If internet spaceships are serious business – it stands to reason the lore behind EvE is also equally serious. Indeed EvE is often regarded as the largest living work of science fiction, a title that CCP proudly emblazons on the title of the new eve.com website. For many lore orientated players the lore of the eve universe is the reason to play eve.
With a whole raft of lore related in-game events in the last year that kicked off with the explosion of Caroline’s Star, the Drifter menace with the assassination of Jamyl Sarum and the recent emergence of an old enemy in the form of Bloody Omir and the Blood Raiders there is plenty for lore fans to be talking about.
It appears plenty of EvE players have a penchant for writing, Using the rich lore of EvE provides the perfect muse for their work. The EvE forums alone are packed with around 1,000 stories. Many are in-character portrayals of peoples in-game exploits, some are humour pieces, and some are inspired commentaries on the wide universe of New Eden. Indeed, many of the developers of EvE at CCP are self confessed fans of EvE lore. CCP Falcon for example has a long history of being involved in player run events and is a keen role player. He frequently runs the live events playing the parts of the games characters. CCP Seagull has often confessed that she is also a keen role player.
Enter Telegram Sam who coordinates the Pod and Planet Fiction contest, a competition which has been running every year for the last four years. Starting originally in 2012 (or YC114 for you EvE calendar aficionados) the first competition had two categories and offered some great prizes including: a graphics card courtesy of CCP, subscriptions to EON Magazine, 20bn ISK and 12 PLEX. The line up of Judges also included CCP’s finest lore masters CCP Falcon and CCP Eterne. The initial contest attracted a stunning 101 entries producing over 750 pages of fan made fiction which took two months to read and judge until the winners were announced. You can track back the history of the competition via the Pod and Planet blog here
Now into its 4th year, with a total of 227 submitted stories and approximately 150bn ISK in prizes given away the Pod and Planet Fiction Contest for YC117 has just begun to start accepting submissions and boasts a big range of prizes across the three categories. The categories are as follow:-
The first category: Eight Thousand Suns in New Eden – Stories of the citizens and societies of New Eden: capsuleer ships, crowded cities and lonely outposts; fertile planets and busy stations; corporate offices and peasant shacks; the immediate present, or the deep, distant past.
This category is for stories set within the official canon of New Eden, similar to the EVE prime fiction Chronicles. The story can be about baseliners or about capsuleers, but it should not mention an in-game player character, corp or alliance. Basically, the story should be set in the New Eden milieu as laid out in the prime EVE fiction. It’s possible to write about a player character or real in-game events, but the names of player entities should be changed, and the setting and events should fit into the framework of the New Eden lore.
The biggest prizes will be in this “standard works,” canon-focused category. That’s because the body of lore in the Chronicles and EVElopedia is rich, detailed, and huge, and it deserves more exploring. Also, because writing within the canon requires more attention and care. And finally, because we expect the most entries and the toughest competition in this category.
The second category: A Day in the Life – True, somewhat true, or completely made-up tales of player character miners, mission runners, manufacturers, pirates, scammers, spies, and other heroes, rogues, and opportunists of EVE.
Stories in this category can be about actual in-game events. You can mention player characters, corps, alliances, real in-game events, or “player-driven content.” Basically, you can do anything you want, you need not conform to the canon. If you want to write a story about your corp and its members, a stroke of pvp tactical brilliance, a corp infiltration, a local chat encounter, etc., it should go here.
The third category: Other Things Just Make You Swear and Curse – The humor category. There are no specific rules for this category, except the story should be EVE-themed and be humorous. Preferably, to other people, as well as to yourself. 😉
The prize pool is a massive 52 billion ISK generously donated by anonymous players, members of the CSM, EVE-Bet, Trillionaire, The Clueless Space Nerds Podcast and others. But Pod and Planet are expecting additional prizes to add as time goes on.
Grand Prize – 6 bil ISK and a Moros dreadnought (8.2 bil total prize value) This prize usually goes to the best story in the 8,000 Suns canon-faithful category. But if a story from either of the other categories gets a score really outstrips the best in 8,000 Suns, it could steal it.
8,000 Suns category –
- 1st Prize – 5.35 bil ISK and a Murder of Crows (7 Buzzards) (5.5 bil total prize value)
- 2nd Prize (there will be two of these) – 3.3 bil ISK
- 3rd Prize (there will be four of these) – 2 bil ISK
A Day in the Life category
- 1st Prize – 4.35 bil ISK and a Cry of Hounds (8 Hounds)(4.5 bil total prize value)
- 2nd Prize (there will be two of these) – 2.7 bil ISK
- 3rd Prize (there will be three of these ) – 1.6 bil ISK
Other Things Just Make You Swear and Curse category
- 1st Prize – 1.85 bil ISK and a Clattering of Jackdaws (3 Jackdaws)(2 bil total prize value)
- 2nd Prize – 1.2 bil ISK
- 3rd Prize – 720 mil ISK
Honorable Mention (eight of these, picked from top-scored entries from across all categories) –
- 660 mil ISK value per prize, in cash and/or items, including:
- Steve Ronuken’s Preferred Fit Mastodon
- Chance Ravinne‘s Full-Fit Nasty Nemesis
- Wake of Buzzards: 7 Buzzards
- Pack of Wolfs: 8 Wolfs
- Boil of Hawks: 6 Hawks
This years competition will be judged once again by CCP Falcon along with CSM members Cagali Cagali, Corbexx, Jayne Fillon, Thoric Frosthammer and UAxDEATH.
Given the amazing quality of past entries (of which you can view on the reading bank here) there will be some stiff competition. But do you think you have what it takes to take on New Eden’s best fiction enthusiasts? If you do then you better get cracking because the closing days of this competition is November 18th. All entries must be received before midnight Eve time on the 18th. You can read more about the rules and how to enter here.
