Hello fantastic roster.

Over the past several months staff have been deliberating on the current judging rubric. We've found that there are some areas that could be refreshed to provide better clarity to the roster and to staff when judging rps. Here is what we've landed on. This isn't a gigantic change - some sections haven't been changed at all! - as we want to retain the broad essence of the 'XWF-style'.

The intent is to begin using this as of the first show AFTER War Games 2025, and we'll see how it goes from there. In the mean time, the previous rubric is still in use.

Any questions, please direct them to myself or Mark Flynn.

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XWF Rubric

Relevance: 0-5

How does the RP relate to the XWF as a whole, the opponent in particular, and the match specifically? Is it a story piece heavy on development and plot but with no connection to any of the above? Is there a bit of mention here and there about the above? Or does every bit of the RP tie into the above in some fashion?



Shoot: 0-5

How did the subject of this RP address his/her opponent? Did they simply react and respond to what the other said about them(previous rps, other posts on the boards, twitter etc) or were they clever and creative in the way they approached/described their opponent? Were they original in their approach or did they simply base their shoot off of what their opponent said first? Were the put-downs funny/biting/unique in some way? Do you feel they were sufficient to land, or were they more of a childish/banal/predictable nature? Did they support their claims with “facts” (i.e. did they believe what they were saying, or were they just spouting off for a reaction?)


Narrative: 0-5

Did the plot makes sense? Was there a good hook that caught the reader's attention, and from there, was it paced well or were there parts of the story that didn't seem to add to the piece as a whole? Are there any glaring plot holes? If this is a chapter in a larger piece, did it advance the character's story in a satisfying way? If it is a self-contained story, did it have a satisfying conclusion? Essentially, did stuff happen in this that makes the reader interested in reading more?


Writing: 0-5

Taking into account the entire piece - is it easy to read? Grammar, spelling, and syntax. Nobody is expecting a college essay or doctoral thesis - a couple of issues may still result in full marks. But are there mistakes that disrupt the flow of reading? If there is dialogue, do people actually converse this way or does it sound robotic? Is the prose overly complex that it becomes hard to read?


Entertainment Value: 0-10

It is thoroughly possible to hit the mark on all of the above categories and still have written something boring or uninteresting. Or to not hit the above perfectly but have something that is a blast to read. This is a highly subjective and individualized area that is extremely difficult to qualify. IS THIS ROLEPLAY ENTERTAINING? Did the reader like reading it? Was it creative? Or, was it a chore to get through? (Too long? Repetitive? Maybe a bit generic?) Did reading it make the reader look forward to more of the same kind? Is the reader glad they read this roleplay or was it work? This is where we would see the most variation and what will more times than not make the difference between winners/losers.



Gimme Points


IC: 0-1

Is everything in this roleplay fully IC? If everything is fully IC, it’s a free point. If it’s questionable, it's a 0. For something particularly egregious, further action might be taken. If in doubt, keep it out. 


Within Limits: 0-1

Was everything posted within the constraints of the match rules? Did it stay under a word limit? Was it posted in accordance with rules in regard to timeframe? This should be an easy point, but if for instance an Anarchy roleplay (1000 word limit) is 1005 words then the free point would be abandoned. Total disregard for limits/etc. may result in disqualification on a case-by-case basis. This would likely be rare. As always, anything posted after a deadline is disqualified unless there has been a prior arrangement.


Presentability: 0-1

This should be simple. Is the roleplay presentable or is it a mess? Are there coding issues and messed up tags all over the place that ruin the immersion of the reader? If color is used, is it consistent and not a distraction?


Effort: 0-1

Did the handler try at all to make the RP count, or is it just something thrown up to avoid a no-show/allow for “soft deadline” considerations?


Character: 0-1

Did the RP portray the character in accordance to previously presented alignments/behaviors/attributes/details?



Maximum Possible Score: 35



Disqualification considerations

• Blatant disregard for word limits (case-by-case). The official word count measure is: WordCounter
  
• Scoring over 10% on the AI check. Staff will reach out to you if this happens, but there is no guarantee this would be before the results go up. CHECK YOUR OWN WORK. Official AI checker: ZeroGPT
  
• Plagiarism of any kind. Even if it's your own work. The expectation is for unique stories. You're welcome to post anything you've done elsewhere on the Character Development board as those are not graded.
  
• Going OOC in your rps. Please note that there are things staff may miss or not be aware of. If you're concerned about the content of someone else's rp, please reach out to staff.
  

Particularly egregious examples or repeated infractions may result in further action from staff. The Rules page covers other expectations of conduct.