Current Word Limit; How Specific and Other Questions.

[Crie]

So looking at the current rules for submission 750 words is the limit. Is this an absolute or if your over lets say anywhere from 5 to 50 words will there be a problem? I imagine so, as it is a word limit but is it an absolute word limit?

I've been working on my first attempt at a submission and I have found that some of the details on skill checks I'd like to see are taking up... a bit more then I'd like. As I'm a fan of giving players options and I've sort of figured different paths for each encounter I've written in.

Next I did some searching and one thing I've seen asked but not seen an answer is use of Venture Captains. Do we just use an existing Venture Captain or should we make our own up, as long as they are nothing world changing?

Now for future Scenarios I have some things I'd like to add. A small tribe of Orcs with their own culture that pop up here and there as regular NPCs in a few submissions. Same clan maybe not same NPCs, is that allowed as it wont be super impact on anything?

The final thing I noted that you can't do a big huge adventure path, but can you re-use npcs from other scenarios you submit and / or potentially use additional scenarios as a continuation of some minor sub plot involving them that simply advances as consequence of PC action?

Like lets say I submit two scenarios that are only related by some similar themed area or bad guy, and a third scenario that leads the two quest giving npcs to potentially 'fall in love' and a fourth to have some kinda weird conclusion I don't wanna reveal too much on yet. If each is written as it can be still an individual scenario without the others, but would be better with all four played in sequence, is that an okay thing? I assume not but I'd like to inquire.

I will likely post more later. My grammar is kind of messed up due to a poor early education, and I definitely need editing, and I have been following many suggested threads (passive voice still boggles me despite reading soooo many descriptions).

Anyways thanks for taking the time to look over my questions and to give any feedback. I hope I am not, you know, being that stupid newbie asking the things asked a trillion times. I just didn't seem to find my answers in my three or four searches I've done (on three occasions). Likely my own fault. Ha ha ha.

[Curaigh]

Welcome Crie,

While I am no pro, if 750 is the limit, 750 is the limit. For an open call like this the developers have tons of submissions and they start whittling them down for any reason they can. 50 words may not sound like many, but keep in mind that it is 6% over the limit. On a full scenario that same percentage is almost an extra page, and the developers need to know a potential writer will not be giving them a page worth of work to cut out. On the other side, it should be easy to cut five words with word selection, active voice, or getting rid of an adjective or two.

While you should anticipate players stepping outside of the box, you have to let them play the game their way. Make sure enough details are present for the GM to improvise, but you do not need to (and really can't) narrate every possible path every player in every group will ever come up with.

I would say your next question comes down to doing your homework. You want a submission as close to the publishers finished product as possible. How many of the published scenarios create a new VC? How many VCs already exist in the city or region your story takes place? If the question has not been answered directly it could be the developers have answered the it in the existing work and want to know a potential writer has enough experience with their world. Doing your homework keeps the work the developers need to do to a minimum.

I think making a three part story is outside the scope of a quest. The open call is for a quest, not a scenario or a module or (as you already pointed out) an adventure path. Yes they sometimes publish continuations, but those are usually by established authors or a group of authors & the story is developed along the season's overarching plot. This isn't to say you cannot use the the same orcs in two different submissions, it just means that one submission should not rely on another. Save that for later should you make it that far.

Asking questions should never be a problem, especially if you can show you have already done most or at least some of the research toward your answer.

Again, I have very few credits to my name, and none by our illustrious hosts, but I hope these answers prove useful.

Good luck :)