2021 Tournament FAQ

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General FAQ

What is an OCT (Original Character Tournament)?

Why is this an OCT, and not an OCL (Original Character League)?

We feel that the format better fits traditional OCTs than OCLs... and the host wasn't aware of OCLs when choosing the name for the OCT! Whoops!

Who is this OCT for?

Ideally we’re looking for competitors that feel like the normal OCT circuit runs too long or like they can’t break into the usual ‘bubble’ of OCT competitors. (Or you're completely new and want to try out a "smaller" tournament!) This set up harkens back to the origins of OCTs, in being art practice for professionals/amateurs. (You will find that many of the format decisions were made with streamlining both the entry creation & judging process.) We're not trying to take up your life (or a year to year-and-a-half) of commitment with this tournament.

Where is the OCT it be hosted?

Mainly through a Discord server, which is currently the best form of communication (although this OCT is considered cross-platform.) Deviantart is mostly being used to organize relevant information and host the gallery.

What is the timeframe of the OCT?

About 4-5 months after auditions end, but could run a little longer depending on extensions. Aiming to have the tournaments end by October ~ November.

We're expecting auditions to take about 2 months, then audition judging to take between 1-2 weeks. Each round (there will be 3) will be 5 weeks long with the potential for at least one 1 week extension (individual leagues may have independent extensions). Grace periods are 12 hours after a deadline, and intended to cover any technical or other last-minute issues that may delay submissions. Judging for each round is expected to take up to 1 week at most.

We're trying to keep the OCT to fall mostly on summer months, as per our name. Spring will be auditions, and finals can run into fall.

Individual leagues can have independent extensions?

Yup! One of the blessings of running concurrent mini-tournaments rather than one large one. Groups that finish on time can speed right to the end, while groups that need a little more breathing room can have it.

Will there be an extension for auditions?

Potentially; it would likely be 1-2 weeks of extra time. We'll put out a poll in May to gauge where people are, before auditions are over.

What forms of media are you accepting, and what do you expect from each?

We're accepting writing, comics, and animation.

Writing needs to be legible, and formatted to not just be huge text blocks. PDF submissions are preferred. Should be 1.5-2 spacing for lines, 10-12 font size. Try to keep a reasonable length for written entries-- please don't submit a novel for each entry. Writing can utilize some illustrations in between text, up to a maximum of 3 times per entry, to help flesh out imagery-- but this should not substitute for descriptions, rather it should clarify or help depict the atmosphere.

Comics should have typed text for speech bubbles. Multiple pages, Twitter threads, PDF, or long form submissions are okay-- just link things together if there are separate pages. If you're running out of time and submitting sketches, try to at least make the speaker clear and actions visible! (Tip: quick flat colors under a sketch can help a lot to show figure & specify character)

Animation will also include animatics & games/visual novels due to the element of audio. (Please note that games are not going to be judged on gameplay quality/interactive elements. If submitting a game, please submit a video recording of the entry for us to judge.) Minimum resolution of 480p, no fps minimum. Concerning the use of copyrighted music, you may submit an entry with copyrighted music used-- just credit the artist and unlist the animation if posting on Youtube (or other hosting site) to avoid DMCA takedowns. You can also host the video in a google drive and share from there!

How do I submit my Audition and Reference Sheet(s) as a completed entry?

Please use this google form to submit! (This form is also used for qualifying for the Grace Period, feel free to take a look at the form before the deadline.)

How do I submit my work to the Deviantart group?

If you have a Deviantart account, please join the group (requests are automatically approved) and submit to the proper folder. If you don't have a Deviantart account, please use this google form-- our offsite account @SummerLeaguesOFFSITE will submit it to the group for you!

All work will be credited and linked to the original hosting location of your entry. If you are uncomfortable with a cover or page being posted by us, then unfortunately the only way to submit to the group would be through making your own Deviantart account.

Please make sure it is easy to read and navigate through your entry! If the pages are hard to read, or it's hard to get from one page to another, we cannot judge your entry properly. For example, if you choose to post on Twitter, keep the display sizes of the images in mind, and keep your entire entry in one thread rather than making separate tweets for each page.

What do I do if I start having computer problems and upload a few minutes past the deadline?

If you start having technical problems, please DM one of the organizers immediately so that we are aware of it! (The entry form will close soon after the Grace Period, so make sure you try to give yourself enough room to submit on time.) If you upload late and/or miss the deadline with no explanation, you will unfortunately be disqualified.

Will we get critiques?

Yes, you will be able to request a critique for previous work after results come out. (We'll use a google form to take requests.) Critiques will be sent out privately through a DM on Discord within a week of results being posted. This could include a copy of the rubric referenced when judging and personalized notes by the judges.

Judging

How will judging be done?

Judging will differ slightly between Auditions and Rounds, but only if we have additional judges to help manage the leagues. All judging will be based on a rubric for consistency (think of this as the Objective score), with wiggle room for “extra credit” (the Subjective score)-- although this extra credit can help or hurt an entry’s score. Objectivity makes up 90% of an entry’s score, with subjectivity accounting for the last (+/-) 10%. Please note that there are minor differences for each medium in the rubric, but that the base foundations for storytelling and execution remain the same.

If you’d like to see the rubric, please follow this link:

Auditions:

Auditions will be ranked in a list separated by medium.

These will be judged only by the organizers of the OCT. The largest multiple of 8 per league is how many competitors will join, and how many leagues of that medium will run (ie. 16 writers => 2 writing leagues, 32 comic artists => 4 comic leagues, 8 animators => 1 animation league).

The cutoff point for competitors depends on if a multiple of 8 is exceeded, or if the tournament becomes unfeasibly manageable (too large) for the 3 organizers.

Rounds:

These are competitions between 2 people-- whoever is better (scores higher) continues on in the tournament to the next round.

If we have additional judges join, they will be assigned to a league of their preferred medium. There will be 3 judges per league, whether it consists of 1 judge/2 organizers or 2 judges/1 organizer (or even just 3 judges with an organizer overseeing the judging rather than judging themselves). Ideally each league (and rounds) will be judged by the medium’s respective organizer + 2 helper judges.

I want to help judge-- Can I judge more than 1 medium (and/or more than 1 league)?

It depends on the number of judge applications we receive. Ideally we want everyone to have 1 league to be responsible for, for their preferred medium. It may be the case that we have to give someone a less-preferred medium depending on the number of judges across mediums. (We'll ask beforehand if you are comfortable with doing so.)

In the off-chance that a written-medium preferred judge is asked to judge comics or animation and has an NPC without a visual reference, an organizer (likely @Vashle) will help make one.

I want to help judge-- How can I apply?

Use this form, which will open at the same time as auditions. You'll be asked for some contact information and minor "interview"-like questions (past experience & critical ability), to complete 1 judging challenge (there are 3, one for each medium), and to submit an NPC idea if you wish to have one.

I want to help judge, but what if I get busy around the time a round ends?

An organizer can step in and help judge rounds if needed! We'll probably figure out more of the details over on Discord together when the time comes though.

I want to help judge-- How am I expected to write critiques?

Since we're using rubrics, feel free to include a score for each category on the rubric. Include more personalized notes that reference parts of the round in comparison to storytelling/execution techniques, and leave any comments you think might be helpful and/or compliment what you thought was well done. We don't have exact formatting requirements for critiques at this time, but will show an example after auditions.

I want to help judge and I have more questions, where can I ask them?

We actually have a judges-only category in our Discord server. Assign yourself the "judges" role in #reaction-roles and head on over to #judge_general to ask the organizers any questions you might have!

I'm having trouble with a helper judge in my league, should I contact an organizer?

Yes! Please let us know if any issues arise and we'll help you as best we can.

So, about these "Leagues"....

How many contestants will the roster have?

Here's where the unique "gimmick" of our OCT comes in-- in the form of scalability. (This is also why we are allowing folks to participate as helper judges.) Rounds are capped at 3 rounds because each league will have 8 competitors. Each league will be separated by medium, and there can be multiple leagues of the same medium.

Each league will be a group of 8 competitors of about similar ability. Judging for auditions will be ranked, so the top 8 will be in league 1, 9-16 in league 2, and so on. (Don't feel bad if you don't place 'high'-- this depends on who else is auditioning. Working with people at a similar level is a much better learning and networking experience as well.)

EXAMPLE of a league set for a run of the OCT:

Comic League 1
Comic League 2
Comic League 3

Writer League 1
Writer League 2

Animation League 1

Running concurrent tournaments means we'll have many more competitors working at the same time, which is very exciting! We can't wait to see what you guys come up with!

Can a League have more than 8 competitors (3 Rounds)?

No, we are intentionally keeping the tournament short and sweet.

What if a medium doesn't have enough competitors to run at least 1 league?

If this happens, we'll ask the competitors if they're comfortable with running a smaller tournament-- the rounds may get strange, but we'll have a conversation and see how people want to continue! (For instance, a mini-tournament of 4 would last 2 rounds, or a mini-tournament of 6 could be 3 rounds, with one competitor fighting an NPC in round 2 to avoid a three-way round.)

How are matchups decided?

After auditions and leagues are determined, we will use a random number generator to decide the placement within a tournament bracket per league. So round 1 will be random, but the next two won't be as secretive.

This is to allow for pre-writing during a round, since you'll be aware of your next two possible opponents. With how short the length of the tournament is, you'll need to be able to plan ahead for your story. Knowing what competitors you can get in the next round makes this much easier.

What is required in a round?

A fight must happen each round, at least starting within the confines of the Cross Colosseum. (The fight can be more of a battle of wills than a physical fight, but please keep it interesting for Chifu!)

So Auditions are character introductions, rounds are building up the story-- should the last round include the wish granted by the God Eater?

Yes! Please tie off your story in the final round (round 3) in some form. If you wish to make an epilogue after winning the final (round 3 judging is completed), feel free to do so!

Can we get extensions?

Yes, each round will allow for at least one 1 week extension-- please let your league judges know if you'll need an extension. Judges will privately contact individual contestants around halfway through the round in order to gauge how much extra time everyone needs, and give extensions accordingly.

What happens if my opponent forfeits?

If your opponent forfeits within the 1 week drop period, we'll "second wind" their past opponent, who will become your new opponent for the round. If your opponent forfeits after this period, please complete an entry with their characters. Your round still needs to get from beginning to end visually and narratively with some amount of effort, even if it's rough. Don't just submit a few panels or concept sketches with an outline and expect to pass because your opponent forfeited - it is not a guaranteed auto-pass!

What if I need to drop out? Are there “second winds”?

If you need to drop out, that’s okay! Just let us know ASAP. If you let us know during the judging period or within 1 week of the round results being posted, we will give a losing competitor a “second wind”. (Second wind-eligible competitors must be within their own league and lost to the dropping competitor in the previous round-- this is to keep the integrity of the tournament-bracket style intact and not negate any forward planning by other competitors.)

What happens if both competitors forfeit?

Due to the shorter time frame and tournament-bracket style, this gets a little strange. If a double forfeit occurs in round 1, we'll pull a losing competitor from the other half of the bracket to be your next opponent in round 2. If a double forfeit occurs in round 2, round 2 becomes "finals" for the other side of the bracket. (If round 2 suddenly becomes the finals, you won't be expected to tie off your story, but we'd love to see some sort of epilogue with your wish!)

Can I enter multiple leagues with different mediums? (For instance, creating a written audition and a different comic audition with two separate sets of characters?)

No, we want everyone to pick a medium and stick with it. You won’t have enough time to do 2 separate entries and work with 16 total characters (or more), we promise. Although we can't stop you from joining a different OCT and competing in both at one time, we don't recommend it.

Can I enter as a competitor and be a judge for a different league?

We appreciate the enthusiasm in wanting to get extra involved, but we prefer everyone to focus on one role. Thank you!

What about speculator entries or side stories?

Speculator entries and side stories (SEs) are entirely optional. Both competitors and non-competitors (including judges) are allowed to create SEs. However, for competitors any content in SEs will not be considered during round judgment (basically: keep new information and main developments during round entries, and other reinforcements of ideas like world-building or character situations kept to side stories).

Due to the scalability of the main tournament, we won't be running a spectator tournament alongside it.

How does canon work if I lose in the tournament and do a spectator entry?

If you choose to continue in the tournament after losing, it is considered a split point for reality and anything further is only within your character’s personal canon. You can make up a fighter for the remaining round(s) or work out a way where you become ‘disqualified’ after losing. Spectator entries are just for fun!

Speaking of canon, how does canon work in-universe with everyone's separate entries?

The setting is already split realities so everything and every possibility is technically canon. Try to respect your opponent’s canon, at least the parts that heavily impact your opponent, while melding it into your own.

I would like to donate a prize, can I?

Yes! You can donate a prize to a specific league (after the audition period) or a general one across all leagues (we recommend waiting until after the audition period to see how large of a commitment this is). Please DM one of the organizers over Discord if you wish to contribute.

Summer Leagues OCT

What can my characters be in terms of race, mythology, etc.? (Do they have to be mortal?)

Characters can be anything, but preferably sentient! Feel free to bring a mecha, be a mecha or robot/android, have anthro animals, be a forgotten god, etc. They can be immortal, but they need to be defeat-able. Keep powers balanced for the sake of keeping rounds challenging for both sides.

How would a team with a mecha and a pilot work?

If the mecha lacks sentience (basic AI function for reporting status is fine) and is used by the pilot to fight with (while inside), the mech & pilot are considered 1 character and filling the fighter role. (Yes this means you can have an additional character as a supporter, because here the mecha is simply a tool used in battle.)

If the mecha has sentience and can move on its own, it is considered a separate character. If the pilot is filling the supporter role, be advised that coaching the mecha from the sidelines is looked down upon by Chifu & X. A pilot may modify programming and/or give the mecha a plan before or after a match, not during.

Can I have an ability that creates environmental effects or reshapes the environment of the Colosseum grounds?

Sure! We have no gimmick to shift the Colosseum area, so if you want to rely on a changing or altered environment/weather, feel free to give your characters such an ability. (Supporters could change the environment/weather of the Colosseum grounds before a match, but not during...)

Can my character(s) challenge Chifu and try to takeover Crossroads?

Haha, good luck with that. You may run a plot like this as long as you adhere to the round format.

Are tag-teams and collaborations allowed?

At this time, no. However, if this OCT format turns out to be successful, we may add a Teams-Only league (most likely with comics as the medium) if we rerun this in the future.

Can we bring tagalongs or create our own NPCs?

Sure! Just keep in mind that adding additional characters adds to your workload and may take away from the spotlight on your fighter and your opponent. Opponents are not required to include your extras (tagalongs/NPCs) in their round.

If you want to bring back defeated opponent characters in later rounds, please get permission from your past opponent to do so. (Feel free to use judge NPCs as you wish, though!)

Any limitations on what we can do to our opponent's OCs?

Ask your opponent for permission first if you decide to harm or kill their character(s). Otherwise, keep the content guidelines (from the Rules journal) in mind!

So what's the story?

Please check out our Premise journal; think of the OCT as each league experiencing an alternate universe of the prompt.... NPCs are static, while the competitors change for each. The only official prompt is the premise of the tournament-- each round will be the same style of fighter vs fighter, no gimmicks thrown in the mix (unless your own storyline is tossing things up!).

Obviously this leads to many "canon" endings. It'll be a lot of fun! (Note that you can cameo teams from other leagues with the artist’s permission, however the intention with this tournament is to have smaller groups that make it easier to tell stories in a limited amount of time, so focusing on characters in your league is highly encouraged.)

I see our characters are getting invited to the tournament with a letter-- is there official text for the content of that letter?

Nope, there isn't. Feel free to personalize the message that Chifu sends your character(s) and tries to drag them into the tournament with.

Will each round have an official prompt to work off of?

No, they won't. The only prompt in this tournament is the premise. We want you to be in full control of your own story, and having prompts can get in the way of that. (Leagues can also become staggered if some have extensions while others don't, and it would be unfair for slower leagues to know the prompt ahead of time. If each league had a different prompt per round to avoid this, it would start getting confusing for competitors and be difficult to judge. So we're just sticking with the one and only!)

What is the timeframe within canon for the tournament?

Chifu's Cross Tournament lasts 3 days in-universe time (1 day = 24 hours), with each round taking a day to complete.

How free is my story? Do my characters have to make a wish at the end?

They don't have to make a wish! Do whatever is best for your story; the prospect of getting a wish granted is just the allure Chifu uses to pull in travelers.

How much freedom do I have with Crossroads?

A few areas will be more defined than the rest (Cross Colosseum & the Fox Den), but feel free to add areas that you want to see in Crossroads! There will be a map provided with the overall layout of the town, as well as some location snapshots to provide a sense of atmosphere, but you may add to it if you wish.

What's outside of Crossroads?

Things get a tad "shifty" outside of Crossroads in terms of dimensional rifts and how the world connects to other planes. Venture outside of charted territory at your own risk.

-x-

If you have any questions not listed here, comment with your question below (or ask it in our Discord server) and we’ll provide an answer as soon as possible.