HUGE Writing Contest - Millions of gold, Hundreds of Platinum, a FORTRESS, and TONS More!

Welcome to the King’s Library MASSIVE Writing Contest! Millions of gold, hundreds of platinum, rares, hundreds of thousands of resources, even a FORTRESS, all up for the taking!




*Each player may submit any number of books to any number of categories listed below.

*Each book written can only be submitted to one specific category. Example: If the book “The Story of Bob” is submitted to the Character History category, it cannot be submitted to any other category.

*Each book should be between 200-1000+ words. This is a very general guideline and you can go over the limit if necessary, but much below that might count against the submission.

*Each book should pertain to the category it is submitted to. A book submitted to the PvP category should pertain primarily to PvP.

*It is possible to win in multiple categories. If you submit to three separate categories, you could theoretically win first place prizes for each of those categories.




*All submitted entries should be sent to me directly through Forum PM.

*When submitting your entry, include the following information:

• Title of the Book
• Author of the Book (this can be you, can be a character of yours, or fictional character within the game)
• Your Forum/IRC names
• the Category being submitted to
• the Date

*Submissions should be sent to me directly through Forum PM.

*Submissions must be turned in to me no later than March 19th, 11:59pm EST.




I have a point-based system for each category that will help determine the rank list of winners for each category.

Points are given based on the following criteria:

• Adherence to the category and topic (though you are free to interpret these as you wish)
• Clarity of the writing
• Writing style
• Grammar plays a small role, but I know not everyone is a native English speaker, so it is not counted heavily, and is in fact the least weighted metric of judgement.
• Bonus points for writing from an in-game / in-character perspective when applicable.
• Bonus points for referencing or including Ultima lore (UO or any of the previous games).

Books may lose points, be disqualified or not considered based on the following criteria:

• Inappropriate subject matter
• Straying too far from the category/topic
• Being too narrow in scope as to not adequately cover the subject

*Prizes might change over time. The prizes listed below will *never* decrease, only possibly increase depending on what additional items come my way before the contest deadline. For example, a whole bunch of potion kegs could be added to the PvP category, or more reagents added to the Magery/Alchemy category. Categories are listed in orange.



Character History: The story of your character (or someone else’s) here on UO Renaissance. This could be in the form of a journal, a biography, a tale of an adventure, or really any other form that helps illustrate who your character is and their niche here on UO Renaissance.

Prizes:

1.) 1,000,000 Gold Pieces, Demonic Bow (can see what it looks like in this thread)

2.) 500,000 Gold Pieces

3.) 250,000 Gold Pieces



Guild History: The story of your guild (or someone else’s) here on UO Renaissance. Tell all about a guild of your choosing, how it formed, what is involved, what they do. This can be in the form of a journal, tale of an adventure, or any other form that helps illustrate who and what this guild is and their role on UO Renaissance.

Prizes:


1.) 500,000 Gold Pieces, 20 Carpet Pieces (est value ~3mil)

2.) 250,000 Gold Pieces, Lockdown Expansion (est value ~500k)

3.) 100,000 Gold Pieces



Guide - Early Ways to Make Money: A how-to guide aimed at newer players to help them earn some gold and resources to get them started off on the right foot on UO Renaissance. Bonus points if written from an in-game perspective.

Prizes:

1.) 1,000,000 Gold Pieces

2.) 500,000 Gold Pieces

3.) 250,000 Gold Pieces



Guide - IRC and Forums: A guide aimed at helping newer players get oriented and familiar with the UO Renaissance IRC and the Forums. Thoroughness is very important in this category.

Prizes:

1.) 1,000,000 Gold Pieces

2.) 500,000 Gold Pieces

3.) 250,000 Gold Pieces



Factions: Either a guide or a story revolving around the UO Renaissance Factions system. If a guide is written, thoroughness is important. Personal stories or stories of the lore surrounding the factions are encouraged.

Prizes:

1.) 600,000 Gold Pieces, 10,000 Silver

2.) 250,000 Gold Pieces, 4,000 Silver



Champion Spawns: Either a guide or a story revolving around the UO Renaissance Champion Spawn system. Thoroughness is important for this category if writing a guide, though stories from in-game perspectives are also very welcome. Stories surrounding the lore or history of individual champions are also welcome!

Prizes:

1.) 100 Platinum, Skull of Enlightenment

2.) 50 Platinum, 3x Skulls of Greed

3.) 10 Platinum



Guide - Platinum Reward System: A guide aimed towards newer players in understanding the UO Renaissance Platinum system, how/where Platinum is acquired, and how monthly Platinum works.

Prizes:

1.) 100 Platinum, Hearth of the Home Fireplace (est value ~1mil)

2.) 50 Platinum

3.) 10 Platinum



Treasure Hunting / Tales of Adventure: Either a guide or a story regarding the various aspects and requirements of Treasure Hunting here on UO Renaissance, or a tale of a time you went in search of such treasure and adventure. Bonus points for books that relay the mechanics from an in-game/in-character perspective. You can also discuss related skills such as tracking, cartography, etc. You can also visit Cero's Guard Commander Outposts and accomplish a mission set forth and write about it (you can also do the same with a quest from Paws, near the Shrine of Spirituality).

Prizes:

1.) 800,000 Gold Pieces, Treasure Map Collection (Lvl 1 x 25, Lvl 2x 16, Lvl 3x 33, Lvl 4x 17, Lvl 5x 7, Lvl 6x 1), Force/Power Weapon Collection (439 weapons), Harden/Fortification Armor Collection (478 pieces), Item ID wands (1,186 charges), Runebooks for the following: Towns, Dungeon Entrances, T2A Champs, Covetous, Deceit, Despise, Destard. Fire, Hythloth, Ice, Shame, Wrong, T2A Entrances, Moongates/Teleporters, Shrines and Ankhs, Graveyards, Boss Spawns, Shipwrights, NPC Camps, Taming Training Spots, Slayer Weapon Collection (51 weapons), Slayer Instrument Collection (58 instruments), Harden/Fortification/Invulnerability Shield Collection (53 shields)

2.) 300,000 Gold Pieces, Gem Collection (1,521 total gems)



Tailoring: A guide or story relating to the Tailoring skill. This can include information about how to train the skill, what you can do with the skill, what can be created, how/where to gather the necessary supplies, etc. Bonus points for writing from an in-game / in-character perspective.

1.) 400,000 Gold Pieces, 10,000 Barbed Leather, 800 Spined Leather, 4,800 Horned Leather, 4,100 Leather, 10,000+ BoD cloth, 24,000 Cloth, 9,000 Bones, Runebook for Cotton Farming Locations, 522 Bales of Cotton (31,000+ Cloth)

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 6,200 Barbed Leather, 10,000 Cloth



Blacksmithy and Mining: A guide or story relating to the Blacksmithy and Mining skills. This can include information about how to train the skills, what you can do with the skill, what can be created, how/where to gather the necessary supplies, etc. Bonus points for writing from an in-game / in-character perspective.

1.) 400,000 Gold Pieces, Colored Ingot Collection (32,100 total), 240 Gargoyle Pickaxes, Valorite and Shadow Ore Mining Runebooks

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 500 each Colored Ingot, 70 Gargoyle Pickaxes



Carpentry: A guide or story relating to the Carpentry skill. This can include information about how to train the skill, what you can do with the skill, what can be created, how/where to gather the necessary supplies, etc. Bonus points for writing from an in-game / in-character perspective.

1.) 400,000 Gold Pieces, 20,700+Boards, 8,600 Feathers, 4,900Arrows, 4,100 Logs, Oak Tree Runebook, 14 Stone Table Pieces (2 south end, 2 north end, 10 center pieces), 11 Sandstone Fences, 5 Large Marble Pedestals, 6 Marble Table Pieces (2 south end, 2 north end, 2 center pieces), Oak Furniture Collection (unknown amount, but tons of oak counters and tables with runner pieces along with a few other oak items), House Add-On collection (unknown amount, but a ton of church pews, ladders, beds, ovens, looms, spinning wheels, etc)

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 10,000 Boards



Tinkering: A guide or story relating to the Tinkering skill. This can include information about how to train the skill, what you can do with the skill, what can be created, how/where to gather the necessary supplies, etc. Bonus points for writing from an in-game / in-character perspective.

1.) 400,000 Gold Pieces, 27,000+ Iron Ingots

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 10,000 Iron Ingots



Inscription: A guide or story relating to the Inscription skill. This can include information about how to train the skill, what you can do with the skill, what can be created, how/where to gather the necessary supplies, etc. Bonus points for writing from an in-game / in-character perspective.

1.) 400,000 Gold Pieces, 8,000 Blank Scrolls

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 2,000 Blank Scrolls



Magery, Arcane Lore, or Alchemy: A guide or story relating to the Magery skill or Alchemy skill. Alternatively, a book of the arcane or lore rooted in Ultima (UO or previous games) canon is very welcome. Bonus points if written from an in-game/in-character perspective.

1.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 194,300+ Total Reagents, 3000+ Empty Bottles, 100+ Empty Kegs, Reagents delivered in this chest.

2.) 5,000 Each Reagent (40,000 total)



Roguish Behavior: A guide or story relating to skills associated with rogue characters, such as hiding, stealing, stealth, snooping, etc. In-character stories are very welcome, how a thief got started, a big score, etc.

1.) 500,000 Gold Pieces, 10,000 Lockpicks, Lockpick Training Set (30, 50, 70, 80, 90, GM). Runebooks for the following: Lvl 3 Dungeon Chests, Lvl 4 Dungeon Chests, Master Level Chests 1, Master Level Chests 2, Dangerous Rares 1, Dangerous Rares 2, Safe Rares 1, Safe Rares 2, Safe Rares 3, Safe Rares 4, Safe Rares 5

2.) 250,000 Gold Pieces, 1,700 Lockpicks



Guide - Holiday Events: A guide or story aimed towards newer players in understanding the Holiday Events here on UO Renaissance. Thoroughness is very important here.

1.) 300,000 Gold Pieces, Pure White Holiday Scroll, Red Holiday Scroll

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 4th Anniversary Jewelry Set: Choker, Ring, Bracelet, Earrings

3.) 15 Platinum



Guide – BoDs: A guide aimed towards newer players in understanding the BoD system here on UO Renaissance. Thoroughness is important.

1.) 300,000 Gold Pieces, 30 Tapestries, 6 Hanging Shields, 6 Bear Rugs, 2 Stretched Hides

2.) 200,000 Gold Pieces, 8 Tapestries, 4 Hanging Shields, 4 Bear Rugs, 2 Pieces Hanging Studded Armor

3.) 1 Tapestry, 1 Hanging Shield, 1 Bear Rug, 2 Pieces Hanging Studded Armor



PvP: A guide or a story revolving around player-versus-player combat interactions. Bonus points if written from an in-game / in-character perspective. Bonus points additionally for covering UO Razor topics pertaining to this topic (if written from in-character point of view, not discussing Razor will not be counted against the writing). Alternatively this can also be a story surrounding a battle you may have been part of or witnessed or heard of.

1.) 100 Platinum, 10,000 Bandages, 989 Earthquake Scrolls, 30 Lightning Wands, 47 Mana Drain Wands, 35 Greater Heal Wands, 16 Greater Cure Kegs, 15 Greater Heal Kegs, 11 Greater Explosion Kegs, 7 Greater Strength Kegs, 6 Greater Agility Kegs, 6 Total Refresh Kegs, Poison Keg Collection, Vanquishing Weapon Collection (85 weapons), Invulnerability Armor Collection (73 pieces)

2.) 50 Platinum, 5,000 Bandages

3.) 10 Platinum, 1,600 Bandages



Top Prizes
In addition to the prizes listed above, I will take all of the books that were at the tops of their categories and use the same point-based system to determine the three top winners who will win the following items in addition to their category prizes:

1st Place:

2nd Place:

3rd Place:







A Fortress will be given somewhat randomly under the condition that the person submitted entries to a minimum of three categories. The more categories someone submits entries to, the higher their chances of winning the Fortress equal to the maximum number of total categories (submitting multiple books to one category only counts as submitting to one category for the sake of the Fortress giveaway).

There are 18 categories, so someone could write one book per category and have 18 chances to win the Fortress, versus someone who submits to three categories and will only have three chances to win.

Some furnishing may come included (such as the elevated walking areas on the 2nd floor made of oak tables. Other decor negotiable.

You may opt out of being in the running for the Fortress if you choose. Just let me know, otherwise anyone with three or more entries will be automatically entered into the Fortress lottery.





If writing is not something you do often, or you feel you are no good at it, do not worry. Write a little bit at a time. This contest will be running for awhile, so you do not need to rush. Take your time and have fun with it!

Don’t edit while you write. Get in the habit of simply writing, regardless of spelling errors or if something doesn’t “sound” good to you. Write first, edit later. Getting the words down is 90% of the battle.

Focus on what is of interest to you. There are many categories, and submitting to as many as possible might be tempting to increase chances at the Fortress, but if the entries are no good and lacking quality in exchange for quantity, they might be thrown out or not considered. Write first and foremost on the topics you enjoy. These will most likely be your higher quality work.

When writing a guide: be concise and to the point. Pretend you are explaining something to a five-year old who has never seen this subject before and don’t assume everyone knows something about the subject. Assume that nobody knows anything about it and be thorough.

When writing a story: Be consistent with perspective (first person, third person – I went to Empath Abbey versus He went to Empath Abbey). Try to invoke all of the senses, not just sight and sound. Is the character in a dire battle against an ogre? How does the ogre smell? What does the blood taste like that might be in the character’s mouth after taking a right-cross from the brute? How did it *feel*?

Show, don’t tell: writing (especially prose if you are going to write a story) is all about painting a mental image in the mind of your reader using words. Saying “He was angry” does not invoke much imagery; compare that to “He balled his fist tightly, his veins bulging between his white knuckles…” it invokes a specific image that conveys to the reader the idea that the character is angry.



Most of all… HAVE FUN!

HOLY SKAH! Those are some serious prizes.

Just as a clarification to a question I got - you CAN win prizes in multiple categories. So it is theoretically possible to submit to 3 different categories and win 1st place in all 3.

Oh man, i am ALL over this.

Why bother?
None can stand against the Qamra...

.

wow. i'm impressed
i'll submit something written with my poor dirty english

What is the scope of the skill guides? Macroing a skill from 50-100?

@Dun Scaith now's the time to release the legendary, most salacious and sought after book in Britannian history!

I left the rules somewhat vague so people can be creative and use their own interpretations, but as far as guides go, thoroughness is important. Talking about how to macro the skill is fine, but the guide should be encompassing of as many facets of the skill as possible. For example, if you write a guide about blacksmithy, talking about how to macro it is great, but so is talking about the different kinds of ingots, the different kinds of armor and weapons that can be produced, good mining locations, etc. By no means do you have to include it *all*, but just to give you an idea. You can check out the Judgement section to see how to get additional points for your entry.

I do have a copy of the early draft of the Qamra (so not the full book that he gave as a christmas gift). I keep it locked away in the vault of forbidden knowledge so that it will not corrupt the virtues of the Realm.

I made some edits to the main topic - I added some rule clarifications, added additional info to a bunch of the categories, etc. You might want to re-review the main topic to make sure you are up to speed

.

If you are not looking to give it elsewhere, I can certainly add to the prize pool(s)

How do I stick a video in a book?

by vault, you mean bathroom?

.

* dips pen in ink*

Interesting, very interesting! I applaud the initiative of a writing contest, what a noble cause! Tough one to keep up with making 18 books for that fortress lottery though, when there are ppl knowing the ins and outs of all those subjects!?

Very intricate way of giving away such luxurious prizes, if only I still played, I would definitely be all over this! Best of luck to the people working with their writers block!

What sort of timeline are we looking at for submissions and results?