest. The average of all judge's scores will be used to create the score.

• 1 point if the shop page includes a how-to play video
• 1 point for an appealing shop page (nice descriptions, inline images, pretty imagery)
• 1 point for an interesting theme
• 1 point for clear setup instructions
• 1 point for clear gameplay instructions
• 1 point for clear examples / FAQ in the instructions
• 1 point for well-formatted rules (pretty, well organized, easy to ready, clear headers)
• 1 point for novel mechanics
• 1 for good use of action shots (show the components of the game in-progress or after setup, show people having fun)
• 1 point for custom dice or custom shaped cards

Semi-finalist results

Final Scoring Rubric

The following will be used to determine a winner for this contest. The average of all judge's scores will be used to create the score.

• 1 point if the game complied with all of the contest rules to the letter
• 1 point if judge feels they haven't played this game before
• 1 point if judge feels little or no downtime during the game
• 1 point if the game creates tense player interactions
• 1 point if judge would play this game in the future
• 1 point if judge feels the components are intuitive to use
• 1 point if play starts smoothly within 5 minutes or less
• 1 point if entire play session finishes in 45 minutes or less
• 1 point if the theme is well integrated into the mechanics
• 1 point if the judge deems the game worthy of a Staff Pick

This document gives feedback for the finalists.