The Contest That Might Become Your Career

BioWare is holding one of the most exciting contests in our history. Anyone who has dreamed of writing professionally will find this a unique opportunity to get their work noticed by the right people. We are looking for exceptionally talented writers to help develop our award-winning roleplaying games.

BioWare's Director of Design James Ohlen and Assistant Director of Design Kevin Barrett have agreed to make the process of submitting work as easy as possible for writers looking to work for BioWare.

Here is what you need to know to enter:

BioWare asks for writers to create a Neverwinter Nights module to tell their story using the Aurora Toolset. There are a lot of options to consider when creating a module in the Toolset, but it is important to remember that BioWare will only be interested in the writing.

When hiring writers, BioWare looks only at your writing; not the areas, not the special scripting, and not the combat. We evaluate only the characters, the dialogue, the plot, the non-linear structure, and the flow and pace of the story. To be eligible for this contest, please submit a Neverwinter Nights module that follows these parameters:

• A maximum of four characters. One player character and a maximum of three non-playable characters.
• A maximum of 3500 words in total including dialogue and setting.
• You must tell a complete story in the form of a traditional BioWare side-quest and account for different endings/ multiple resolutions.
• You are only allowed to use one 4x4 area in the Toolset to tell your whole story.
• No combat or special skill use.
• Just use the NWN retail toolset; don’t use any community add-ons.

Some additional guidelines to keep in mind:

• Dialogue should be no longer than 2-3 lines at a time.
• The dialogue must be fun, easy to read, and not overly verbose.
• We will also be judging the structure of your dialogue. Does the dialogue flow logically? Does the player feel in control of the conversation?
• Avoid dialogue where the player has very little interaction. The player should feel that he is talking to an NPC, not being talked at.
• Avoid modern sounding dialogue. Do not use modern anachronisms or slang. Fantasy characters shouldn't sound like they come from the 21st century.
• Make the first character interesting. The first character the player talks to sets the tone for the entire module.

When does the contest close?

Submissions must be in by January 30th, 2006. Winners will be announced the last week of February 2006.

How are the Top Entries Chosen, and what are the prizes?

Eight (8) submissions will be selected in total:

• Three (3) modules will be selected by a panel of judges made up of recognized leaders in community modules development
• Five (5) additional modules will be selected based on community votes at NWVault

These top eight (8) submissions will be reviewed by BioWare senior staff members Kevin Barrett and James Ohlen with the intent on finding and hiring talented writers. Further interviews and additional samples of your work may be required at the discretion of BioWare.

Each of the top eight (8) submissions will receive a selection of merchandise from the BioWare Online Store, which includes:

• BioWare coffee mug
• BioWare wool cap
• Jade Empire soundtrack
• Jade Empire t-shirt
• Copies of all Premium Neverwinter Nights Modules

But I don't know how to use the Neverwinter Nights Toolset or Dialogue Editor!

No problem. Here are some excellent online resources to get you started:

• Introduction to the Dialogue Editor by NWVault's Maximus:
  Part 1, Part 2
• Introduction to the Aurora Neverwinter Toolset
• Module Construction Tutorial

BioWare needs good writers to make the best games we can and we are asking all of you to tell us a story.

Frequently Asked Questions

I would like to apply for a job at BioWare directly. How do I do that?

Head over to the jobs page at BioWare for details on applying for a job at BioWare. This contest is entirely separate from the process of applying for a job at BioWare.

How do I submit my module?

Follow these instructions carefully.

I already have a completed module. Can I submit that?

Only if it conforms to the submission parameters.

Can I submit a module that is in a language other than English?

We will only consider submissions in English.

What's the deadline for submissions?

January 30th, 2006

When are the winners announced?

The end of February 2006.

So, if I win I start working for BioWare?

No. The winning entries will be reviewed by BioWare senior staff James Ohlen and Kevin Barrett, but no employment is guaranteed.

Can I submit more than one entry?

Yes, but each must fall within the submission parameters.

I have more questions

Keep checking this FAQ for future updates and be sure to read the BioWare forum about this contest for fan discussion.

What do you mean by "no skill use"?

The writer can use Persuade or Charm, but not as a character skill-based game action. Rather, simply provide the (success) and (failure) options right in the dialogue box, so that they can be explored by the reviewer, not "played through."

Can you give more details on "a maximum 3500 word count"?

3500 word count includes all text in the entire module, including descriptions, journal entries, dialogue, and so on. That being said, this is not a hard word count; it should be the writer's target. The actual word count can come in a little high or low and this will not affect the review of a really good piece of writing.

So using journal entries is OK?

Yes. Journal entries are encouraged. They should be short and simple. They count against the word limit.

Can I use scripting in my submission?

Scripting is fine. Any scripts should be fully commented and, if taken from someone else, fully accredited.

Who else from the community has been hired in the past?

• Brian Chung - DLA member now BioWare technical artist
• Rick Burton - Community module creator
• Francis Lacuna - DLA member now BioWare character artist
• Georg Zoeller (designer), Tim Smith (programmer), Emmanuel Lusinchi (designer), Yaron Jakobs (designer).

Related Links

• BioWare Writing Contest Winners
• Closing Thoughts on the BioWare Writing Contest
• How To Enter Your Module Into The Contest
• BioWare's Kevin Barrett Answers Buckets of Contest Questions
• Attention Writers! An Interview with BioWare's Kevin Barrett