Comic Making Tournament II: Events

In my first post about the comic tournament, I mentioned some of the events I was planning to run. Having thought it over, here's a (maybe) final list of what I have planned:

1. Introduction and Warm-up

I'll introduce the tournament and explain the logistics. Then there'll be some time put aside for warm-up exercises. This'll give kids a chance to get their creative juices flowing while also giving time for late comers.

2. Short-form Pre-drawn

As with the first tournament, this will be the first event. It worked well last time, so there won't be any changes to the format.

3. Hybrid

A new event. It's a cross between pre-drawn and original. The way it works is that I modify some of the existing templates, replacing one or more panels with blanks. This allows kids to finish a comic, start a comic, or even bridge two scenes with their own art. This kind of thing only really works with a single page at a time, so there's no "long-form" version.

4. Short-form Original

Like Short-form Pre-drawn, this worked very well the first time so it's not being changed.

5. Short-form Nonlinear

The second new event. This one uses the CCP card game I developed in March 2007 and have since been working to refine. Children are given six panels at random from a pile and have to construct a story with them, with points for creativity and originality. The panels are a mix of pre-drawn and blanks.

6. Long-form Pre-drawn

While I'm getting rid of "Long-form Original" due to it being a failure last year, I want to keep the other long-form style. I'll be modifying the event so the arcs have fewer pages and there'll only be one or two of them instead of three, which was too much. If I'm running short on time, this one will be cut.

7. Endurance

A modified form of "Speed." Kids are given a time frame and a never ending flow of comics to finish as fast as they can. Quantity is king, here.

8. Create a Comic Infinity

The third new event: a full run of the CCP card game. I'll talk about it more later, but it combines drawing panels at random from a pile with an attempt to approximate the infinite canvas in physical form by way of an expandable play grid. There are also goal slips (based on the slips in the Can of Inspiration) that can give extra points or special bonuses. Unlike the Short-form Nonlinear, this event will bring the kids together for competitive play. I expect this event to take the longest, which is why I've put it at the end.

There you have it: 7 events, 2 more than last year. I've had inquiries on the project from a couple schools, so I'm hoping attendance will be high.