Stellar Reaches Contest: 76 Ethical Patrons

[Flynn]

Good morning, All,

I've mentioned this contest as a possibility in the past, but now I think I'd like to make it official.

Stellar Reaches, a free PDF fanzine for CT and T20, is holding a contest entitled 76 Ethical Patrons. For this contest, I am asking contributors to send me patron encounters in the style of the old CT Supplement 6, 76 Patrons. Enter as many times as you like. The basic stipulations are as follows:

1) The patron encounter should take up at least half a page, but no more than a full page (~800 words).

2) Each patron encounter should offer six different options. It's the editor's opinion that giving less than six different options isn't exploring the possibilities of a given scenario to their fullest extent. (Besides, six options in a patron encounter give effectively six different adventures, which in turn give the reader more for their money's worth, so to speak.)

3) The patron encounter must provide adventure opportunities that do not involve the characters having to break the law. (I'd prefer to see at least three out of the six options be perfectly legit variations on the main theme, more if you can.)

4) Each entry should also contain a brief title and a byline with the author's name, for identification and accreditation purposes.

5) Enter as many times as you like (by June 30th, that is), but make sure the work is yours. Please do not submit someone else's work or work that has already been published.

Please send your entries in either text or RTF format to:
jason.flynn.kemp~AT~gmail.com

Contest ends: 30 June 2005.

Winners will be announced in Issue #3 of the Stellar Reaches fanzine, and the top five entries will be included in that issue.

Also, if we actually hit the magic number of 76 different patron encounters, I'll put together a special Stellar Reaches supplement issue in PDF called 76 Ethical Patrons to post in the file library. All contributors will be given credit for their work, of course, and will retain the copyright on their contributions.

Happy Travellin',
Flynn

 

[Piper]

Is your definition of ethical a strict "golden rule" sort of thing or can it be situational ethics? For example: is hacking into a computer net in order to expose criminal behaviour ethical? Is spying ethical?
Just as a note; I'm not questioning ethical principles here, I'm just trying to get a feel for your guidelines.

 

[Flynn]

A great majority of the patron encounters in CT Supplement 6: 76 Patrons force the characters to break the law. That fit the gaming concept at the time, but things have changed, and most PCs try to follow the law in their actions nowadays. (Not all, of course, but most...)

People have made comments about not having enough ethical or legal patron encounters available, so I'm trying to see what I can do to get more out there.

Assume for the moment that "ethical" equals "not breaking the law", and go from there...

There should still be a lot of possibilities as others may break the law in order to interfere with the characters completing their mission. (The opposition doesn't have to be ethical, just the PCs' participation in the scenario. If the characters choose to violate the law, that's their choice. I would rather illicit activities not be required, and that it not be intrinsic to the scenario that characters are forced to violate the law.)

Hope that helps,
Flynn

 

[Piper]

Yes, that helps a lot; thanks.

 

[vutpakdi]

Interesting idea for a contest!

So, this contest inspired in any way by recent game events?

Ron

 

[Flynn]

Oh, no, no, no... do a search for 76 Ethical Patrons here on COTI, and you'll see that the concept has appeared in a number of threads in the past. (I found 3 in my quickie search, the earliest being in February of this year.) I finally decided that it would be cool to see if people actually wanted to make it a reality. Not sure if we'll actually get 76 patron encounters, but if we do, I'll put it together into a PDF for release through the file library here on COTI.

Now, if you wanted to try a few out in the PBEM, I wouldn't object...

Enjoy,
Flynn

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Where do we post? Here?

 

[Flynn]

Originally posted by Flynn:

Please send your entries in either text or RTF format to:
jason.flynn.kemp~AT~gmail.com

Contest ends: 30 June 2005.

Does that help?

-Flynn

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

Heh. Serve me right for skimming!

 

[RainOfSteel]

Flynn,

What kind of manuscript formatting are you looking for? None, some, lots?

 

[RainOfSteel]

<gnarr />

1/2 to 1 page is too small!

 

[Flynn]

I'm pretty open, but would prefer a basic format similar to the usual manner in which patrons are written. As for style, etc., I tend to like the body text to be Times New Roman at 10 pt font, and most headings are in Arial at 13 pt font. I can handle that issue, though, with a simple cut and paste to text and then into Word, followed by some style changes. For a project of this size, with single page entries, I'm fine with doing that. Stuff with tables, ugh!

Hope that helps answer your question though,
Flynn

 

[Flynn]

ROS,

A page or less is a challenge, I admit, but it is doable. Think of it as an exercise in practicing concise writing.

If that doesn't work, consider submitting your creation as an article, and don't worry about the contest.

Hasta,
Flynn

 

[far-trader]

So by "ethical" for the exercise we are talking Imperialists who support the law and governance of the OTU?

Not saying that either side is morally superior, there's room on both for ethical and less-than-ethical actions. Just that the point of view for the submissions is those who would call themselves Citizens of the Imperium right

Actually like Sigg our games usually worked much like that*, but my characters would think of themselves as loyal to the Imperium and only operate criminally in the eyes of those who were operating against the Imperium. The little adventure in the Spinward Marches Campaign booklet is a good example. PCs forced to steal the ship of a megacorp rep and flee Imperial prosecution so they can prove they are innocent and it is in fact the megacorp rep that has been ripping off the Navy. Do they do this because they don't believe in the right of the law? No, it is because they are framed so well that the only way to prove their innocence and insure that justice is done is to break a number of laws that they wouldn't be forced to break if not for the frame. Ethical? Not really. Right (as in just, as in justified) I think so. Besides, it's an adventure

Of course there are my, what some might call ethically challenged, characters who have a different take on who is right to say who is right

* from the posts at the bottom of the page here:

link

 

[RainOfSteel]

I note that your webpage in your CotI profile, and a Google search, turn up no links for the fanzine.

Am I just missing something?

Are all submissions, regardless of type, done through the e-mail address above?

What are your publication rules? I'm smart enough to realize that payment is not being offered, and material must be freely contributed, but am I offering all rights forever, or standard First North American? Where do I go to read about this stuff?

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Originally posted by Flynn:
All contributors will be given credit for their work, of course, and will retain the copyright on their contributions.

 

[Flynn]

Nah... On the second page of the fanzine, there's the URL, as well as all the legal disclaimers, etc. It's in the fine print.

Sadly, no one else has linked to the fanzine's website, which will change shortly to the following:
http://stellarreaches.nwgamers.org/

Yes, at this time, all submissions are made through the same email addy, given above.

All I'm asking is the right to publish your work in the fanzine. You retain the copyright on your material, and it is yours to do with as you please. If I understand it correctly, then I'm asking you for the equivalent of First North America Rights. As the Stellar Reaches is a fanzine created by contributed materials, with no money ever changing hands, I think that's all I could ever hope to ask for. And indeed, for the purposes for which we use the material, that's all I need.

Essentially, I would need your permission again to reprint the article in another source, such as a "Best Of" compilation of Stellar Reaches issues down the road. Anyone seeking to put your article up on their website needs your permission, not mine. Despite it being in the fanzine, it is still your intellectual property.

The one caveat, of course, is anything declared as Open Game Content for T20, but that's because of the nature of the OGL, not me, and my declaration of Open Game Content does not allow anyone to repost an entire article, but just certain game mechanics from it.

I am not a lawyer, and for something like this, I'd really like to avoid having to hire one for something that I'm doing just for fun. (It'd be like consulting with a lawyer because I want to ride my bike. No thanks.)

Hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[Flynn]

Originally posted by far-trader:
So by "ethical" for the exercise we are talking Imperialists who support the law and governance of the OTU?

Far-trader,

I can definitely see your point, but please bear in mind that I've already asked, as per basic stipulation #3, that "The patron encounter must provide adventure opportunities that do not involve the characters having to break the law."

Whether or not they support the law of whatever polity the patron encounter is used in, the encounter must provide opportunities that do not involve the characters breaking the law and getting into legal issues. (The bad guys can do it all they want, which is probably how the situation described in the encounter comes to pass in the first place.)

This, of couse, is harder in a more oppressive interstellar government. That's why there's a need for this type of encounter.

Hope this helps,
Flynn

 

[RainOfSteel]

Originally posted by Fritz88:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Flynn:
All contributors will be given credit for their work, of course, and will retain the copyright on their contributions.

</font>[/QUOTE]Ok, ok! So I missed the last sentence (that paragraph started talking about something completely unrelated to copyright . . . but I'm guilty of skimming, it seems, as well). I was reading over the bullet-points.

 

[RainOfSteel]

Flynn,

Ok, I actually plan to submit a collection of 5 Patron Encounters.

Encounter 1 is complete (took about two hours, including editing). I'll work on the rest over the next few days (stop laughing!), and then re-edit them from the top, and then e-mail them over.

EDIT--06/08/2005--1523--MDT (1.5 hours or so after this was originally posted.)
Encounter 2's first draft is complete.

EDIT--06/13/2005--0927--MDT
<grrrr />
It was a bad weekend.