What’s your continuing click through number on those email subscriptions?
My point isn’t that the contest won’t draw considerable interest, it’s more that based on last year’s numbers the people predicting large turnout should consider what the existing numbers look like before assuming there’s going to be more than a 200% increase in one year.
Counting click through on those emails doesn’t make much sense, because we’re just sending out our blog posts via email. The whole blog post is right there in the email, so there’s nothing to click on; there’s no call to action except “keep up the good work!”
Oh, ok. Thanks for replying!
I haven’t decided on whether or not to attempt to enter AFTER: Zero Life in the contest, since I’ve only just got the first chapter done, and I’m still constantly editing and revising it. I would love to be able to use it as an entry, but I honestly have no idea if I could have it finished in time. If I keep going at the current rate, I might be able to squeak in under the time limit. 
I’m about 10,000 words into something I’d love to submit, but at this pace I will never finish in time. C’est la vie, haha.
What would it be, death by 
?? (actually I watched some on youtube and they seem like scary little things)
And yes some awesome folks have already posted in the thread. I hope a forum regular/HG author wins.
Shh don’t give her ideas.
I’ve started my contest entry. 
We’ll see how it goes. I’ve made quite a number of changes to my regular style to try to satisfy CoGs esthetic vision.
I figure, you can’t go wrong. Even if it doesn’t win, it’ll be a fun game for the Hosted Label.
@Jacic A flying-koala hug looks like the best thing ever!
Koalas are surprisingly vicious (seriously!) They’re also pretty much guaranteed to have chlamydia, so there’s that too.
Thanks for the ideas, Eric.
I reckon a forum regular/HG-er will almost certainly win. There’s a lot of really thoughtful writing discussion on these forums, plus the best writers are always the best readers (especially when there’s lots of COG style stuff happening).
wrenches self back to main topic
I bet loads of newbies come into the COG forums before/after this competition, which I think is both deliberate & excellent.
I (sadly) don’t meet the requirements (living in Japan…) and that came as a relief in a sense as it means I can just continue writing in my own (chaotic) way!
So for me there is only one competition in town, CSComp!!! (And I loved it last year, so counting the days to this years’)
So, after some deliberation, I’ve decided that instead of submitting Foundation of Nightmares for the contest, I’m instead just going to submit that to HG as soon as it’s finished, and then begin working on The Magician’s Task for the competition. This is because FoN is the third book in the series, so it has an even smaller chance of winning.
The Magician’s Task, however, will be the first of a trilogy, where the MC is a magician trained by a wizard in Lume (the setting of Demons Among Men.) In the story, you must travel to a distant kingdom to be their general and help them fight against a large army of demons!
Wouldn’t you be ineligible anyhow since you’ve published a Hosted Game?
The rules say “authors who have previously published games with Sponsor or are under contract with Sponsor” are ineligible. I just noticed that today. (or do Hosted Games not count for that clause?)
Hmm, that’s very odd because I think Dan said both CoG authors and HG authors can submit works for the competition.
If so, they should definitely update the rules on this forum–I just quoted that from the rules as they stand now.
@dfabulich and @jasonstevanhill
HG and CoG authors can enter their works for the competition, right?
Official Rules:
The exclusion is for those who have published with the CoG brand. Having published with the Hosted label doesn’t exclude you.
Edit: Having said that, it would be nice to get a “yes, that’s correct” from above.
HG authors can enter, assuming they meet all other eligibility guidelines. CoG authors cannot.
Read the second paragraph of “Eligibility.” Okay, who do I bill?
ELIGIBILITY. Open to individuals who are legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, the United Kingdom and Canada (excluding the Province of Quebec) and are the older of 18 years of age or the legal age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry. The Contest and these Official Rules are void in Quebec and where prohibited by law, and are subject to applicable laws. Entrants may not be members of any guild, union or other organization that may prohibit them from participating in this Contest and that would restrict, require due payment or otherwise have the right to oppose such entrant’s participation in this Contest.
Not open to employees or independent contractors, or immediate family members (spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and grandchildren) or those living in the same household of employees or independent contractors of Sponsor, authors who have previously published games with Sponsor or are under contract with Sponsor, or any entity involved in any aspect of the Contest (including funding, judging or administration), and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advisors, or advertising/promotion agencies. Current contracts with or prior publications with Hosted Games LLC do not affect the eligibility of authors to participate in this Contest.
I think that was your pro bono.
Well, now that I’ve needlessly stirred concern and alarm, it looks like my work here is done!
Maybe they want to turn more of us turn into CoG writers (I just counted and there are 78 hosted vs 58 CoG titles). I’m glad the temptation is not there for me! (I appreciate the consistency and balance of the rules they have, and that this means the games have to be more carefully planned… which maybe turns it into more of a job? I guess for me writing gamebooks/interactive fiction is a hobby… well… more like a dream come true!)