Bloodlines: The Chosen Contest Guidelines It's true. We're finally going to publish full versions of the bloodlines hinted at on pages 104-113 of Vampire: The Requiem — but only some of those bloodlines will make the cut. Only some of them will get complete, illustrated submissions. Only the ones you choose to write into existence. They are the chosen. For two years, we've been saying that the teased bloodlines in Vampire: The Requiem were intended to be fuel for your imagination. We wanted you, the players and fans of Vampire, to conjure them using the guidelines in the back of that book, to cast them in the specific roles you needed for your chronicles at home. For two years, you've been asking to see official versions of those bloodlines. Now it's time for us to play together. You've had two years to devise your own takes on those bloodline sketches, and now it's time to share them with Vampire fans across the globe. The bloodlines in Bloodlines: The Chosen will be written by you, the fans and players of the game, and submitted to us as part of The Chosen Contest. Here's how it works: Overview This is a writing contest, not a prize drawing. You have no easy-to-follow instruction manual guiding you on the path to a winning entry. The bloodlines (or portions of bloodlines) chosen for inclusion in Bloodlines: The Chosen will be judged on technical merits but also by personal tastes. It's not enough for your entry to be bloody scary, it also has to make sense and be suitable for publication. Your entry has to conform to these instructions, but it also has to be well written — intense, exciting and inspiring. The contest will progress through three general phases, described below. The protocols of each phase may change as circumstances dictate. Remember, this is not just a contest, but an actual book going through actual development and production on its way to publication on schedule. If you want to work with us, you'll have to work with us. Phase One: Open Submissions UPDATE FOR PHASE ONE The deadline has come and gone for submissions in White Wolf's Bloodlines: The Chosen contest. The qualifying entries are lined up at the gate now, ready to hit the track running. Excitement is building in the company offices. According to the book's developer, Ray Fawkes, "Stiff competition is shaping up along several lines, and it's already obvious that there are a number of high-quality entries that will make our choice both difficult and enjoyable. Some are surprising, some display truly intense turns of phrase, one or two are absolutely chilling. In truth, reading all these pieces, I'm daunted by the process that is about to unfold ­ the close calls, the inevitable eliminations and comparisons ­ but I'm sure that some fantastic work is going to show itself, and that we, in turn, will be able to show that work to the world. This is me rolling up my sleeves, then, and turning to my alphabetized folders: Acteius, Agonistes, Anavashra…and so forth. To every entrant, I say: congratulations on qualifying, and good luck. To everyone else: This is going to be a killer book. I can't wait until you see what's chosen." When we compared the number of submissions by bloodline to the poll results that had been running on white-wolf.com, two things stood out ­ we expected Taifa to be in the top five, while the Baddacelli inspired more entries than we anticipated. But otherwise, the quantity for each bloodline closely reflected the indicated general interest in what the public wants to see developed. For those interested, the top 5 submitted bloodlines were (in alphabetical order): Agonistes, Baddacelli, Rotgrafen, Sangiovanni, Xiao. Bloodlines the Chosen is slated for release in Fall of 2007. The contest opens on August 23, 2006. The deadline for Phase One will be no earlier than September 25, 2006, though we reserve the right to extend the deadline. You may enter the contest by email only. Each entry shall consist of a written submission. Send your complete submission as an email attachment (in .RTF format only) to chosen@white-wolf.com (Please do not send questions to this address. Use the normal contact page for questions. Any materials sent before August 23, 2006 will be deleted unread.) Your initial submission should focus on the content of the bloodline write-up, not on a unique Discipline for the bloodline. Bloodlines with a unique Discipline are welcome, but complete information on the bloodline's unique Discipline is not necessary for submission during Phase One. Instead, expect to write 2,500 - 2,750 words detailing the bloodline itself, and use the remaining words in your submission to outline the bloodline's unique Discipline (if any). At this phase, padding your submission simply to reach the 3,000-word mark does you no favors — a 2,500-word submission without a unique Discipline is as likely to be chosen as a 2,999-word submission with a unique Discipline. See the Bloodline Format Guide for more information. Your submission must: • be no more than 3,000 words; • include a two-sentence summary of the submission (this does not count toward your 3,000 words); • follow the standard bloodline format for the Vampire line, as described in the template you can download here (right-click to download); • demonstrate knowledge of the World of Darkness; • be included as an attachment to your email; • include your full legal name, date of birth, street address, phone number and email address (which does not count toward your 3,000 words); • include the following legal statement at the top of your submission (which does not count toward your 3,000 words): I submit my idea voluntarily and on a non-confidential basis, and I understand that this submission by me and its acceptance by White Wolf Publishing, Inc. does not, in whole or in part, establish or create by implication, or otherwise, any relationship between White Wolf and me beyond consideration in Round One of the present contest. I agree that this submission becomes the property of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. I further understand that the acceptance by White Wolf of this submission neither creates nor implies any confidential relationship, guarantee of secrecy, nor any recognition or acknowledgment of either novelty or originality. Phase Two: Developer Jury & Finalists As submissions are received (and for however long it takes us to get through them all to our satisfaction), they will be read by the developer for Bloodlines: The Chosen, Ray Fawkes. Ray has worked as a freelance writer on numerous Vampire: The Requiem books, and is a writer of comics and short fiction, too. Submissions may also be juried by Vampire: The Requiem Developer Will Hindmarch and other employees of White Wolf Game Studio. Each submission will be considered on the merits of writing quality, grammar, playability and originality. This begins Phase Two of the contest. The in-house jury, with Ray Fawkes as its foreman, will select a number of submissions to serve as finalists in the contest. The total number of finalist submissions chosen will depend on the volume, quality and nature of the submissions we receive. (We won't choose ten finalists if we only get nine worthy of publication, for example.) The finalist submissions will be red-lined, edited and revised like any freelance manuscript and sent back to the original authors for revisions, expansion and rewriting. Finalists who move on to Phase Two may be tasked with adding several thousand words of new, original writing to their bloodlines (possibly fleshing out the bloodline's history or detailing its unique Discipline, for example). Additional writing may be done by White Wolf developers, freelance writers or contest participants. (For example, we may pair one finalist's bloodline with another finalist's Discipline or we may create a Discipline for your bloodline in-house.) Those authors who are able to make revisions, meet the deadlines for their second drafts and meet our standards for writing and creative quality will move on to Phase Three. Phase Three: Open Voting The exact procedure for Phase Three will depend on the results of the first two phases. Whatever happens, Phase Three will involve a period of open internet voting on the bloodlines that emerge triumphant from Phase Two. Stay tuned to the White Wolf website for information on Phase Three and your chance to vote on the chosen bloodlines! In the End: Winners The winning bloodlines and Disciplines selected for inclusion in Bloodlines: The Chosen will be illustrated, given symbols and published in the finished book. Winning authors will receive an author credit and contributor's copies of the book. You might even be chosen to work with White Wolf Game Studio as a contracted freelance writer on other World of Darkness books! We reserve the right to change the final prize terms. We may choose to incorporate portions of multiple finalist submissions into a single final article. In that case, each finalist with a published contribution to the published article will be considered a winning author. Every bloodline and Discipline published in Bloodlines: The Chosen will include behind-the-scenes information (which the winning authors will be invited to contribute), author's notes and commentary by the White Wolf developers so you can see how the bloodline went from the kernel of an idea (the synopsis) to a finished game element (the published bloodline). We expect about ten bloodlines to appear in Bloodlines: The Chosen, though that number is subject to change. Eligible Bloodline Synopses The following bloodlines, mentioned in the corebook but not yet detailed in any Vampire product, are the only bloodlines eligible to be the subjects of submissions for this contest. Your challenge, as a writer, is to turn one (or more!) of these short sketches into a fully-formed bloodline ready for play. The descriptions that follow are the starting line from which you'll all start running. Ready? Go! Daeva Duchagne: Aristocratic but degenerate European bloodline that seems to have the ability to directly manipulate the senses and sensations of others Xiao: Caustic, beautiful predators who drain victims of their emotions as well as their blood Gangrel Anavashra: Mysterious ritualists who claim domains in India and Bangladesh Anubi: Egyptian cultists who have feuded long with the Lancea Sanctum Matasuntha: Warriors descended from an ancient warlord of the Huns Taifa: Sociable and sophisticated Middle-Eastern Gangrel known for political savvy and social aptitude Mekhet Agonistes: Mediterranean historians and philosophers who seek to record and retain the knowledge Kindred lose over time and in torpor Mnemosyne: Fervent vampires who possess the ability to share memories and experiences through blood ties Norvegi: Inbred, degenerate cult of spies and thieves Sangiovanni: Venetian necromancers who maintain a tight family structure that Embraces exclusively from its own mortal stock Nosferatu Acteius: Cursed, brittle Kindred who suffer for the depraved brutality of their progenitor Baddacelli: Blind horrors who burrow beneath mortal settlements and possess eerie powers of mimicry Noctuku: Violent cannibals who dwell near rural areas and prefer to feed on other Kindred Yagnatia: A Russian family that claims unbroken lineage from both ancient nobility and witches Ventrue Cassius: An iconic line of insidious, posturing Lords known for decadence and power Licinii: Proud, fiercely political Kindred embraced exclusively from lowborn mortal prodigies Beni Murrahim: Persian Kindred from the crestfallen ranks of kings dethroned in ancient wars Rótgrafen: Dark, seafaring warrior-kings who claim to have swallowed the blood of fallen gods Bloodlines: The Chosen -- Contest Rules The following rules apply: 1. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age on August 1, 2006. 2. The contest judges may at their sole discretion refuse to consider any entry for any reason. Submissions that do not follow the instructions (submission too long, submission incomplete, sent before the start date, etc.) may not be considered. 3. Vampire is a horror game, so horrific elements are expected, but the entry should not contain pornographic and tastelessly explicit material. 4. Applicants may submit no more than one entry for each bloodline synopsis. Applicants may submit one entry for each of the bloodline synopses, however. 5. Former and present employees of White Wolf, Inc. may not enter. Freelancers who have been published in White Wolf, Inc. products or are currently under contract with White Wolf, Inc. are eligible. 6. All entries must be accompanied by the full real name of the author as well as the author’s physical address, email address and phone number. 7. All submissions must be sent in Rich Text Format (.RTF). Submissions in other file formats will not be considered. Only entries in English can be considered. 8. Only material written for the current incarnation of the game, Vampire: The Requiem, will be considered. All entries must be the original work of the author, who must be able to legally solicit the material. Copied, plagiarized or illegal submissions will be disqualified. 9. All submissions become the sole property of White Wolf Inc. 10. Submission of an entry for this contest constitutes acceptance of these rules and conditions. 11. We reserve the right to change the final prize terms. Got Questions about the Contest? Check out the Contest FAQ, and post questions to the forum thread!