Original SJ Local Chapters Challenge !!!!!!

Okay, the deadline for the contest described below is hereby extended
until June 30 because of few entries, and my own very busy life. :) I
really hope to see at least one or two more entries!

So far we have the following entries, in the order they were received:
1. Adam Miller  The Monarch Reborn (Realmspace: Cult of Dragon)
2. Adam Miller  Pantheistic Celestial Collage of Celestian
(Bralspace: Church of Celestian)
3. Ariel Sibal  Harper In Bral
4. Loki         The Library of The Spheres: Seekers Enclave-Rock of Bral
5. Adam Miller  Pillar-Temple of the Heavens (Greyspace: Church of Ptah)

If I missed any entries, please let me know asap. Those who have
entered should feel free to reedit and resend their entries!

Original SJ Local Chapters Challenge !!!!!!

In the interest of keeping the SJ list SJ the Original SJ Ship
Challenges were introduced, now we're expanding to Local Chapters!:)
Please read the post below and follow all the posting rules:)

All entries in the Original SJ Local Chapters Challenge will be
considered by a panel of three judges, Paul Westermeyer
<westermeyer.3@???.edu> and two other judges who will be announced at
the end of the contest.

The contest will continue until March 1st, 2003, all entries should
be posted before that date. The winner of the contest will have
his/her entry posted on Static's Beyond the Moons website with a nice
note stating "Winner of the Original SJ Local Chapters Challenge"
emblazoned for all to see.:)

The rules for the contest are simple: You must design and post a
description of a local chapter of one of the Spelljammer
organizations. It must be original work, and should provide a chapter
detailed enough that a DM can simply drop it into their campaign.
This does not mean every NPC within the chapter must be detailed,
however. In fact, for most NPCs use of the
alignment/race/sex/class/level shorthand should suffice. [ie Elrohir
Amroth (CN em T13)]

For this contest the Chapters should be part of a larger, canon
Spelljammer organization. We call them 'Chapters' but depending on
the organization 'Fleet' 'Battalion', 'Franchise', or other such term
may be more proper. The parent organization should be multi-spheric
but the chapter should be confined to one sphere, or even to one
region of a sphere.

Some of the canon Spelljammer organizations which are particularly
good for this contest include: Imperial Elven Navy (or Elven Imperial
Navy, whichever name you prefer :)), The Church of Ptah, The Church
of Celestian, The Company of the Chalice, The Pragmatic Order of
Thought, The Tenth Pit, Trading Company, Smith's Coster, Gaspar's
Reclamations, Sindiath Line, Chainmen, Seekers, Xenos, or Shapers.
Other groups exist, of course, any group that appears within a
Spelljammer source (including Spelljammer articles or adventures in
_Dragon_ or _Dungeon_) can be used, but if you are not using one of
these easily recognized groups please note your source.

You may also create Spelljammer Chapters of organizations from other
WotC/TSR worlds. For example, an article detailing a Red Wizard
enclave on Bral, or a Zhentarim plot within the Tears of Selune.
Again, the organization should be an 'official' group from a WotC/TSR
product, please be sure to include a bibliography so folks can find
further information on the organization.

Because such organizations require a lot of work, we are breaking
with a long time policy for this contest; you may submit chapters you
have previously posted to the Spelljammer list or placed on a
website, _provided_ that you have not submitted the write up to a
previous 'Original SJ' challenge.

Entries will be judged on Originality, Detail, and Usability (we
scale them from 1-10). Note that "usability" maybe low for chapters
designed for a specific home-brewed spheres or are poorly detailed.
Chapters of exceptionally high power may also be less useful. Those
with interesting, complete backgrounds will likely rack up points in
originality. Detail can include background, but most often this is a
loss for those who fail to include all sufficient stats, forcing the
GM to come up with them.

Some areas that should be addressed to make a write up complete is a
description of leadership, activities, membership roster, allies,
foes, how to join, how to quit, dues, bases, if any, ships, if any. A
sample member or even an entire sample ship can be helpful as well.
Discuss how they might be used in a campaign (foes, helpful NPCs, or
with the party as full fledged members, for example).

A sample 'chapter' write up will be posted soon, under the subject
heading SJLC:Example. It is simply an average chapter, IMO. Judging
from past challenges the winners will be of much higher quality.

The contest is intended to be friendly and generate a lot of new
Spelljammer chapters for us all to use. To enter just send an SJ
Chapter which follows the rules above to the SJ list for all to view.
To help the judges, please use the following subject line: SJLC:
<Chapter's_name> :)

The Challenges were designed to promote discussion, and comments from
other list members on the entries are welcome (just keep 'em
friendly). And the judges are all far too stubborn to be swayed by
idle comments, so speak up! :) The judges will refrain from
commenting on entries directly, as that could conceivably give later
entries an advantage.
--
"...And nobody is to be killed at all, if it can be helped. Keep your
tempers and hold your hands until the last possible moment!"
"But if there many of these ruffians," said Merry, "it will certainly
mean fighting. You won't rescue Lotho, or the Shire, just by being
shocked and sad, my dear Frodo."

Paul Westermeyer,  westermeyer.3@???.edu
Phd Candidate, History, Ohio State University