Writer Guidelines ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR PROPOSAL WAIVER I. Introduction Pulsar Games Inc. objective is to expand its product line, in the efforts to produce high quality games. Pulsar Games is a player driven company and believes that only through interaction with our players and our customers can we produce the highest quality merchandise. We are actively seeking talented, creative, innovative free-lance writers and designers to help us in this endeavor. It is our hope that you will be one of them. This packet of information is intended to answer many of your questions you may have concerning Pulsar Games Inc. and our criteria for submissions. Currently, we are most interested in producing supplements and adventures for Blood of Heroes super hero genre role playing game. In addition, we are interested in looking at innovative game designs as we expand our horizons into the field of non role playing games. Pulsar has plans for an innovative sci-fi RPG code named Project Pulsar. Information about this future release may be found on our website (www.pulsargamesinc.com) Other than Blood of Heroes, Pulsar Games generally writes games for a purely adult audience. However, the Blood of Heroes comic-book genre is more suited to a larger audience. Pulsar Games, Inc. is VERY selective about materials that we might publish. However, one of the reasons we started this company is that no one in the industry was interested in publishing someone else's work. If we see something we like, we may publish it. We always give full credit to the author(s) of and submitted work that we publish. In addition to the grammatical guidelines that follow, we demand that all submissions have been extensively playtested. This will insure that the material is coherent, playable, and fun. We want material with progressive ideas that explore new role-playing frontiers. II. What is Blood of Heroes? Blood of Heroes is a super hero and villain role playing game. It features, what we believe, is the best game system in the genre. The system has been around for years in one form or another and is being leased from Mayfair Games. The background setting and characters for Blood of Heroes is all original. Blood of Heroes strong point is it's versatility and ease of play. Here are the 10 rules you need to know if you want to write material for Blood of Heroes. 1) We TRY to be original at Pulsar Games, Inc. However... we also run under the old Hindu proverb, "There is nothing new under the sun." It's sort of a double standard, I know. We judge originality on a case by case basis. 2) Villains can be really nasty. Most (but not all) will kill given the chance. 3) Magic is rare. Generally those who possess it are powerful. 4) Technology and Magic don't mix. Generally, only the Technowizards whose plane is mid way between the Earthly plane and the Realm of Magic, are capable of using both. 5) A little humor is good, but so is some serious drama. 6) I love tragic heroes (hence, the anti-hero). 7) The villains should be just as engaging as the heroes. A hero is nothing without a good villain to fight. 8) Existing heroes should always be referred to in scenarios. Powerful heroes and villains generally have a reputation. Some are literally walking gods, and should be revered by the PC's as such. 9) Generally there is an unwritten trend for heroes to leave Earth when they become too powerful. 10) Lastly... There is an exception to every rule. If we like something, we'll print it. III. Submissions Waivers ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR PROPOSAL WAIVER. ANY SUBMISSIONS WHICH DO NOT INCLUDE THIS WAIVER WILL GO STRAIGHT TO TRASH. The proposal waiver may be found at our FTP site at ftp://www.pulsargamesinc.com/pub/ or faxed on request. Let me explain why we are so strict on this aspect of the submission process. If we accept a submission, and then later release a product with material that is close to the submission material we may be sued by the author. Unfortunately, this happens in industry all too often. Companies take submitted material and later release a product similar to the submitted material. As a result, the author thinks he is being cheated. Now whether the company did this intentionally or subconsciously, who knows. More often than not, the material the company releases is completely original. However, the author (whose submission was often rejected) for whatever reason, feels that the released work is close enough to his work to warrant legal action. Let me just say that if we use submitted material the author will ALWAYS be given full credit. We won't screw anybody, and the waiver is for the protection of both parties involved. Now, that all the legal unpleasantries are dispensed with, let us continue... IV. Format of Submissions All submissions should be manually typed or word processed. Electronic copies are also acceptable (MS Word format) though hard copies will eventually be required. Submissions should be on white - please no fancy colors - long grain, 8.5 x 11 paper. Submissions should be in accordance to these specifications: * lines are double spaces * do not place text on both sides of the sheet(s) of paper * a 1 inch margin on all sides * paragraphs are indented 5 spaces. * two spaces after periods. * each page should have a header with your last name upon it, and the page number * maps, if included, should be on .24 inch graph paper V. Submission Process First, you must submit a proposal waiver, along with the submitted material. Please read the proposal waiver carefully. If you do not have a proposal waiver, send a request and a self addressed stamped envelope to us here at Pulsar Games Inc. or request one via e-mail or FAX. A proposal should include either a synopsis of the adventure or supplement, an overview of the game, or a description of the accessory. In addition, send an outline of the material if it is possible. We will thoroughly review your proposal. If we are interested in your material, we will contact you and ask for a complete manuscript. In some cases, we will draw up a contract and set deadlines. Second, after completing your manuscript and sending it to us, we will peruse your material. We will decide if your material is acceptable, acceptable yet needs rewriting, or non-acceptable. Materials not accepted will be returned with our regrets. We remind you that courtesy dictates that all unsolicited material be accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope. VI. Writing Guidelines Submissions should be free from typographical errors. We know, how these slip through, so if you check, and then we check, theoretically we should catch most of them. The best way to insure that a document is free from typos is to have several objective parties read your completed material (friend, parent, teacher...). Running a computer spell checker program is helpful, yet these programs will not catch all spelling mistakes. Spell check programs usually miss: * to, too, two * their, there, they're Allowing an objective party to proofread your material will greatly increase the chances that your material will be published. If you are truly serious about publishing material for Pulsar Games, Inc. then pay close attention to the following paragraphs. These paragraphs will briefly discuss the pet peeves of the submissions director and staff at Pulsar Games, Inc. A. Tense The most important property that the principal parts of verbs show is tense, which refers to time distinctions that verbs express. I hate it when present and past tense verbs are mixed in the same sentence. Granted I write in past tense quite often. This is OK, as long as past and present tenses are not mixed. Mixing tense confuses readers, and effectively destroys the flow of the sentence. Incorrect use of tense: He knelt in the great chamber drawing his sword. In the above example knelt is past tense, while drawing is present tense. Correct use of tense: As he knelt in the chamber he drew his sword. In the above example knelt is past tense, and drew is also past tense. Tense should always remain in the sentence, in the paragraph, and in the entire text. B. Dangling Prepositions Writing colloquially, writing in a style that is similar to how we talk, is perfect for fleshing out characters, however, it is a poor choice for descriptive writing. Commonly, we end our spoken phrases with prepositions, "Who did you go to the movies with?" or, "What did you do that for?" This is fine, yet this is incorrect usage for written English. Careful rewording of the sentence can avoid this pitfall while maintaining the meaning. * Who did you go to the movies with? * What did you do that for? can be changed to... * With whom did you go to the movies? * What possessed you to attempt that maneuver? C. Run-On and Incomplete Sentences When writing sentences make sure that they can be finished in one breath. While attempting to track down the killers, John and Frank crept silently through the underbrush, which was a dark shade of green, watching cautiously for the guards, who wore the dark uniforms of the X corporation, one of the largest and most dangerous corporations in the sector. That was too long. In fact, things seemed to get a bit jumbled in that morass of words. By keeping sentences short and to the point, one can express oneself better, and the reader will better understand what he or she read. By breaking the paragraph down into smaller, more mentally digestible sentences, the author can get the point across. John and Frank silently crept through the dark, green underbrush, as they tracked down the killers. They watched cautiously for the dark uniformed guards. These X corporation guards were a real threat, for X corporation was one of the largest, corporations in the sector. Another problem is incomplete sentences. There is no better way not to convey information than by using incomplete sentences. * While in the jungle. (What is going to happen?) * Killing them ruthlessly. (Who is killing them?) * Going into the base. (Who or what is going to the base? or What is going to happen?) One can easily correct incomplete sentences by adding the missing information. * While in the city the party met the Maulers. * The Raptors were killing them ruthlessly. * BlackBird is going to the base. By proofreading your material, an author can catch and correct these problems easily. Do not let run on sentences and incomplete sentences ruin your work. F. Using Material from Other Sources It is very helpful to read a wide variety of books and magazines, and see a variety of movies. these materials can aid an author in writing, an may be inspirational. However, when writing material for Pulsar Games, Inc. one must make sure that his ideas are original - not stolen or borrowed from another source. We are not impressed by plagiarism, yet an author may use other sources as a basis for original material. One may borrow some plot elements or characters types from movies and books, yet these elements should be changed so that they are unique. An ancient Hindu proverb says that, "There is nothing new under the sun." Use sources, yet be original and synthesize your experiences into something new and personal. It is important to note, that we will not and can not print trademarked material. VII. Writing Style Generally, Pulsar Games writes material for an adult audience. The exception to this rule is the Blood of Heroes game which is written for a much wider audience. A. Voice Use evocative language that captures the tension, anxiety and fear of the situation. the best way to help you choose the correct word, in order to express that gritty reality you have created, is by using a Thesaurus. No, it's not a dinosaur! It is a dictionary of synonyms and antonyms that can aid you greatly as a writer. We recommend Roget's International Thesaurus by Harper and Row Publishers. It is an invaluable resource for any writer. B. Humor Humor is important to any roleplaying game, and Blood of Heroes is not an exception. Add healthy doses of humor to strategic places in your manuscripts, yet do not turn your work into a farce. We suggest that you purchase or borrow a style guide. These guides are tools that can only help your writing. these guides discuss grammatical rules, spelling and word choice. Below are a few of our recommendations: * The Modern Language Association or MLA Style Sheet. * A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turbain. * The University of Chicago Manual of Style, for authors, Editors, and Copywriters. Closing Statement We hope that this small packet of information has been helpful. we look forward to receiving your proposals, and manuscripts. The address to send submissions is: Tony Oliveira Pulsar Games, Inc. 12839 Patrick Court Fishers, IN 46038 Remember to enclose a SASE with all submissions. Also have your material proofread at least three times, by objective readers, before you send them to us. Thank you and good luck.