Hawgleg Publishing is pleased to announce the almost-final stage to its Showdowns & Shootouts Adventure Writing Contest by opening voting for the Jury's Prize. In addition to deciding who will get the second-largest prize package in the contest, everyone who votes will be eligible to win a prize package worth about $60 USD. Voting opens March 1, and will run until midnight, March 31, 2012.
Click Here to Vote
The S&S contest opened a few years back to find and publish at least twelve high-quality adventures for use with Gutshot. After several delays and problems, the contest concluded last year with the owners of Hawgleg Publishing declaring Tom Reed the winner for his adventure, The Great Dry Gulch Bank Robbery! "We all loved that adventure," said Gutshot co-creator Mike Murphy. "It has everything you want in a classic game: bank robbers, rowdy cowboys, and a sheriff trying to keep the peace."
The adventure was the seventh to be published, and can be downloaded from the Hawgleg website here.
Tom won a prize package worth about $280 USD, including prizes donated by Whitewash City publisher Eric Hotz, Scale Creep Miniatures' Mark Severin, and Knuckleduster's Forrest Harris, as well as Arnica, Montana buildings (which, at the time the contest started, was actually owned by Mike McGraw, but is now owned by Hawgleg Publishing).
"We can't thank our sponsors enough for standing by us for so long," said Gutshot co-creator Mike Mitchell. "They are really the best and are providing some amazing prizes for this contest."
You are the Jury!
The second-largest prize package (valued at about $125 USD) will be selected by the public. Here's how it works: Go to the Hawgleg website and read each of the published adventures. Then go to the voting page and cast your vote for your favorite. The adventure with the most votes will receive the following prizes:
- $40 USD Gift Certificate to Scale Creep Miniatures
- Arnica Real Estate hotel resin building ($25 USD value)
- Whitewash City Starter CD ($15 USD value)
- One item from the Gutshot General Store (approximate $20 USD value)
- One copy of the collected S&S paperback book (approximate $20 USD value)
- Gutshot miniature: ($5 USD value)
Tom Reed actually had two adventures selected in the contest (SS007 and SS009). As such, he is not eligible to win the second prize.
"Tom was one of two contest entrants who actually had two adventures published. His were The Great Dry Gulch Bank Robbery! and White Water, Bloody Boulders! These were great adventures that really bring something fresh and fun to the game," Mitchell said. "The other double-hitter was Carmen Cerra, who submitted 1,000 Horses for Helen! and the Christmas-themed adventure, Klaus Needs a Holiday!"
Vote now, but don't vote often
Everyone who casts a vote in this contest will be eligible for a special Voter's Prize package valued at about $60 USD. The Voter's Prize includes:
- Whitewash City Starter CD ($15 USD value)
- One item from the Gutshot General Store (approximate $20 USD value)
- One copy of the collected S&S paperback book (approximate $20 USD value)
- Gutshot miniature: ($5 USD value)
After the voting closes at midnight on March 31, 2012, the Hawgleg judges will print-out the eligible names and put them into a hat. A random name will be pulled, and that person will be declared the winner. That person will be contacted by email and, when their information has been verified, the winner will be announced.
"When we say 'eligible names,' we mean just that," said Hawgleg partner Paul Mauer. "We will check to see if there is any ballot stuffing. If we find any, those names will be pulled out and their votes not counted." As for contacting the winner, Mitchell said that they will provide ample time for the winner to respond.
"We'll give it about a week, and we will try sending the good news to you via more than one email account. If you've got your spam filter set to a high sensitivity, you should check your junk mail folder, or just contact us to ask if you've won," Mitchell said. "If you're really worried, you could always include your cell number in the comments section on the entry form."
Speaking of email, Hawgleg is only requiring a valid email address so the winner can be contacted. We won't sell it or use it for any other purpose (unless you sign up for their newsletter, that is).
For some behind-the-scenes chatter about why this contest took so long (and what's next for this material and Hawgleg in general), mosey on over to the Hawgleg blog. It's updated every Tuesday and Thursday.