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Post by supinesnake on May 29, 2024 18:53:40 GMT
 Welcome to the Fantasy Wrestling Alliance (FWA), an eFed that has been alive and kicking since 2005, across several homes and now here on our very own board. Are you looking to become a part of our illustrious history? Find out all you need to know in this thread. In timing with the launch of our new home, the rules have been reorganised into three sections to make them a little easier to navigate. There are also some updates to things that have become more or less relevant over time. The three sections (with clickable header links) are as follows: [1] Getting Started. Everything that you should know before submitting a sign-up thread for your FWA character. [2] Promos. The stuff you should probably be aware of when posting your first promo as a writer in the efed. [3] Shows. Information about the structure of our show cycles, as well as information you should know before writing a segment or a match. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 29, 2024 19:01:51 GMT
[1] Getting Started
1.1 The FWA in a Nutshell. 1.2 OOC Conduct. 1.3 Character Limits. 1.4 Discord. 1.5 Current Mod Team. 1.6 Signing Up.  1.1 The FWA in a NutshellThe FWA is an eFed in which you will promo directly against an opponent, writing one roleplay that addresses the match. There are no limitations on length for most promos, although most are between two and six thousand words (roughly speaking, though many have been shorter or longer than this). Our grading rubric, detailed below in the ‘Promo grading’ section, rewards creativity and character work. Generally, writers will have between ten and fourteen days to write their promos after a card is announced. Then, moderators spend one or two weeks writing the shows. This means that one promo is required every three to four weeks if you wish for your character to be booked on every cycle. The FWA is a long-running eFed that has survived the demise of several forums before going independent. Information about its championships and their lineage can be found in this thread (click!). It is expected that you read at least this post, which outlines the most basic rules, before submitting a sign-up. Due to the relaxed rules with regards to content in promos in the FWA, membership of the eFed and the Discord is adults only (eighteen or above). 1.2 OOC Conduct Although the FWA is a relaxed environment, it is also an inclusive one and we won't tolerate deliberate or negligent attempts to make other members feel uncomfortable. Generally speaking, the expectations of conduct on this forum are the same as those on our Discord server, listed here.
General Conduct Guidance (for OOC).
- No harassment or bullying.
- No discussions of a racist, sexist or any other "ist" nature. As a broad rule, if you think something could be offensive to someone, it probably is, so don't say it.
- No NSFW content, which includes graphic sexual language and graphic descriptions of sexual acts.
- Constructive criticism of work only. If you do not have anything positive or helpful to say about someone's work, don't say anything.
- Please endeavour to keep discussion on certain topics in the appropriate place. If discussion strays too far away, a mod will step in and ask you to move the conversation elsewhere at their discretion.
- If instructed to by a mod, take a personal issue with another member to DMs, or alternatively block the member in question. 1.3 Character Limits When joining the FWA, we like new handlers to stick with one character (or a tag team) for at least three months. After that, if the handler wishes to bring in a second character, they should speak to a moderator (see section 1.5) about their intentions. Several factors, including the reliability of that person since joining the fed, will be considered before deciding if a second character can be introduced. 1.4 Discord A large proportion of FWA and OOC discussion occurs on our Discord server, to which you will be sent an invite after your first promo in the eFed. 1.5 Current Mod Team The current moderator team is Dubb (head mod), Jimmy King, Man, SupineSnake, and Tommy. 1.6 Signing Up Okay, ready to sign-up? Head over to the Roster section and post your character thread. We do not have a formal sign-up template that you have to follow, but one that you can use if you wish is in this thread ( click!). We ask for you to include an introductory promo of at least two hundred words with your sign-up. You can include as much information about your character as you'd like. Check out our current roster for ideas on what else you can include or get creative with your own. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 29, 2024 19:08:25 GMT
[2] Promos
2.1 General Promo Rules.
2.2 Plagiarism & A.I. Writing Tools.
2.3 Promo Deadlines.
2.4 Grading.
2.5 Deciding Winners.
2.6 Open Promo.
 2.1 General promo rules
Once cards are posted, you may discuss the cards in the ‘Card & Discussion Thread’. There will also be a ‘Promo Thread’. You should post your RP/Promo in the Promo Thread. However, understand that you can only post one promo (per character) per show. Think carefully about what you are writing and how you are presenting it.
In the ‘Card & Discussion Thread’, you will sometimes find people giving reviews and discussing the work of others. We use constructive criticism here - we all want to learn and improve. If you have the time, feel free to leave a review. Or if you want a review of your own promo, you might find that people are more willing to review you if you do the same for them. These discussion threads are not for arguments to take place - they're supposed to be for the purpose of learning/improving. More discussion of promos takes place on the FWA Discord server. Please refer to the General OOC Rules above with regards to what is and isn’t acceptable in OOC discussion, including promo reviews.
We do have some rules with regards to Promos/RPs. We have relaxed a few over the years but there are some rules that must absolutely be adhered to in promos. Breaking any of these rules will result in an automatic DQ, no tolerance and no special exceptions. These are also things we'd like to keep out of 'news' posts and any creative writing that takes place outside of the promo threads.
[1] We will not accept the depiction of extremely vulgar acts. This means that we won't accept graphic depictions of things such as rape, torture, etc. That stuff really isn't acceptable here, or anywhere.
[2] Use common sense if you are going to use expletives - absolutely no racial, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic (and other brands of prejudicial) terms are allowed. If you think that it's a must for your promo to contain a banned expletive, PM a mod and ask. However, I doubt permission will be granted for using terms like that. The 'C word' is also banned from shows: use in promos isn't outright prohibited, but our view upon it will depend on context. General swearing is not banned in promos or on shows.
[3] You cannot respond to your opponent in a promo. If your opponent posts their promo before you, you read it, and you reference it in your promo, your promo will be instantly DQed. Everyone should be on a level playing field as much as possible. It'd be unfair for someone to post their promo and have all their points derailed because you decided to counter it. You will simply just have to wait until your next promo/match to speak about those things, if you so wish.
[4] No editing your promo (outside of the grace period). Once it is posted, it is posted. If your opponent posts their promo after you, you read it and you suddenly think "damn, I should've said this or that" then that's tough. You have a 15 minute grace period for editing your promo for any spelling errors or coding issues. If you're seen to have edited your promo outside of that timescale or to have added considerable amounts of content, it's an instant DQ. No exceptions.
[5] Pictures, fancy text and all that stuff is allowed. If you want to make your promo all glittery and shiny, feel free.
[6] Please post your promo before the stated deadline in the promo thread. Promos must be posted before the deadline, and if you are right up to the wire, you will have the aforementioned 15 minute grace period to edit your promo (for formatting reasons, not to add additional content). If you do not post your promo ahead of the deadline then your promo will be disqualified. Even if you are a few minutes late, your promo will still be disqualified. This is unless there is a unanimous agreement between the mod team and your opponent(s) for the promo to count, however generally where promos are more than an hour or so late, the mods will decide to disqualify the promo.
[7] You cannot say things involving an active roster member happened that never happened on the shows or in a "News" post, without their handler's permission. You also cannot use any other wrestler in your promo without their handler's permission. If you use random people in disguise and claim them to be fake versions of those characters (or any other 'stand-in' trick), that is fine, as long as you make that point clear.
[8] You may also post your promo as a PDF. Note that this says PDF, not Google Doc, as these can be easily edited accidentally after the deadline and mods would need specific rights to check that. Your PDF must be downloadable by grading mods for archiving purposes. Please reach out to a moderator if you have any questions about submitting your promo by PDF.
[9] If you use other characters handled by other people (with their permission) in your promo, you yourself must write their dialogue. Cameos from other handlers/writers in your promos are not allowed.
2.2 Plagiarism & A.I. Writing Tools
The precedent for plagiarism is as follows: - For an isolated incident discovered, a one year ban from activity within the fed will be issued. - For persistent incidents discovered, a lifetime ban from activity within the fed will be issued. Reusing your own work previously posted within the fed will not be counted as plagiarism, but will result in forfeiture of the match. As per this recent post (click!) on using A.I. tools in the fed, writers should take particular note of the following: - Use of a standard spell/grammar checker, like those found on Google Docs or Word, is fine. - Use of A.I. to generate images used in promos is fine, as is sourcing images from elsewhere on the internet. - Use of rephrasing/restructuring tools, such as those found on Grammarly, or using an A.I. tool to rephrase or restructure your promo, in a way that alters the writing in a meaningful manner is not allowed. - Use of automatic synonym replacement tools like Quillbot is not allowed. - Essentially, you have to write it all yourself.
2.3 Promo Deadlines Generally, weekly television promo windows will be AT LEAST SEVEN days (usually up to TWELVE), and PPV promo windows will be TWELVE days.
We do not offer extensions on these deadlines, to ensure that the mod team has sufficient time to grade all of the promos and write and collate the shows. If real life gets in the way and you find yourself unable to submit a promo ahead of the deadline, that is fine. Real life should always come first.
The deadline for both Meltdown and Fallout are on the same day. This will always be Sunday at midnight (that's Sunday into Monday) Pacific Time. The same is true for PPVs. Detailed breakdowns of deadline times in major timezones will be posted in the ‘Card & Discussion Thread’ and the ‘Promo Thread’.
Meltdown is posted on a Saturday (six days after deadline), Fallout on Monday (eight days after deadline). Full information on the cycle is given below in the ‘[3] Shows’ section. 2.4 Grading. Please note that the following updated grading rubric will be in effect on the cycle after Back in Business 2024.
The grading rubric consists of six categories, accounting for a total of forty points. The categories and breakdown of point allocation are as follows:
Quality of Content - TEN points. In a change from the current grading system, the QoC category has been reduced from fifteen to ten points, with part of its scope split into its own (subsequent) category. Quality of Content is a category judging the general quality of a promo: the writing, the narrative, its length, and its themes. This category also used to encompass match focus, but more on that to come. You shouldn't think of the ten points in this category to be evenly spread out amongst those four things, but each of them will be considered when a grader is judging this category.
Match Focus - FIVE points. This is a new category worth five of the forty points on the grading scale. Here, the manner that the promo addresses the match in which the character is booked - as well as the wrestler they are booked against - is assessed. There is no specific preferred manner in which a match should be addressed: a direct appraisal of it by a character on camera or a more metaphorical comment on your opponent can be equally as effective. It is up to you how you choose to approach this category.
Creativity - TEN points. The FWA has a long tradition of creativity, with this category accounting for twenty five percent of the total points since way back into the WC era. Creativity can mean many different things: it can be the manner in which your opponent is addressed, the overarching theme or metaphor of your promo, the layout or structure, or can simply reside within the intricacies of the writing itself. Generally, taking a unique approach to your roleplay in some way will result in a good score in this category.
Presentation - FIVE points. This category is generally used to judge two things. First and foremost, it is about the spelling and grammar of the writing. This is the largest contributor to this category, as the FWA ultimately is about creative writing. Some errors won't be punished too harshly, but if your promo is strewn with mistakes it is not likely to score well for presentation. Secondly, this category is also influenced by the overall ‘look’ of the promo. Particularly unique or inventive layouts and formats have often resulted in strong presentation grades.
Character Portrayal - FIVE points. Your promo should primarily be about your own character, and this category is all about how well they come across as themselves during the roleplay. If your promo feels as though your character is not the main character, or if they are thinly written to the point where they are indistinguishable from another character, your grade will suffer in this category. Your promo should feel unique to your character and showcase what makes them who they are.
Character Development - FIVE points. Ultimately, we want to see characters progress in promos, and this category is about seeing them develop over the course of the roleplay. This does not necessarily mean they have to have made sweeping realisations about the world or themselves during the piece, or that they have to have accomplished some great deed before the writing ends. Character development can take more subtle guises, such as altering the reader's perception of that character, or a change in how they see their opponent.
2.5 Deciding Winners Winners are decided in the following way:
In the case of 1v1 or triple threat matches:
There will be 5 assigned graders for world (singles) title matches, and 3 assigned graders for all other matches. The person with the most 'wins' on the grades amongst the graders will win the match. If one of the graders scores it a tie and it is 1-1 or 2-2 amongst other graders, then a 4th/6th grader will be chosen to tie-break. The same system is used for triple threats, with tie-breakers only used if the grades are tied at 1-1-1 (or other ties).
This remains the same in the case of 2v2s, 3v3s, etc, only with a team's grade average deciding the winner with each grader (this extends to three-way tag matches).
In the case of multi-person matches:
There will be 3 assigned graders for multi-man matches (with 4+ promos). If the 3 graders pick the same winner, that person wins. If there are different winners chosen, the top three promos will be graded by 2 additional graders. Then, a 'points' system is used to determine the positions amongst this top three. This means that, amongst each grader, points are distributed like so: 1 point for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place, 3 points for 3rd place. The lowest points total amongst all five graders is declared the winner. If there is a tie on the 'points' system, this will be broken by a 6th grader. If only one of the promos chosen as a ‘winner’ by one of the three initial graders is amongst the top three, only the three initial grades will be used to decide a winner.
Note that if a multi-man has more than three competitors but only three promos due to no-shows, winners will be decided as in triple threat match as outlined above. 2.6 Open Promo. One section of this forum is designated for ‘Open Promo’ in many different forms. The subforums in this section are:
‘Next Generation Wrestling’. FWA’s ‘developmental’ fed which has undergone many different guises over the years. Now, it is run by handlers SJW and AON as a place to try new ideas for characters in a non-competitive, storyline-heavy setting.
‘Ground Zero’. A ‘developmental’ show where the winner earns a chance in the FWA, which has now had many seasons, usually each centring on a specific theme. Ground Zero is run by Sully as another setting to trial new ideas.
‘Side Hustle Promotions’. Members sometimes run standalone but in-canon shows along specific themes, like Rosie’s Japanese ‘Nine Tales Entertainment’ and Tommy’s southern independent ‘Longhorn Championship Wrestling’. Get involved in forthcoming shows here or speak to a mod about organising your own.
‘Character Work’. Some of the best writing over the years in the FWA has taken place in a non-competitive setting, where handlers have sought to progress their characters outside of the confines of the grading rubric. Here is the place for you to do that. |
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Post by supinesnake on May 29, 2024 19:12:55 GMT
[3] Shows 3.1 Show Cycle Structure.
3.2 Pay-Per-Views.
3.3 Current On-Air Staff.
3.4 Formatting Matches & Segs.  3.1 Show Cycle StructureA ‘cycle’ is a set of weekly television shows (Fallout and Meltdown, results for which are posted two days apart) or a pay-per-view. It consists of the ‘promo window’ and the ‘show writing period’.
Generally, cards for the next set of shows will be posted pretty soon after the results of a Fallout or pay-per-view. Expect to see the new cards on around Tuesday following these shows.
For weekly television, a card will be posted for both Fallout and Meltdown. There is no brand split but results are split between two shows, with Fallout being longer than Meltdown but no show being of great importance than the other. Promos for both Fallout and Meltdown are posted in the same ‘Promo Thread’.
From the posting of the card, handlers will have a period to write their promos. This period is usually referred to as the ‘promo window’. This period will most frequently be just under two weeks, although there are some promo windows which are one week (not often, and well-signposted). The deadline for the promo window will always be a Sunday night at 23:59 Pacific Time. There are no extensions.
After the deadline is the ‘show writing period’. Here, the mods grade and write the show. For weekly television, we aim to get Meltdown posted on the Saturday following promo deadline (six days after deadline), and Fallout is posted the following Monday (eight days after deadline). For pay-per-views, the show writing period is usually two weeks, with results being posted on a Saturday or Sunday.
Below is an example of dates for a ‘cycle’ for weekly television:
Tuesday 3rd March 2010: Card for Fallout 000 and Meltdown Zero go live in same thread.
Sunday 15th March 2010 at 23:59 Pacific: Firm Deadline for Meltdown Zero and Fallout 000.
Saturday 21st March 2010: Meltdown Zero results posted.
Monday 23rd March 2010: Fallout 000 results posted. 3.2 Pay-Per-Views The FWA currently runs between four and seven pay-per-views (or television specials, or premium live events, or whatever) per year. They are roughly spread out the year like so: New Year's PPV, often “Mile High” or “Winter Wasteland”. March/April PPV, most recently “the Grand March”, although sometimes replaced by a “Fight Night”. Preceded in recent history by the “King of the Deathmatch” tournament. Carnal Contendership which has recently occurred directly after the Match/April PPV. Back in Business, the biggest show of the year, often split over a weekend in the Summer. Anniversary Show, taking place in early Autumn and usually a television special. October/November PPV, most recently “Lights Out”. A full schedule for the upcoming year is posted in this thread (click!). 3.3 Current On-Air Staff
Managerial Consortium's Public Face:
Jon Russnow (on-air authority figure) (color=red).
Cal Robinson (off-air authority figure) (color=blue). - ask Man before using outside of shows.
Jean-Luc Watkins (commentator) (color=darkslategray) - ask SupineSnake before using outside of shows.
SATURDAY NIGHT MELTDOWN.
Commentary: Rod Sterling (color=black). Anzu Kurosawa (color=teal) - ask SupineSnake before using outside of shows. Ring announcer: Katie-Lynn Goldsmith (color=purple) MONDAY NIGHT FALLOUT.Commentary: Jean-Luc Watkins (color=darkslategrey) - ask SupineSnake before using outside of shows. Konchu Hao (color=indigo) - ask Cyrus before using outside of shows. Ring announcer: Natalie Rosenberg (color=goldenrod). Back-stage announcers: Todd Salum (color=maroon). Katie Baxter (color=indigo). Pay-per-view announcer: Kurt Harrington (color=grey). Reporter characters: Shake Meltzer (PWOutsider). Ty Johnson (Nuances of Wrestling) - ask Sully before using. 3.4 Formatting Matches & Segs We are, of course, grateful to anyone who volunteers to write a seg or a match for one of the shows. We do, however, like the shows to follow the same format throughout, particularly in regards to the dialogue. Please have a look at a recent show before writing a seg or a match, paying close attention to the way that the dialogue is formatted.
We don’t expect matches and segs to be sent in formatted with colours. Sending them in black and white is fine. We would, however, like the dialogue to be written in the same way that it is in current shows. |
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