Astrum Venatus- Tournament Rules

9 min read

Deviation Actions

crystal-rex's avatar
By
Published:
285 Views




Main
Chat|Rules|FAQ|How to Enter
Species|Judges

Auditions
SEs and Fanstuffs

Roster|Round One|Round Two|Round Three|Round Four|Finals



(Gigantic thanks to LadyRiverlark for all her wonderful help on this!)

Main Rules


1. Astrum Venatus is a Writer’s Original Character Tournament. This means that all entries must be submitted in written form. It doesn't have to be a novel, just write whatever it takes to tell the story properly. Quality will always be more important than quantity here. Spectator Entries created between rounds can be in any media and fanart or comics are certainly welcomed.

2. Rounds are single elimination with one-on-one matches. Both writers will write their own version of the match in which their character wins. The entry that is judged better will become canon to the tournament and that writer will move on to the next round.

3. The first and foremost rule to any Tournament is that YOU MUST BE WILLING TO HAVE FUN. If you’re a whiner, complainer, or if you just don’t want to do anything but cut down your opponent, this is not the place for you. We all work together here for the good of all, and just because it's a competition doesn't mean you have to be all srs business. It's a game, so enjoy yourself and take the chance to meet some new people.

4. MEET THE DEADLINES. I’m not going to wait for a lot of people unless it’s a really special situation. If you don’t meet a deadline, you’re considered a forfeit and your opponent wins. So remember… TIMING IS IMPORTANT. And please, if you know ahead of time that you are going to forfeit, let me know.

5. Be nice to each other, even when I’m not around. Everyone is happier that way and the game runs much more smoothly if people are cooperating.

6. Be prepared for ANYTHING. That's right, anything.





Round Rules/FAQ


1. What happens to the losers?
If they aren't killed in the round, then they’re generally treated for wounds and sent back to their quarters. They are no longer able to compete but they are free to stay around the Star Game planets for the duration of the tournament and continue to interact with the other characters.

2. Am I allowed to kill or loot during or between rounds?
During the competitions, you are encouraged to be as bloody and ruthless as possible, though killing one’s opponent isn’t generally condoned. It makes for higher ratings for the televised version of the Star Games to have it exciting, though. Between rounds, it is officially discouraged to do either, but that mostly means ‘don't get caught’.

3. Where are the characters allowed to go between rounds?
There is a complex on one of the planets to house the competitors. They are not required to stay there and may wander around the public areas of any of the planets so long as they don't attempt to leave the planets that are part of the Games. Most stadiums have medical bays built in, but for the seriously injured, they may be transported to a planet with a special facility for observation and recovery.

4. Is my character able to acquire more advanced equipment once the tournament has started?
Within reason, you are allowed to do this if your character has money. There are not a lot of weapon shops near the Star Games though. Most sell souvenirs or are hotels for spectators. If the character is extremely under-equipped, they might be able to find a sponsor for the tournament to help them purchase better gear. Or you can always try stealing someone else's weapons.




Character Rules/FAQ


1. How many characters am I allowed to have?
You may have one main character and one secondary character. The main character is the one who was recruited and will compete in the rounds. The secondary character is non-combative and will not take parts in the rounds themselves. You are not required to have a secondary character.

HOWEVER: With a secondary character, it WILL be allowed to 'baton pass' an event. Your secondary character MAY compete in a round in place of the main character, but the main character will NOT get a chance to compete in said round if that happens. Choose wisely.

EDIT: With some confusion on this Issue- Writers who enter as a team or have characters with a fan following are still restricted to the character limit of ONE main competitor, and ONE secondary character. Even if there are two people writing, there is two characters maximum, regardless. NPCs are allowed, but the ones with profiles are the one's I'm counting, savvy? That said, there's still only one person allowed into the main competitive part of each event XD;

2. What species is my character allowed to be?
Human and most other sci-fi species are allowed. See the provided species template for details.

3. What weapons or other gear is my character allowed to bring?
Your character is allowed to bring any weapons or equipment from their homeworld that they own and can carry with them. Don't go overboard inventing ridiculous technology, but feel free to be creative. Just remember, items can be lost or broken and this tournament is more about character development than owning the ‘biggest, baddest weapon’.

4. Is my character allowed to have magic?
Within reason, magic is practiced in the known galaxy. However, it is very rare. There are species out there who can practice magic (humans being one of them), but most cannot, and more than a few think of it as a fantasy. SCIENCE!

Yes, that means supernatural characters such as vampires, werewolves, demons, and other such beings are allowed. But as always... BE REASONABLE.

5. What about robots?
Generally disallowed in the tournament, some sentient robot with a sense of self might be allowed to enter. For the most part, though, issues with them mean that they’re banned from competing. Note me to see if I would allow yours.

EDIT: a lot of people have been confused about this rule. Here is my explanation (lol, copy/paste) as to what kind of robots I am actually 'banning'.

"Basically, that rule is in place becuase I've seen far too many powerplaying opportunities when it comes to robotics. It's an excuse to have a lot of huge guns and technological advancements that takes away from the original purpose of the OCT itself, which is to make people close to their characters, and help writing in an emotionally charged, morally difficult situation. Many of the events I have planned are not conductive to robots, and for that matter, most robots, unless they have a sentience of their own, are programmed and have no reason to need a 'life dream/goal'.

So in conclusion:

Cyborgs- Allowed
Androids/robots who have sentience enough to think of themselves as people- Allowed
Mech-suits for living characters- Allowed
Advanced robotic technology such as nanomites to support characters- Allowed so far.
Super-powerful killing machines with no minds- Not Allowed
Traditional mindless 'slave' Robots- ...Secondary characters if anything.

Hope that helps.

6. Is my character required to be a great warrior, or can I enter some poor normal person into this?
Nevermind was sent to collect an interesting selection of people from a variety of worlds. The people in charge generally think things are more interesting when there are some oddballs and underdogs involved in this. There can be more surprise endings that way. Feel free to enter characters from any walk of life.

6b. What is 'God-moding'? Can I make my character the BEST OF THE BEST? Or at least close to it?

The web defines this and why I don't allow this better than I do. Here, have some links.

On God-Moding:
www.urbandictionary.com/define…

On being 'the best of the best':
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

On knowing far too much:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metagami…

The degree of any of these things is up to interpretation. I can stand a little of it; even the best of us make mistakes, but if an entry is FAR too rife with all of these things.... I will be forced to ask the entrant to edit their material a bit before I will allow the entrant to audition. It will also severely hurt the chances of anyone who is doing a round to use any of these three things.

7. Can I add my own history in with the judge characters, or say that my characters have known them beforehand?

Not without ASKING. Be courteous to your Judges and the Host, and they will be courteous to you. To do otherwise is rude, and will take points off, big time.
















....

© 2009 - 2024 crystal-rex
Comments17
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
AteMozzarella's avatar
just wondering: if my character has more than one companion, then only one of them (the secondary character) can come along? To what extent can the other minor companions besides the secondary character accompany the primary?