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SIMULATION II SET-UP AND GUIDELINES
2007-05-14 19:54:52

Okay, as a prelude to the Marvel Editor Simulation that we'll have taking place over the next two weeks or so, let me quickly outline how this is going to work. Bear in mind that I'm still making some of this up as I go along, so some of this stuff may shift somewhat as we get further into it, and we see how it's all working.

Starting tomorrow, at the beginning of our simulation, I'm going to appoint one of you the Editor in Chief of the line. The other players will all operate as editors under the EIC. There'll be a small pile of titles to be allocated to the assorted editors to directly handle--those choices will be made by the EIC.

You'll inherit titles as they are right now, with their creative teams in place (though we'll forego story specifics so that you don't need to worry about where we might be in WORLD WAR HULK or CIVIL WAR or anything). And I'll also give you a ballpark estimate of what these books are selling.

From that point on, you're free to make any changes to the books that you want--or at least to propose them. So you can say that you want to bring on a certain writer or artist, or you want to guest-star the X-Men, or you've got a specific story idea in mind--pretty much whatever you can come up with. And, of course, the EIC can override any of your moves, and can suggest or mandate moves of his own that the other players will have to abide by.

Each day, I'll evaluate your moves, and tell you what the result of those moves was--I'll be operating as everyone else--the publisher, all of your other fellow editors, the marketing and sales departments, and even the readers. And along the way, I'll be throwing in certain specific events--the kind of events that editors deal with every day.

So it's a two-pronged thing every day. It starts with my lay-out of the titles you have and the particulars tomorrow. Then you've got until the beginning of the following day to post your moves in the reply thread. (Oh, and you all work for the same Marvel, doing different books, which will also have an impact, as the moves one of you makes may impact on what happens to the others.) And then I do one update, in which I hand you out the result of that day's moves, and you have until the following morning to compose your next round of moves in response to what happened the previous day. And so forth and so on, for two weeks.

Because this simulation involves the EIC, there will be certain sales targets that'll need to be met. And based upon the amount of time this game took the last time we played it, I'm limiting each player to 500 words per move per day--so you need to make them all count!

Remember, the goal is to do good, quality comics that sell well and that people like. Within that, you can try anything you like.

Also: IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: Because of the nature of this simulation, we're going to have to use the names of actual creators and actual titles. Everything that I toss back to you about what happens on these books and with these creators is not at all based on them specifically--so, for example, if I tell you that, in the simulation, Ed Brubaker hates the artist you've put on DAREDEVIL with him, that doesn't mean he actually has any hatred for that actual individual. And so forth.

Anybody else is still free to post their reactions and responses in the reply thread every day, as usual. But please try not to drive the contestants batty--they're going to have enough trouble as it is.

Finally, this should in no way be construed as a fair or democratic challenge. I control the simulation, so what I declare is what happens. Just like in real life, you've always got the option to quit if you think I'm being unfair--but I certainly hope it won't come to that. In any case, ALL JUDGE'S DECISIONS ARE FINAL. There is nothing at stake here, remember that, so there's nothing to gain and nothing to lose except perhaps a little bit of insight.

ALSO: Very important: we've had a no-show on the part of one of the selected players, who has not responded to let me know that he's on board for the game. As such, I am moving on. So Ed Ward, if you are reading this, and still want to play, drop me a line at mheroes@marvel.com. (And if I don't hear from Ed, we're going to begin the game short-handed...)

More later.

Tom B

Paging Ed Ward
Ed Ward, as well as letting Tom know that you're joining the competition, please shoot an email to theknave@knaveofkrypton.com explaining your comic inclinations, experience, etc. Mike, Sean and I are interested in coordinating as much as possible between us, especially given the new EIC and space-limiting rules. I hope to hear from you.

Posted by Philip Schaeffer on 2007-05-14 15:38:30

Go to it!
Congratulations you three/four. And with these new, more structured, rules this should be very interesting!

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-05-14 16:35:59

All over the place
Tom, as I posted in the Crew, reporting for duty!

Posted by Patrick Cook on 2007-05-14 17:07:33

500 words eh? Txtspk's yr frnd. ;)

And in a very cheeky move on my part, in the off-chance that Ed's slot opens up, I just e-mailed my belated entry to the address provided, since I am utterly desperate to take part in this (and kicking myself for missing the original deadline). Although obviously if Ed gets through before the contest starts, the slot rightfully belongs to him. And there's a codeword in the email so you imposter people can clear off.

Posted by Fetsur on 2007-05-14 18:48:20

Patrick Im sure you know this and have already done it but I think you probably have to send a direct e-mail to Tom to be in with a chance to reclaim your spot.

Also I think its a shame Fetsur didnt apply and get in - I remember him being an active commentor during the last go around and found his insights were always interesting and helpful.

Huey

Posted by hueysheridan on 2007-05-14 19:33:51

Hey Hugh, thanks
Hugh, already done, and awaiting word from the Kingpin himself....

Posted by Patrick Cook on 2007-05-14 19:42:06

Thanks Huey, from a former MES editor yourself, that means a lot to me :)

Maybe Tom will find himself in the position to expand the game... or maybe he could grant the simulation EIC the power to fire and replace an editor at periodic intervals, Apprentice-style. (Or Marvelcution-style, even.)

Posted by Fetsur on 2007-05-14 19:44:27

The Marvel Editorial Simulation II Blog!!!
Sean, Mike and Philip (and Ed or Patrick, depending on who snags the slot) would like to invite all of you to check out the Marvel Editorial Simulation II Blog, which can be found at marveledsim.blogspot.com.

Because of the 500 word limit and the increased cooperation that will be necessary with having an EIC (whoever it might be), we decided it would be best to have a place online where we could let our ideas hang out and pitch some things amongst ourselves in a more unofficial capacity.

Clearly there's no need for you to religiously read the blog in order to follow the MES proper; think of this as the special features on a DVD, except not only can you get a behind the scenes look at how we're making our decisions, you can comment on them before we've officially turned them in! Now that would be a Special Edition DVD! You could prevent Brett Ratner from killing all the X-Men! You could stop Geore Lucas from having Han shoot first!

Posted by Philip Schaeffer on 2007-05-14 20:51:09

Wizard is here...uh oh
I got in to the game late last go around, but since Tom allowed it last time, I'm hoping he'll let me "represent" Wizard again this time so the sim EiCs get to experience dealing with the always enjoyable comic book media. ;)

Good luck guys, I look forward to being a pain in the ass. :p

Posted by Ben Morse on 2007-05-14 23:20:41

Hi Ben
At this point, I'm still looking forward to a collaboration that is beneficial for both sides.

In two weeks, I'll probably reread this post and laugh hysterically...

Posted by Michael Heide on 2007-05-14 23:24:10

I like your attitude, Michael: optimistic but realistic :)

Posted by Ben Morse on 2007-05-14 23:30:15

Swampy
It's not just Wizard you have to watch out for - if I remember correctly, last time Steve had a minor scuffle with a fan on the response form, which unexpectedly got incorporated into the game. So be cautious :)

Posted by Fetsur on 2007-05-15 04:58:22

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