Rewarding Participation in Heroes Rising

by Mark Alan Bisanz

League Wars are a semi-regular contest between leagues. Build a strong team and win specific rewards. Earn bragging rights. Earn experience. Hopefully make your characters a bit stronger for the next go around.

KOTM events are contests between players in specific divisions. Build a strong character and win specific prizes. Earn bragging rights. Earn experience. Hopefully make your character a bit stronger for the next challenge.

Fight Clubs are contest between all players, divided out in groups of twenty based on time of entry. Build a strong character, time your entry properly, and win MPs and specific rewards. Earn bragging rights. Earn experience. Hopefully make your character a bit stronger for the next challenge.

I could go on, but I think you have gotten the point.

For each of these activities, participation is key. You have to take part to earn rewards.

The same can be said for the Fiction and Art Contests Dan Peyton offers and the other non-combat events, such as the Egg Decorating and Birthday Card Designing activities. My question is do players take them as seriously? I honestly believe many people are missing out on a great opportunity. In some ways, better than in-game events. Why is that? Here is my reasoning:

1)You participate and you earn either Good Job, Reality Writer, or other Power Cards that are specifically made to turn in for Morphon Points. Keep the cards to build your arsenal. Sell them back to build your bank. With the Easter Egg decorating event or Birthday Card design event, quality efforts even earned copies of the art made into customized Power Cards. How much would you have to pay if you purchased the card outright? Anywhere from 40 to 60MP each.

2) Bragging rights. What you create is 100% yours. A story about your character. An image you made. Not only can you be proud of what you have done, but others can see and become inspired by it. On the Heroes Rising Page, I often read conversations held based on in-character activity. Tap into that and truly bring your hero to life on the page to help other players envision the character in your mind's eye. I know many of you out there are table top role-players. I know the characters you have in game exist somewhere in your head. Let them out to play.

3) It is zero experience. Rewards without the price of leveling.

4) The Morphon Points you earn are yours to choose what to do with. The rewards for creative player participation can go to tiering Power Cards or purchasing gear. Get what you need, not something that may or may not be useful to you. And if you collect 190 MP or more, you can gamble on a triple-Nova-Shuffle-spin. 

Quite often, I see complaints about people wanting more. Free or budget spenders who go on about not being as good as others. Well, here is an opportunity to grow. Take advantage of it. Nobody here is judging the effort done here in comparison to Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefeld, or the great Stan Lee. The only prerequisite is that it be unique to your character and is a meaningful effort. There is absolutely no risk. No editor needed (although using spell-check app and once-over before posting is a good idea) and there is no cost beyond what time you want to spend.

I highly recommend that all players give participation in Dan Peyton's latest Contest "Out on Patrol" some thought. Honestly, I enjoy reading the fan-fiction stories others present and have been very impressed by some of the art I have seen colored or designed. As most of you may know, I enjoy writing the fan-fiction and doing the art projects offered here. I have enjoyed learning and growing my skill, and that potential is here for everyone to benefit from just as I have. 

There is also a monthly award for Collaborative Fiction. This past month, six characters earned two of the new "Strange Fiction" Power Cards. Each "Strange Fiction" Power Card can be turned in for 120 Morphon Points. There is also a benefit for writing a Fiction Forum post or submitting a Sentinel Article. (There are rules and a format for posting and submitting to the Sentinel Facebook page. Please read and follow them if you wish to make a post or submission. It is meant to be used ONLY for proposing and staff reviews of articles considered for the These City Streets blog and Heroes Rising Main Page, anything else should be posted on the Heroes Rising Players page.)

PAY SCHEDULE FOR REPORTERS:
A - Forum Fiction post, or short or unused news article = 2x Reality Writer, 2x10 = 20MP sellback
B - Any news article featured in blog (no limit) = 4x Reality Writer, 4x10 = 40 MP sellback
C - First news article featured in blog per week = 20x Reality Writer, 20x10 = 200 MP sellback
D - First news article featured in blog per month = 8x Reality Writer, 1 Intrepid Reporter(120MP sellback) = 200 MP sellback
So, for example:
First per month = D+C+B+A = 200+200+40+20 = 460 MP
Once per week for rest of month = C+B+A = 200+40+20 = 260 MP/week
Note: rewards will now be given in multiples of Reality Writer cards.

The rewards are there. What do you have to lose?