Post by ASCENT on Aug 10, 2017 23:42:58 GMT -5
About ASCENT
In Character
In Character
All Star Combat Entertainment is a fledgling independent wrestling promotion beginning operation in Portland, Maine with the intent of expanding throughout New England. ASCENT has secured a slot at O’Maine Studios every other Sunday evening for 10-14 weeks. The live shows will be recorded and distributed both On Demand streaming through the ASCENT website and in a full collection on DVD at the end of the season.
Owner Jasper Kincaid secured investments from several local business owners to cover the initial expenses in exchange for advertising during the live shows. Mr. Kincaid is confident that ticket and merchandise sales, along with continued investment, will cover future expenses. Additionally, Mr. Kincaid brought on Erik Hawke to be ASCENT’s General Manager. Erik is a lifelong wrestling fan who got his foot in the door as a sports columnist and member of the ring crew for various small promotions. He moved to small gigs as a backstage interviewer before Jasper offered him the opportunity to GM ASCENT.
With Kincaid’s business acumen and Hawke’s passion for the sport, ASCENT has a firm foundation on which to build. In the ever-growing wrestling and combat sport market, ASCENT seeks to rise to the top and bring its talent and fans along for the ride. A successful first season in Maine will spell bigger and better things for ASCENT in the future.
Out of Character
ASCENT is a bi-weekly fed that focuses on storytelling through both the roleplays and results. We will run seasons of 10-14 weeks (5-7 shows) followed by a break of approximately 4-6 weeks. Each season will have a different theme, and possibly a different format, as ASCENT itself grows and evolves. This means that there is potential for things to be wildly different from season to season, keeping it interesting and fresh.
Each new season will have a sign up period, so the roster can and most likely will change from season to season. This will allow for those who miss out on one season to get in on the next, and for those who need a break to take one and return again when they can. There is no long-term commitment if you find that ASCENT is not for you, but you are of course welcome to come back for the next season.
With our 10-14 week season format and story arch, we will be capping the roster at 12 for the first season and adjusting as necessary for future seasons. This keeps the shows at a manageable size and helps ensure that no one gets lost in the shuffle. At present we have decided to have sign ups for the first season be on a first come, first serve basis. However, if we find ourselves with large numbers of people wanting to join and not enough spots on the roster to support them all, we may have to pick and choose.
ASCENT differs from other feds in a number of ways, but one of the biggest is that we will be giving you writing prompts for your RPs and segments to further both the overall story of ASCENT and your character’s own personal part in that story. This is not in anyway meant to limit you. Like an actor playing a part you’ll be given an outline, but you make that part come alive with your own unique style and creativity.
If all of this sounds intriguing to you and you are as excited as we are to give it a shot, then read on and join us for our first season!
Guidelines
General Guidelines
General Guidelines
1. Have fun. Remember that this is a game and the purpose should be to enjoy yourself. Don’t take it too seriously.
2. Don’t be a dick. As a collection of (hopefully) intelligent and non-psychopathic adults this should go without saying, but unfortunately in e-fedding it seems like it always has to be said. We are all here to have fun. If your idea of fun is harassing other handlers, trolling, and generally causing problems, then ASCENT is not the place for you.
3. If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them to ASCENT staff privately so we can answer or address them for you. Do not “air your dirty laundry” on the boards. We would much rather try to work out any issues that arise to mutual satisfaction than have to dismiss anyone from the roster for causing drama.
Application Guidelines
1. ASCENT is a fed for original created characters only. No real wrestlers or carbon copies will be accepted.
2. We also require a real picture base. No Poser renders, cartoons, or drawings will be accepted. Bases that are easy to find pictures of are preferred. If you have an obscure base we ask that you provide a few cuts/psds and high quality pictures for us.
3. Because of the limited size of the roster, a handler may only have one character in the fed for any given season.
4. Only one handler in any given season may use a picture base, theme song, or finishing move. Please refer to the Taken Lists before filling out your application.
5. When filling out your application, please use the template provided and do not alter it. This helps speed the process when creating your coded profile.
6. Please fill your application out entirely at the time you submit it. Leave no portion blank and don’t leave any placeholder, “I’ll fill this out later,” remarks. With a limited roster it isn’t fair to others who wish to apply to have a spot taken up by an incomplete application.
7. If you wish to make any alterations to your profile, send them into ASCENT staff and we will be glad to take care of it for you. This helps to ensure that we know of the alterations and don’t miss them.
8. Any notes that your character “only wins by submission,” “never taps out,” etc. will be ignored. All characters are human. They all bleed, they all lose at some point, and they all give up or get desperate.
Roleplay Guidelines
1. The roleplay requirements for ASCENT are 1 RP at 3500 words for each show, with a segment strongly encouraged. The 3500 word limit is 100% firm, we feel it is more than enough for a complete RP. We will use wordcounter.net to check, and we will check all RPs, so please check yours before posting it.
2. The deadline for RPs to be posted is 11:59 PM EST on the Wednesday before the show.
3. Once your RP is posted you will have a 10 minute grace period to edit and fix any errors. If you edit your RP after that 10 minute period is over, it will not count toward your match. The board has a preview feature, so you can look for coding issues and proofread before posting.
4. A thread will be created for each match in the “Show Writing” forum under the “On Air” category. The thread will include the writing prompt for the match for the given cycle. Handlers will post their RPs as a reply to the thread.
5. All match RPs must be posted in full on the ASCENT forums. Linking to an outside site will not be accepted.
6. Any RP that is discounted for a match due to going over the word limit or being edited after the grace period will still be scored for the handler’s grand total toward the season Championship. However there will be a deduction of 5 points for the first slip up, 10 for the second, and so on.
7. You may not use others’ characters in your RPs in any capacity without permission from the handler. This includes any side characters. This also includes any members of management or the broadcast team unless they are a part of the prompt for your match.
8. Plagiarism of others’ work or reusing RPs previously posted in other feds for your match RPs is not acceptable in ASCENT and should we find you doing so we will have to dismiss you from the fed. Reposting your own previous RPs to the Character Development board in order to catch us up on a story is allowed.
Judging Guidelines
In ASCENT we look for quality over quantity. As such we will be using a scoring system to determine the winner of each match. There are seven judging categories as well as segment and participation scores.
Continuity [10] – One of our focuses in ASCENT is telling a story. How well are you selling that story and working it into your RP?
Entertainment Value [10] – Did your piece keep us engaged from start to finish? Did you leave us wanting more? Did you leave us feeling something, whether it was amusement, sadness, or disgust? Creativity and realism come into play here.
Match Focus [10] – This differs from many other feds in that it doesn’t necessarily mean your “promo,” however it certainly can be a promo. This encompasses anything in your RP that focuses on your match be it a blog/diary entry, a conversation with another character, diary/blog entries, and so on.
Readability [5] – Do your font, color, or layout choices make it difficult to read your piece? Are the transitions smooth and is it easy to tell what is going on?
Spelling & Grammar [5] – Typos and spelling mistakes happen, a few here and there won’t cost you. Pervasive and consistent mistakes will start to lose points. If we can’t decipher what you are trying to say, it’s hard to judge your writing in other categories!
Story Focus [10] – Where Continuity is about using the ongoing story of ASCENT, this is where you develop the story of your own character. Did your RP progress that story, or did it stagnate while your character ran to the 7-11 for a Slurpee?
Use of the Prompt [5] – How well did you use or incorporate the prompt for your match?
Segment [5] – This is an all or nothing category. If you do your segment in accordance with the guidelines and prompt (if applicable), you receive full points.
Participation [5] – An active fed is a happy fed. Your investment in ASCENT will boost us as a whole, and in turn your activity is rewarded in this category. The total available points may be lower for some shows, but will never exceed 5.
- – Be the First in Your Match to Post Your RP - .5 point
– Give Feedback on the Previous Show - 1 points
– Post a Character Development RP or News & Rumors Piece - 1 point for CD, .5 Point for News & Rumors (Points can only be earned once and are either/or. )
– Post Your RP 24 Hours or More Before the Deadline - .5 point
– Submit Your Segment 24 Hours or More Before the Deadline - .5 point
– Submit Both Your RP and Segment 24 Hours or More Before the Deadlines - .5 point
– Vote in any Staff-Made Polls - .5 point
We thought our system through very thoroughly to ensure that the highest quality RP will win out, regardless of overall word count. A 3500 word RP of nothing but filler is apt to lose to a spot on RP with half the word count. On the opposite side of the coin, a 500 word RP is not likely to thoroughly touch on all categories. It’s up to you to find your own personal balance.
We will be happy to give you your score and feedback on your RP if you request it.
Cards and Results
Cards
Cards
ASCENT cards will read top to bottom like a promotional flier, with one Main Event and the undercard. Cards will be posted in the Programs forum under the On Air category. Any special stipulations for a match will be noted under the participant names. For each new cycle the card will be posted soon after the results have gone up.
Match position on the card is not based on performance in any way. Over the course of the season all characters will participate in a Main Event, and more than likely everyone will also participate in an opening match. The order of the matches is simply based on what works best for the pieces of the story that come out on that show.
Results
ASCENT’s bi-weekly event is every other Sunday. Results will be up by midnight EST barring any unforeseen circumstances. In character the show takes place at O’Maine Studios in Portland, Maine, and starts at 8 PM EST. The run time is approximately 2-2.5 hours.
For our results the undercard matches will be condensed (but with more detail than mere summaries) without entrances or commentary. The Main Event for each show will be fully written with entrances and commentary. Through our own experience in fedding and witnessing a number of discussions on the topic, it seems the trend is that most people really only read their own match all the way through (if even that) and just skim the rest for high points and a winner.
With the focus in ASCENT being on the story, it makes sense for the staff to devote more time to weaving that story than on writing full-length matches that most people will not read. We’ve decided on a format that should still make each match a fun read and give everyone something to work with in building their character for the next show. We’re not looking to short change anyone and will do our absolute best to make everyone shine.
FAQs and Other Information
As we receive questions that aren’t answered in the guidelines or other areas, we’ll post them here.
Are show segments required?
In order to be successful individually and as a whole, ASCENT needs a certain level of commitment from handlers participating in each season. Where some feds are places where you can simply post an RP for each show and be done (and those places are great in their own right), ASCENT needs your investment and activity. As such, segments will be highly encouraged from each handler for each show.
Not only will this make the results immersive and help tell our story, but it makes each and every member of our roster an integral part of the shows, the season, and the fed as a whole. We’ve all seen some places where every set of results seem to be a one- or two-man show revolving around the same characters. We don’t want that, we want you all to be stars! As such, those who choose to write their own segments will receive a small point bonus for doing so.
We also understand, however, that some handlers enjoy being surprised by what happens to their characters during each show and prefer for staff to write their segments. We can do this. Simply be aware that by choosing to have staff write your segments you choose to accept the story choices we make for them. We will do our absolute best to stay as true to your character as we can within the story of ASCENT. The goal is not to punish those who wish to have staff write their segments.
Will there be Championships?
With our season format and the possibility of the roster changing dramatically from one season to the next, it would be incredibly difficult to maintain multiple on-going championships and appropriate contendership opportunities. Therefore, ASCENT will have one title, the Genesis Championship, that will be awarded on the first show and defended every show of the season as well as a season champion, the Apex Champion, determined by the highest cumulative score of all RPs at the final show.
To that end, it will be of great benefit to all handlers to write your best RP possible for every match. Even if you lose any given match, you are still building your cumulative score toward that Apex Championship. A loss absolutely does not mean that you are no longer in the running for the championship like it would in a tournament format. With this format, at the end of the season one person may hold both the Genesis and Apex Championships, or it may be two different people. Only time will tell!
Where do you stand on On-Camera/Off-Camera?
This is a topic of much debate. On one hand you have people who say that everything in a match RP should be “on camera.” If you want everything to count for your RP your opponent should be able to use it. On the other hand there is the group that staunchly advocates “off-camera = off limits.”
We expect you as handlers to use common sense.
Logically the company isn’t going to have the resources to have a camera crew following every wrestler for every moment of the day. The mundane aspects of life and private conversations in non-public spaces can’t truly be “on camera.” There is also validity to the argument that with only 1 RP to do, that RP should be able to stand on its own without requiring your opponent’s RP to pick apart.
Anything that occurs in a public space, however, has the potential to be seen and heard. A loud argument can be eavesdropped on by nosy neighbors. Creepers sit in cars and watch people. Email passwords get stolen. Private information can end up in the public eye. It does happen.
So we aren’t going to sit here and try to tell people that their character is being recorded when the get out of bed in the morning. We’re also not going to tell the other side of the coin that nothing in their opponent’s RP is fair game because an “off camera” tag was slapped on it. We can tell you that an entire RP of nothing but responding to your opponent isn’t particularly creative and is rarely entertaining. If you’re going to go that route what we’ll say is the same thing you used to see on your math tests; show your work. Use common sense, don’t be lazy.
Is there a limit on content in RPs?
In general, no. That being said, we don’t want to read about child molestation or your explicit clown rape fantasies. Also bear in mind that there could be consequences for crimes committed in the public eye. We do aim for at least a degree of realism.
Will there be tag teams?
For the first season there will not be any tag teams. This could change for future seasons.