The Rules

This year's competition rules, like in 1997, are reasonably strict and well defined. Violators of any rule will be given a warning the first time, and disqualified if a second transgression is made. Sorry for the harsh crackdown, but it seems to be neccessary to ensure a tranquil and pleasant competition for all.

1. Judges must stop playing to judge each game after 2 hours. Authors may write a game of any length they like, but would be well advised to take this rule into account when determining the length of their game. This is to promote small games, and encourage authors to enter who might feel intimidated going up against a huge game.

2. Games must not be based upon works currently under copyright. You may parody established works, but you may not, for example, write a game based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld. This avoids the entire issue of copyright and the ethics involved. If, however, you are yourself the copyright holder, or you have specific permission from the copyright holder, you may submit such a game. Note also that, if contest games were later to be published, as they were in Masterpieces of Infocom, such derivative works could not be used.

3. All entries MUST be freeware or public domain. So don't enter a game you've worked on for 2 years if you don't want to give it away. No shareware, no donorware, no commercial products, etc. Only clear and free games.

4. All entries must be previously unreleased at the opening of voting. If an entry has previously been circulated, it will be disqualified. If you are unsure whether your game fails to meet this rule, please ask me.

5. Authors of a competition entry may not discuss the entries in a public Internet forum while the voting is open. This means don't post about your entry (or anyone else's) on a newsgroup until the deadline for voting has passed.

6. Anyone who impersonates a contest official in any capacity related to the contest will be banned permanently from involvement in future, as well as immediately disqualified if they are an entrant.