The Great Collab of 2018-19: Rules of the Road

[TidalDragon]

RULES & SCORING

As you've already seen from the announcement post, the next challenge standing between your house and eternal glory is a six-month collaborative writing experience and you're probably ready now to get off to the races. Before you do, check out the rules below. Don't forget to stop by the scoring section at the bottom to figure out how to earn points!

RULES

• Each pairing can write an unlimited number of stories, so long as they meet the following criteria:
  • Must match the assigned topic for that period
  • Must be between 1,000 and 2,500 words
  • Must be included in the Moderated Series 2019 Collab on the HPFT Archive
• Each pairing must submit two (2) theme challenges to the other pairing:
  • The challenges must be:
    • A theme from the existing list of themes on the HPFT Archive (i.e. Dystopian, Soulmates, Time-Travel, etc.)
    • The submitted theme cannot have already been used/selected by any pairing during the entire event;
    • Themes will be selected by posting theme in the appropriate topic in your pairing's sub-forum and will be claimed on a first-come-first-served basis
• Each house must write at least five (5) stories
• No story is required to fit a challenge issued by the opposing pairing
• Each house may submit up to three (3) stories to be judged for Quality Points (see below)

SCORING

• Points Per Entry (PPE): Each house will receive five (5) PPE for each qualifying story they submit
• Quality Points: Each house will receive points for their stories (of those submitted per the rules above) that place T3 according to the following scale: 150-100-50
• Bonuses:
  • Challenges
    • Each house to submit at least five (5) stories that fit either challenge for that period will receive fifty (50) points
  • Most Stories
    • At the end of the event, each house will receive points based on the total number of stories written according to the following scale: 100-75-50-25
    • For the purpose of calculating the total number of stories, those fitting either challenge for the appropriate period will be count double
• Round Wins
  • Each pairing will receive 100 points for each period they win
  • Victory will be determined by adding each pairing's:
    • Total number of entries (as calculated above)
    • Challenge Bonuses (if any)
    • Quality Points
  • EXAMPLE: 
    • Pairing A writes twenty (20) stories, ten (10) of which are for challenges; both houses in Pairing A earn the Challenge Bonus; Pairing A receives 150 Quality Points;
      • TOTAL: 280 (10*2 for challenge stories + 10*1 for other stories + 50*2 for Challenge Bonuses + 150 Quality Points)
    • Pairing B writes ten (10) stories, five (5) of which are for challenges; one house in Pairing B earns the Challenge Bonus; Pairing B receives 150 Quality Points;
      • TOTAL: 215 (5*2 for challenge stories + 5*1 for other stories + 50*1 for Challenge Bonus + 150 Quality Points)
    • PAIRING A WINS

Post your questions and claim the themes you want to use for your challenges below! Please tag both @ShadowRose and @TidalDragon in any questions to ensure it gets seen and answered!

[belgian quaffle]

3 hours ago, TidalDragon said:

The challenges must be:

• One (1) theme from the existing list of themes on the HPFT Archive (i.e. Dystopian, Soulmates, Time-Travel, etc.)
• The submitted theme cannot have already been used/selected by any pairing during the entire event;

 

to clarify: does this mean that when you issue two themes to the opposing team that one of the themes must come from the existing list and one can be completely made up/not on the existing list?

3 hours ago, TidalDragon said:

No story is required to fit a challenge issued by the opposing pairing

and also (another for clarification, i guess, looking at this and the scoring): you don't have to write anything that fits a challenge theme, so long as the story fits the category (i.e. new beginnings, this time)?

[TidalDragon]

9 minutes ago, adorably cute said:

to clarify: does this mean that when you issue two themes to the opposing team that one of the themes must come from the existing list and one can be completely made up/not on the existing list?

Both themes have to be from the existing list, but it can only be a single theme at a time. So you could use Rare Pairs as a challenge, but not Rare Pairs with a Teen Pregnancy as a challenge. I've tried to clarify with an edit.

10 minutes ago, adorably cute said:

and also (another for clarification, i guess, looking at this and the scoring): you don't have to write anything that fits a challenge theme, so long as the story fits the category (i.e. new beginnings, this time)?

Correct.

[facingthenorthwind]

Okay buckle up for some Very Silly Questions because I understand........ approx nothing. 

When you say "pairing" -- do we need a buddy? Like, if I wanted to write a fic, do I need a hufflepuff bud to collab with? 

Also, if I write 17 200-word drabbles, and idk @adorably cute writes 4 2000-word oneshots (and all 21 pieces are New Beginnings-themed), then do I get more points, even though Sarah has written more? 

[scooterbug8515]

Okay, I have loads of questions and it may because I'm not good at figuring this stuff out.

1.  Pairings - are we being paired individually off?  Or is this just a matter that Gryffindor and Slytherin in this first round are all writing similar stories based on the themes that Hufflepuff Ravenclaw are giving us and the theme New Beginnings?

2.  With the stories that we submit, only 5 of them have to fit the themes that we are given by the other team?

3.  This is a follow up to 2, am I correct in understanding the story only needs 1 of the two themes we receive from the other team in conjunction with the new beginnings?

4.  Any story we write after the 5 can be anything we want as long as it fits New Beginnings?

5.  Of the 3 stories, we submit for quality... do they have to have the themes that were given us or just the New Beginnings theme?

6. Is there a word count minimum?  I see the max is 2500

7. I am assuming we will eventually collaborate with the other houses as there are a mention of rounds right?

8.  A follow up to 7, what is the deadline what we have to get themes to the other houses?

9. This is another follow up, how long do we have to get these stories written and in the que?

10.  Will the main theme ie the New Beginnings theme change with each round if there are rounds or will that remain and we just will get a change in added themes when we change the house we are working with?

Sorry, it's a long list but I just want clarity so I don't go running in the wrong direction as I'm wonton to do! 

[Guest Rumpelstiltskin]

I'm actually in the same boat as Emma. I'm sorry about all the questions, but I think I need a bit of clarification because I am very confused (among others).

This is what I'm understanding from reading the rules, is this correct:

So, for each "Round" (as shown in "The Journey Begins" thread -- cute theme team names, btw), two of the Houses will be paired together, and are the "pairings" that are described above. During each round, each "pairing" of two houses will work together to come up with two themes to give to the other "pairing". Each "pairing" (the two houses paired together for each round) will be responsible for writing stories to fit the theme given to them and submitting them to a pre-created series, made specifically for this event. 

All stories entered will be counted for points, but only three will be counted for "quality purposes" per HOUSE (and not pairing?). These three stories will be chosen by US to submit to staff for said judging, at our discretion. 

^Is that right?

 

Also, must these stories be strictly in the potter fandom?

[down-in-flames]

alright i'm going to do my best to clarify some of these!

first of all, i'm going to clarify that there's the topic (new beginnings this round, TBA for future rounds) and then there are themes (which are the two things you submit to the other pairing). i'm gonna use that nomenclature from here on out.

1 hour ago, facingthenorthwind said:

When you say "pairing" -- do we need a buddy? Like, if I wanted to write a fic, do I need a hufflepuff bud to collab with? 

2

Quote

1.  Pairings - are we being paired individually off?  Or is this just a matter that Gryffindor and Slytherin in this first round are all writing similar stories based on the themes that Hufflepuff Ravenclaw are giving us and the theme New Beginnings?

 

no, you are not being individually paired off. you're working with the other house as a whole.

15 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

2.  With the stories that we submit, only 5 of them have to fit the themes that we are given by the other team?

 

you can submit as many stories as you want with the "theme challenges" - that is, you can submit zero that fit the challenges, or you could make all of them fit the theme if you're feeling super fancy. you get 50 bonus points if at least five fit one of the challenge themes.

20 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

3.  This is a follow up to 2, am I correct in understanding the story only needs 1 of the two themes we receive from the other team in conjunction with the new beginnings?

correct!

20 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

4.  Any story we write after the 5 can be anything we want as long as it fits New Beginnings?

 

also correct,  although once again, you could theoretically write none that fit the "challenge theme" if you so choose.

21 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

5.  Of the 3 stories, we submit for quality... do they have to have the themes that were given us or just the New Beginnings theme?

 

just the new beginnings theme. 

22 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

6. Is there a word count minimum?  I see the max is 2500

i'm deferring to @TidalDragon on this one, as i'm actually not 100% sure of the answer to this. my gut instinct is that the only minimum that applies here is the archive minimum of 100 words; however, kevin may correct me on this one.

25 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

7. I am assuming we will eventually collaborate with the other houses as there are a mention of rounds right?

yes, pairings will rotate! the exact schedule is posted in the +the journey begins topic

26 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

8.  A follow up to 7, what is the deadline what we have to get themes to the other houses?

it's first-come, first-serve and theme challenges can't be reused once assigned once - so there's incentive to get them decided asap.

27 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

9. This is another follow up, how long do we have to get these stories written and in the que?

the timeline is also in the +the journey begins post - this first round will run until january 31, second round until march 31, and third round until may 31.

28 minutes ago, scooterbug8515 said:

10.  Will the main theme ie the New Beginnings theme change with each round if there are rounds or will that remain and we just will get a change in added themes when we change the house we are working with?

the main topic will change with each new pairing!

1 hour ago, facingthenorthwind said:

Also, if I write 17 200-word drabbles, and idk @adorably cute writes 4 2000-word oneshots (and all 21 pieces are New Beginnings-themed), then do I get more points, even though Sarah has written more? 

lol i'm dreadfully out of order in answering these. short answer: yes, you would get more quantity points. however, the longer pieces would probably be more likely to qualify for those quality points, so if you wrote 17 drabbles (and got 85 points for them at 5 PPE) and sarah wrote 4 longer pieces but one of those longer pieces got 2nd place, she'd get 120 points (100 for placing, 20 for quantity) and therefore get more points. not saying that drabbles can't place, but, ya know, it's probably less likely.

29 minutes ago, Rumpelstiltskin said:

So, for each "Round" (as shown in "The Journey Begins" thread -- cute theme team names, btw), two of the Houses will be paired together, and are the "pairings" that are described above. During each round, each "pairing" of two houses will work together to come up with two themes to give to the other "pairing". Each "pairing" (the two houses paired together for each round) will be responsible for writing stories to fit the theme given to them and submitting them to a pre-created series, made specifically for this event. 

All stories entered will be counted for points, but only three will be counted for "quality purposes" per HOUSE (and not pairing?). These three stories will be chosen by US to submit to staff for said judging, at our discretion. 

yes, all of this is correct! although, as mentioned before, the TOPIC is the mandatory part. using the themes given to you by the other house is optional but gets you bonus points.

33 minutes ago, Rumpelstiltskin said:

Also, must these stories be strictly in the potter fandom?

nope! all fandoms are fair game.

 

 

alright, i think i got all of it!! if you need any more clarification though, please don't hesitate to ask. 

[scooterbug8515]

Thanks for answering the questions.  I have one more... Is it possible to make one main story that I submit all my individual stories under (That connects to the collection)?  It would be fun to write for this but at the same time, I don't want to clog my AP with so many stories, particularly if I aim for that 'unlimited' quantity goal.

[TidalDragon]

I don't have power ATM (hooray snow) so I'm not going to try to quote anything, but I will clarify a few things. 

Re: Minimum Word Count - I don't think this was specified, but the idea is for these to be one-shots, so let's say 1,000 words. I've edited the rules to reflect this.

Re: Fandoms - OF is also eligible

Re: Single Story - I BELIEVE you can do this by creating your story and adding it to the series, then adding chapters to it which would have to be validated as normal, though I'd defer to @abhorsen. on that since it's been a LONG time since I was under the hood on the Archive.

[belgian quaffle]

@TidalDragon it says above that this is where we should claim the themes we want to use for our challenge so:

Gryffindor and Slytherin would like to officially claim "space operas" and "teen pregnancy" as their theme challenges to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw

[facingthenorthwind]

Another clarification! @ShadowRose said all fandoms are eligible, but @TidalDragon's answer implies they have to be HP or OF? Or am I reading it wrong?

[down-in-flames]

3 minutes ago, facingthenorthwind said:

Another clarification! @ShadowRose said all fandoms are eligible, but @TidalDragon's answer implies they have to be HP or OF? Or am I reading it wrong?

all fandoms and OF are eligible! kevin's comment was meant to add on to mine, since i forgot to mention OF in my initial post.

[facingthenorthwind]

Could Ravenpuff please claim slow burn and vampirism as challenge categories for Gryfferin?

[mydearfoxy]

11 hours ago, TidalDragon said:

• • • For the purpose of calculating the total number of stories, those fitting either challenge for the appropriate period will be count double

Forgive me if this was already asked and I missed it -

Does this mean that if I write one story that fits the topic and both themes (to use Taylor's terminology), that story receives double points?

[TidalDragon]

Again, because I suck at... anything really on mobile

@MuggleMaybe If you look to the example at the bottom it should show this. But basically in determining round winners ONLY, a story written only for the topic counts for a single "point" while a story written for the topic (obviously) and EITHER challenge theme yields two (2) "points".

Please note that I am putting these "points" in quotes because they have NOTHING TO DO WITH HOUSE CUP POINTS. These are ONLY to determine round winners between the two (2) PAIRINGS (and thus which earns that bonus of 100 ACTUAL House Cup points).

[mydearfoxy]

Thanks for the quick reply, Kevin! (Man, I hope your power comes back soon! That stinks! Please stay safe. )

4 minutes ago, TidalDragon said:

Please note that I am putting these "points" in quotes because they have NOTHING TO DO WITH HOUSE CUP POINTS. These are ONLY to determine round winners between the two (2) PAIRINGS.

This is a useful clarification, thank you very much.

I am taking your answer to mean there is no advantage to writing a single story that fits both themes.

[TidalDragon]

Correct.

[Aphoride]

If we write a bunch of chapters in a (new) short story which all fit the theme individually, do they count as individual entries? (provided they fit the 2.5k rule, etc.) Alternatively, we can do a series of one-shots which all form a short story, provided the same, right? 

[TidalDragon]

18 hours ago, Aphoride said:

If we write a bunch of chapters in a (new) short story which all fit the theme individually, do they count as individual entries? (provided they fit the 2.5k rule, etc.) Alternatively, we can do a series of one-shots which all form a short story, provided the same, right? 

The chief focus (aside from collaborating/having fun together ) is whether individual entries fit the topic and, if you so choose, the challenge theme. As long as the topic (or both) of those requirements are met by the entry they would each receive individual points.

However you cannot submit the entire resulting short story or series for quality points. Only one (1) entry from within it would be eligible.

[Guest Rumpelstiltskin]

Sorry to be a general pain-in-the-butt but I do have two questions.

1. Can we combine entries for this collab challenge with other challenges? (IE: Write a one-shot that would both fit the criteria for this challenge as well as a member-posted challenge and submit it to both?)

2. Are we meant to be putting the challenge entries into that Collaboration series above ourselves, or will that be taken care of? If the former, how do we do it? I've taken a look at series that I am allowed to add stories to, and that series is not listed. 

[Bat Stitch Crazy]

@Rumpelstiltskin Did you ever get an answer to your above question? 

[Guest Rumpelstiltskin]

Nope, not yet  .  I nearly forgot about it -- I'm not sure if anyone's seen them yet though. 

 

@TidalDragon or  @ShadowRose ?

[TidalDragon]

On 12/19/2018 at 2:56 PM, Rumpelstiltskin said:

1. Can we combine entries for this collab challenge with other challenges? (IE: Write a one-shot that would both fit the criteria for this challenge as well as a member-posted challenge and submit it to both?)

I don't see a problem with this. Since you're already getting the PPE for having it in the collab however, you can only earn placement points for the challenge.

 

On 12/19/2018 at 2:56 PM, Rumpelstiltskin said:

2. Are we meant to be putting the challenge entries into that Collaboration series above ourselves, or will that be taken care of? If the former, how do we do it? I've taken a look at series that I am allowed to add stories to, and that series is not listed. 

You should be able to add them yourselves and our archive staff and admins will be able to actually approve them for addition to the collab. I am checking on the status of the series though because it may be that they have not yet been created on the archive.

[abhorsen.]

@Rumpelstiltskin - Are you able to add it to +this series?

[Guest Rumpelstiltskin]

Yes, I am !