Postcard Adventure Contest
 

I'm interestedd in entering the postcard adventure contest. Does anyone know when the rules will be posted? Or are they posted and I'm searching in the wrong part of Cidri?

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

What this link to this?

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The contest was teased on The Hexagram update #15, found here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects.../posts/2417034

I'm very excited about it.

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I don't think it's gone live yet. Probably will be announced in the Daily Illuminator and via Kickstarter Updates when it does go live.

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Sounds about the right size for the Lair of the Necropus.

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Looking forward to it. I find that restrictive design requirements can really help spur creative thinking.

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Now that it's open, is anybody else planning to do an adventure against the Necromancer and her Octopus apprentice? I won't bother if everybody else is already doing it.

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The postcard adventure idea is really creative and mates well with TFT's roots in arena combat board games. If it was ALL that was happening with the system I would say it smacks a bit too much of the 'D&D Encounters' program. But it will be a fun component of the broader mix of products and activities.

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

Direct link to the contest:

https://thefantasytrip.game/news/201...rinth-contest/

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Woo! Gotta shape up my entries to the guidelines.

Can we share our entries on the forum as well, or do they need to remain secret in order to count in the contest?

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

Please do not.

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Figured as much, just wanted to confirm.

One other question. I'm submitting four of them. Can I put them all together in an envelope and mail them to you all that way? Or do they need to be sent as individual stamped postcards to count? I will of course design them as mail-suitable either way.

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Is there an example postcard adventure somewhere as a reference?

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Included in the Hexagram project.

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I looked in the Hexagram PDF and on the KS page and couldn't see an example. Do you have a link Phil?

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They were separate files for me. Check your W23 account and get the latest ZIP.

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Ah, thanks Shadekeep. I somehow missed them when I downloaded the Hexagram PDF.

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Is there a minimum font size, margins, or a maximum space used on the address side? (The example isn't terribly efficient in its use of space.)

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I got by on 7-pt with a tiny little map.

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A few basic design questions:

1) What is the minimum allowable font size?

2) It sounds like the backside should conform to same general layout as in the dungeons provide with Hexagram, correct?

3) Do the postcards need to be mailed as postcards, or can they be sent within an envelope?

Thanks!

EDIT: And while I was writing this similar questions came in. Ah well, answers are answers, whoever asks. ^_^

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

I suspect 8pt is going to be the bare minimum for fonts. Also, if SJ Games are going to redesign the winners into a consistent format, there may be issues with too much text that doesn't fit after the redesign if one is really packing it tight (like I am).

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I used 8-pt when I wrote the two postcards. I'd recommend not going smaller than that.

Mailed in an envelope is okayish, but against the spirit of the postcard labyrinth concept.

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The idea of sending entries in AS A POSTCARD may be my fault! I really am into oldschool/nostalgia. Before the contest began, I made a postcard adventure that was not related to the contest and mailed it to SJG. Maybe it was too cool an idea.

This will be a fun challenge and I wish luck to everyone who enters. Winning autographed anything TFT related will be cool. But who wouldn't want their ideas as part of official TFT gaming?

Some tips on making a postcard:
If you're making a 5x7 postcard, make it 10x7, with both sides of the postcard together (and touching) on one side of the sheet. and print it on card stock (110 lb is adequete). Before folding it in half, take a box cutter or X-Acto (tm) knife and lightly make a scoring cut on the edge where the front and back meet. Don't cut all the way through. Fold it in half. I place another piece of paper over the postcard after folding, then use a ruler to crease it firmly. The other paper prevents the card from getting marked up. Cut the sides and bottom while it's folded so the front and back match up.

Now you want to seal the front and back together. I use Krylon (tm) spray adhesive for an even coat; don't use rubber cement. 3M (tm) is another quality brand. If you glue THEN cut, wait an hour to let it set.

This double-thick card stock produces a solid , mailable postcard. Trust me, I did it and mailed it, and although I want to win, I also want everyone to have a fair shot to make a entry that you can mail. Two more things: 1) Use a laser printer, even if you only have access to a b&W one and must sacrifice color. I think SJG will judge on creativity and playability and not worry about color. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) 2) If the card size exceeds 4x6", place a first class stamp on it, not postcard postage. Your 5x7" or 4 1/2" x 6 1/4" entry won't get there with just the postcard postage, and it would be a shame if a potentially winning entry doesn't reach its destination over a few cents' worth of postage.

If I win, I don't want to win because you had a great idea and you couldn't realize it in card form! And, if I don't win because of the help i provided, that's also awesome, because the more entries that are involved, the more quality ideas that can be submitted, enriching the quality of the TFT gaming experience for everyone.

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B&W is totally acceptable (and appropriate).

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Phil, what is the empty space on the address side intended for?

Or more precisely, can we use it?

I can fit my encounter and map entirely on the other side, but I'd like to include an illustration, and that's the only place that one could go.

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

The empty space is for to/from addresses. It must be left blank for your entry to be a true postcard.

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Well then, no illustration it is. Thanks for the quick reply!

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Then I'll honour the intent and mail them as postcards. Just hope the postal service is kind to them. ^_^

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

You must be new. :)

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Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!

At first thought, I began to see how many of the new LE f&f I could include. Then I looked at size, and now that my initial exuberance has subsided I’m mostly sane again.

I intend several entries, not FTW, but just in the spirit of competition and honestly, what the helpful gentleman said above about helping further the TFT fun (and if we get credit and something is published, that’d be most phenomenal!)

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

Is there a preference or requirement as to whether the map should be drawn in Combat Scale (1 hex=1 hex) like the previous postcards, or Labyrinth Scale (1 hex=1 megahex) like the TFT Adventures?

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Do what you feel is best for your submission.

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I've mailed in my two postcard adventures.

One is inspired by Hindu cosmology and the other is inspired by Scooby-Doo.

Will you list the losers so I can see if my cards actually made it there?

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Question about formatting:

Normally postcards have:

Side A: Image of some sort
Side B: Space for a note from the sender on the left, then the mailing address on the right.

Are we okay using both sides of the postcard? I wanted to do the map on the "image" side, and then the adventure notes on the left of the back, next to the mailing address.

Sorry if this was noted somewhere; I looked but didn't see an explanation.

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

You will want to follow the model presented in the Hexagram campaign.

If you neglect to leave space for the postcard to be used as a postcard, that will go against the spirit of the contest and your design will likely be pushed to the bottom of the stack.

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Just sent mine in! Hope you all like it.

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Phil, I'm still not clear where the "line" is in the grey area between only using one side, and leaving enough room for an address and postage, but also covering lots of the second side in stuff.

The example postcard labyrinths in Hexagram #1 use a little bit of the address side, but also leave a lot of space blank... so how much space more space than that would people be allowed to use before it might be considered a negative rather than a positive?

(This competition reminds me of the postcards I used to send/receive from a TFT pal back in the 1980's, where we wrote in small print and filled every available inch with stuff (mostly because we thought it was funny, and we had better eyesight then...).)

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It would probably be cheating to just put a great big QR code on the postcard that links to a whole PDF online somewhere, right?

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that would be cheating…

…well, crap.



;)

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What is everybody doing for artwork? I was tempted to put two counter images on each of mine.

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Well, I guess I wasn't the only one who had that idea. Or rather, "Me too". I only need one, though — but even so, I'm not sure I'm going to keep it. The real estate is mighty scarce.

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Put mine in the letterbox today. We'll see how the Postal Orcs deal with it. It would be nice if towards the deadline a list could be posted of entries received. That would help folks know if theirs made it or not.

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I drew the map simply with Hex Kit. The card looked a little bland though, so I added a semi-opaque clip art background image.

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not just a list, but posted photos of each that might trigger some creativity.

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It would certainly be cool to see all the entries after the contest is over. Don't know if that is practical from the SJ Games side though. They are retaining the rights to the entries, and they may want to develop some of them, and therefore not disclose any contents in advance. Or they may just get too dang many of the things. ^_^

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

Got an update that not all entries actually use the Megahex tiles.

My excuse is that I do not have an excellent software tool to align megahex images.

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I have a mediocre tool that works for me. Check your PMs. :)

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Sadly, I lack the technical ability to create such a postcard. 😪

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If it's a lack of software, I can point you towards free solutions that should cover all the bases. If it's that you didn't spend the XP to acquire the Talent, I can't help you there. ~_^

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I'm afraid it's the latter 🙄

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You might surprise yourself. But even if you don't enter a postcard, hopefully you'll enjoy the contest anyway.

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The issues involved printing and formatting, not around the game itself. TFT is a dream to use. Two postcards being sent in today!

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At long last I sent my postcard adventure in!

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Looking forward to the official tally, once all the cards are in!

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Could someone remind me with a link of where I find the official instructions for this?

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Thanks; I'll see if I can get one post marked tomorrow!

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A request for some last minute advice! The two examples of 'successful' postcards that were included with Hexagram #1 made minimal use of the back side of the card, yet the instructions suggest we can use both sides, provided there is still room for an address block. Should we try to stick to the same word count and map size as these examples, or is it expected that some entries will fill up more space?

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I pretty much left the back clear, like a standard postcard, with just the "Continuing The Adventure" blurb at the bottom. There was talk earlier that this should be able to function as a practical postcard, with sufficient space for both addressing and a message. So I would say try to keep everything on the front and just have a small amount of separate footer text on the back, text which isn't a direct continuation of the front (like a broken sentence).

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

We're chatting on the TFT Discord about the aftermath of this contest and a couple ideas have come up.

One is that it would be cool to have all the entries as a postcard set. Or at least all the ones which pass muster. This set could be a standalone product, and the individual postcards could be promotional items to hand out at conventions and such. It was also suggested they could make nice extras when shipping - drop one in the package and maybe generate interest in TFT with the recipient.

Another idea is that this postcard concept might be extended to other titles in the SJ Games family. Maybe a quick GEV scenario or Car Wars encounter on a postcard, or postcards which feature a new card for the card-based titles.

Probably SJ Games has already considered these ideas and more, but wanted to put them out there in case not.

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I'm afraid I was so crazy busy 'adulting' yesterday that I wasn't able to get my entry to the post office. Oh well, I'll look forward to seeing what the rest of you made. Also, I got so into the concept behind my entry that this weekend I'm going to start building on it to create a kind of TFT version of the D+D classic, Tomb of Horrors. Not in terms of specific theme or content; rather, I'm making it into a super challenging and tricksy megadungeon that is intended for hard-mode competitive dungeon crawling, where smarts and breadth are more important than firepower. I'm designing it around the idea of a single highly experienced protagonist, which I assume folks will create as a one-shot (though, as with ToH, running your players through, either with or without permanent consequences, could also be fun). So far it is shaping up to be more or less like the Indiana Jones opening sequence, if it had 100 rooms and Indy always died.

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

What ever happened with this contest?

Re: Postcard Adventure Contest
 

Steve isn't ready to announce the winners. He has all of the entries.