How to Submit

First and foremost: anyone can write for the papers, and contributors do not need to be writers to do so! Whether it is a three-sentence observation about something ridiculous witnessed at an event or a fully realized article, every submission is welcome. So is a rumor, a tip, a complaint, a bad poem, or an outline of an article you’d like someone else to assemble.

Everything goes through an editorial pass before it prints, so send the story and don’t stress the polish. Curious what that pass actually changes? See How Editing Works.

Submissions are due two weeks before each event, plain text or markdown, please.

Submitting a Rumor or Tip

Anyone can feed a rumor to the paper without it needing to be a full article. You do not have to be an established writer, an official correspondent, or part of any particular group to participate.

If a character overhears a scandalous conversation, witnesses a questionable decision, or just wants to stir the pot, they can drop a quick sentence or tip via the standard submission channels described under Before You Send. The editorial desk will take them and weave them into broader gossip columns.

Writing a full article or dispatch does have specific tones and layout considerations. Those are covered below.

Consent

Submissions are checked against the consent list before they print, and anything touching another PC’s secrets gets a conversation with that player first. The full policy, the opt-out process, and the form all live under Consent and Source Protection.

Bylines

You have options, and they work for both papers.

• Write as your own PC.
• Under an invented reporter persona. Make up a name, give them a personality beat, and they become part of the paper’s world. Special Investigative Press reporters usually carry a specialty: Siege Analyst, Economic Correspondent, Gershan Correspondent.
• Use one of the paper’s existing non-PC reporters (see Current Employees below).
• Use initials.
• Go anonymous! “Submitted Anonymously,” “A Concerned Citizen,” and “the reporters at Special Investigative Press” are time-honored newspaper traditions.

You cannot byline a piece as someone else’s PC or an NPC you do not play.

Length

Write in whatever tool works best; the editorial desk handles the final layout.

If you are struggling to form a full article, you can also send an outline to Shauna with the main points you want covered and she can handle it from there.

Looking to place an ad instead? See Advertising.

Rough word count targets for both papers:

Before You Send

Before sending a piece to the editorial desk, please double-check the following:

• Where to Send: Send submissions via Discord DM, the SIP Discord server, or Facebook. Paper towels handed over at events are accepted and historically precedented, but the chances of it surviving to layout are small.
• Plain Text Only: Submit using plain text or Markdown. Please do not send pre-formatted documents, as they have to be completely un-formatted before they can be placed into the layout software.
• Describe Your Vision: If a piece needs to look a specific way on the page (like a ransom note or a torn poster), just describe that vision in the text and Shauna will build it in layout.
• The Deadline: Submissions are due two weeks before the next event. If flexibility is needed, just talk to Shauna before the issues go to print (typically the Wednesday before game).

Current Employees

These are non-PC bylines already in circulation—anyone can borrow one instead of inventing a new persona.