The Starving Artist: Hunger Games 2015

How to Play

Alright, the games are quickly approaching, so it is about time that I post this somewhat short guide to the Starving Artist Games.

Quick Overview

Based completely off of the Hunger Games world (not the characters), this writing competition takes place inside the 23rd annual Hunger Games.

To participate as a tribute, you will complete tasks that I, the head Gamemaker, will post each week as chapters in this book. Using a character that you will submit to me, you will respond to this task in your character's point of view. These will then be scored by the Gamemakers, and those with the lowest score each round will face voting and possible elimination from the competition. (more on that later)

It continues like this through six rounds until, like the Hunger Games, a sole survivor remains.

To participate as a sponsor you will need much less time commitment. As a sponsor you will be given three gifts (more on that later too) that you will then be able to give to Tributes. You will only be able to give one sponsorship a week, and you may only give the three gifts once (ex: if you already gave a +1000 word count you would not be able to give it again for the rest of the games).

Reserving a Tribute / Sponsor

On Friday, June 26th I will post a chapter named

!!! RESERVATIONS !!! -NOW OPEN-

In that chapter will be a list of all of the slots you can sign up for (one male and one female per district along with 5 Sponsors). Two of these slots will already be taken by the winners of the Early Reaping. To reserve a spot, comment as such:

"D1 Male"

or

"Sponsor"

This is first come, first serve, and the comments display the correct order. I'm guessing it's going to get intense, so be ready and waiting at 7pmUTC. There are 29 slots to sign up for, and certain districts will go faster than others.

Creating Your Tribute

After you comment, I will confirm your spot. I do have the ability to deny you a spot, but I will only do so if someone took that slot before you. After I confirm your slot, one of the Gamemakers will send you a link to a form where you will create your tribute*. It may be worth writing it all down somewhere you can save it because you will not have access to the form after you submit it to the Gamemakers.

*Your tribute has to be completely original. We will not be accepting any characters already in the books! You've been warned.

Creating Your Sponsor

Sponsors, I will accept/deny you the exact same way that I did the Tributes. Once I confirm your slot, one of the Gamemakers will send you a link to the Sponsor form, where you will create your sponsor (yes you get to make a character too!). Once again, it may be worth writing it all down somewhere you can save it because you will not have access to the form after you submit it to the Gamemakers.

Different to the tributes, you will receive another link where you will Sponsor your Tributes. All of that will be explained on the actual form.

Tasks

As I've already said, there will be one task a week starting on June 27th that will present challenges to your tribute as well as to you as a writer. During the first task, no one will be eliminated, but after that eliminations will be based off of your score and the public's vote. Each task will have a deadline, and if you do not meet that deadline, you will receive a null score and automatically face voting.

The first round will determine sponsorships, which we will discuss later.

Your responses to these tasks will be sent via email to sagamemakers@gmail.com. Please send your responses in the email instead of as an attached document. It will please your Gamemakers and may play in to how they judge your entry (probably not but I might as well scare you a little). We will call your responses to the tasks entries, just for the sake of clarity.

Deaths and Ballots

Every task will eliminate tributes from the competition (other than the first task). They will have a set number of tributes that will be eliminated until only one remains standing. You can only be eliminated by being placed in front of the public and voted upon. This will only happen if you have a score that is in the bottom percentage of the other tributes.

Your quality of writing will affect your score, but other competitors can also damage it. With each task, you will receive a specific amount of ballots and in-entry kills.

Ballots- an opportunity to vote to kill a character without putting it in your entry.

Entry Kills- where you kill or witness the death of another tribute in your entry.

Both of these damage your score and could tip the scales until you are put up against a vote. Both ballots and entry kills will have limitations that will change with each round, and I would suggest taking every opportunity to use them.

Voting

Voting will be done through comments until the final round, where they will be done with PMs. The general public of WattPanem will have the opportunity to vote to keep their favorite tributes in the competition. At no time will you be able to vote for yourself or ask other people to vote for you if you are put to the public vote.

There are certain things that can tip the scales of voting such as your score and sponsorship, but more on that later.