Cast of Characters Challenge

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Game Ad	Game Name	Crafter Point Votes	Status
	{{entry.properties.game.name}} {{entry.properties.game.short_description}}	{{entry.properties.crafter_points}}	Winner! Finalist Semi-Finalist

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I am a sucker for any game with a lot of characters. I love being able to play as a completely new character every game, and that my opponents are also playing differently than I am. These games even make the setup and teardown fun because everyone is curious about who everyone else got and who they might want to play as next.

So for this contest, I want to see a ton of unique characters for players to choose from (at least 6, but more is even better). However, each character must play differently in some way. There are a lot of ways characters can be different, but below are a few examples to get the creative juices flowing (note that these are all games I really love):

• Unique abilities, like in Santorini or Masmorra.
• Varying victory conditions, like in Vast or Disney Villainous.
• A separate deck of cards, like in Dungeon Mayhem or Marvel United.
• Different stats, like in Dice Throne or Star Wars Rivals.

I look forward to seeing all the characters you come up with and the unique ways they allow players to interact with the game.

Examples - Santorini - Disney Villainous - Dungeon Mayhem - Dice Throne

Judge Chris Williams - Founder of Alright Games and designer of Obelus, Observatory, 1-2 Punch, Risky Kittens, Kickflip, and Réttir (winner of the Dice Mitigation Challenge).

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• The game must have at least 6 characters that players can control in some way. More characters is highly encouraged, but the minimum is 6.
• Each character must have a unique gameplay element, such as abilities, components, etc.
• There are no restrictions on theme, player count, or gameplay mechanics.
• The game should play in 75 minutes or less.
• The total cost of your game must be $99.99 or less. This includes all components necessary to play your game at all player counts.
• The game must have a printed rulebook.
• A PDF of your game rules must be downloadable from your game's shop page.
• Though not explicitly required, a 2-minute overview video is highly encouraged.
• All artwork must be your own, commissioned by you, licensed to you, or in the public domain. Be sure to attribute your images when required.
• The game must be publish-ready (as it relates to our shop, not as it relates to being finished). This means it has a logo, backdrop, shop ad, action shots, description, and cool factors. It must also have all images proofed.
• This must be a new game created for this contest. It cannot have existed on TGC prior to the start of the contest.
• All entries must be submitted through TGC's game editor (by clicking on the "Contests" button) no later than September 29, 2025 at 7pm US Central Time.
• Games and their shop page should not be changed after the contest deadline, until the finalists have been announced.
• Contestants may submit multiple entries to this contest. Each entry will be judged separately.

You retain all rights to your game, and are welcome to sell it in The Game Crafter shop during and after the contest, regardless of the outcome of the contest. Your game does not have to be available for sale to enter the contest.

The community voting process will be used to determine 20 semi-finalists.

Finalists and honorable mentions will be selected from all entries, not only semi-finalists. A game may receive both a finalist and honorable mention award.

To facilitate judging, contestants are encouraged to describe and/or list their cast of characters on the game's shop page. Characters can be of any race, gender, animal, alien, robot, food, plant, or any other crazy thing you can possibly imagine as long as the player can choose to play as it and it feels like an individual they are embodying during the game.

This contest will be judged by Chris Williams. I am looking for a game where players can play as a different character each game, and can really feel the differences in the way they play. As a little bit of insight into what kind of games I like to play, some of my favorites are Splendor, Tiny Epic Galaxies, Can’t Stop, Courtisans, Marvel United, and Scythe.

The winner will be determined using the scoring rubric provided.

New Game Question

Because this question seems to come up with every contest and will always partially be up to the judge’s interpretation, I will try to answer it as best I can now. The rule states, “This must be a new game created for this contest. It cannot have existed on TGC prior to the start of the contest.” The main way I will interpret this rule is that the vast majority of the design work for your game must be done during the contest period.

For example, if you previously had a game idea that never really got beyond the idea stage, then I would still consider that new enough. If, however, the game was close to being finished, was entered into a previous contest, or was just revamped for this contest, I would not consider that a new game. Please note that if a game I feel does not meet this guideline, I may not go so far as to disqualify it completely, but it is very unlikely I will consider it as a finalist or for honorable mentions.

The winner shall receive all of the following prizes:

• One copy of Obelus.
• One copy of Boblin’s Rebellion.
• A sticker designed by Chris Williams representing your achievement.
• $250 of shop credit on thegamecrafter.com.
• Automatic Showcase status for their game on thegamecrafter.com.
• The possibility of judging a future contest.
• Induction into The Game Crafter Hall of Fame.
• Semi-finalists, finalists, and the winner will all receive accolades for their achievements.

Second and third place winners will also each receive a copy of Obelus, a copy of Boblin’s Rebellion, and a sticker.

Copies of Obelus and Boblin’s Rebellion are being provided by Phase Shift Games. Obelus was designed by Chris Williams (the judge) and published by Phase Shift Games. Boblin’s Rebellion, while not designed by the judge, is a game with a large cast of characters (14 total) and is also published by Phase Shift Games. Obelus and Boblin’s Rebellion will be shipped from The Game Crafter.

Honorable mentions will be awarded for the following: - Largest cast of characters - Most inclusive and diverse characters - Most varied gameplay elements between characters - My single favorite character

Honorable mention winners will receive a sticker depicting their honorable mention category. All stickers will be designed by Chris Williams. Digital files will also be provided, which can be displayed in places like shop pages or sell sheets. Stickers will be shipped by Chris Williams. Digital images of the stickers will also be emailed by Chris Williams.

Chris Williams will reach out to all winners after the contest to obtain shipping and email information. Please note that only semi-finalists and finalists will be guaranteed to be considered for honorable mentions; however, other games may still be considered at the judge’s discretion.

Finalists will be chosen from the group of semi-finalists by the following criteria based on first impressions. While semi-finalists will be prioritized, the judge retains the option to select finalists from all entries, not only semi-finalists.

• Character Count - Which games appear to have the most characters?
• Character Uniqueness - Do the characters seem unique from one another?
• Character Personality - Are the characters likable at first glance?
• Character Integration - How well do the characters appear to function within the game?
• Character Cohesion - Do the characters all seem like they belong in the same game?
• Complexity - Does the gameplay seem clunky or unnecessarily complex?
• Enjoyability - Does the game seem fun to play?
• Creativity - Does the game seem creative and innovative?
• Rules Clarity - Are the rules easy to understand?
• Shop Page - Does the shop page provide a good overview of what the game is and how it plays?

Semi-finalist feedback will be provided after judging is complete.

Finalists will be judged on the following criteria after playing the game. While these are the same categories used when selecting the finalists, these will be rescored after the judge has had a hands-on experience with each finalist. Please note the slight changes to the descriptions.

• Character Count - Which games have the most characters?
• Character Uniqueness - Do the characters feel unique from one another?
• Character Personality - Are the characters likable?
• Character Integration - How well do the characters function within the game?
• Character Cohesion - Do the characters all feel like they belong in the same game?
• Complexity - Is the gameplay clunky or unnecessarily complex?
• Enjoyability - Is the game fun to play?
• Creativity - Is the game creative and innovative?
• Rules Clarity - Are the rules easy to understand and easy to reference while playing?
• Shop Page - Does the shop page provide an accurate overview of the game?

Finalist feedback will be provided after judging is complete.