Submission Guidelines

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We are currently accepting 4-hour module submissions for Season 2 of Living Tal’Dorei!

By submitting any material to us, you acknowledge and agree to adhere to these Submission Guidelines, including the Terms & Conditions at the end of this document. Please read them carefully.

Pre-Submission Thoughts & Advice

Before sending us a pitch for a module, please take a look at the material from pre-existing seasons and see what we’ve put out there. Organized play requires a delicate balance to function fairly for all players. Familiarize yourself with the hallmarks of an LT module.

Here are some tips on what we’d like to see:

  • Tell us what range of character levels the module is aimed at. Ideally, we like to see modules optimized for an average party of 5 players.
  • Usage of character Backgrounds (such as Soldier, Acolyte, Folk Hero, etc.) is highly encouraged. While it would be impossible to use every background, we do like to see 1-2 highlighted in the module, as fitting to that module’s storyline. We believe every character should be given their moment to shine.
  • While everyone loves a good fight, we seek to highlight the spirit of Critical Role and to give our players the chance at high quality roleplay. The more RP moments available to the characters in the module, the better!
  • Creation and usage of original NPCs (such as Rosie, Barktholomew, etc.) are highly encouraged! The only caveat here is that you submit these original characters with the understanding that these NPCs can, and likely will, be used by other LT writers in future modules. (A database of LT NPCs is in its creation stage, and credit will be given to the original creator once it is up and running!)
  • Reward your players handsomely—but keep things within check. Gold scales based on the party level/quantity of players, but consumables are more moderately dispersed to the party… and magic items should be special, rather than handed out like candy. Only hand out one tier appropriate magic item per module, and make it make sense with your story! (Please note: NO +(#) weapons, armor, or shields are to be made available.)

On the flip-side, there are things we don’t want to see in LT too—and these mostly pertain to the who’s and where’s of your story.

  • Vox Machina—or other NPC characters who were “played” on-screen by another actor—are not to be used in LT modules at this time.
  • NPCs voiced by Matthew Mercer can be used sparingly—but please do not make them the focus of your module. We’re all about fan service here and love to have cameos by beloved favorites—but the focus of Living Tal’Dorei is the adventurers living in Exandria. Any submissions that are found to lean too heavily on Matt’s NPCs may be rejected.
  • At this time, please keep your setting to Tal’Dorei, and keep in mind that the timeline of LT  season 2 is happening just after Vox Machina faced Vecna. Try not to step on any Campaign One toes by crossing over into places/times used during that part of the show. Modules that do so may be rejected.
  • We do not accept any submissions that were previously published by or have been simultaneously submitted to any other book, magazine, website, or publisher.
  • We want YOUR ideas and original adventures set in Tal’Dorei. Do not send us plagiarized content.

Some specifics to keep in mind when creating your pitch:

  • One pitch per email, please. This just makes things easier for us to keep track of.
  • Please write up your submission in the body of the email, rather than attaching it as a separate document.
  • Be concise. Address the topics in the Submissions Form Items, but refrain from including too much information. If we like your pitch and wabt additional information from you, we will contact you to ask for it.
  • Proofread your pitch well before submitting it. Show us your writing skill from the get-go, so we will have a better idea of what we can expect from the completed module, should we accept your pitch. It might seem mean, but we’ll be completely honest here: if your pitch is full of typos and errors, it will likely be rejected on that basis alone.

Whew. Glad we got all that out of the way! When it comes right down to it, what we are looking for is an adventure we can easily see fitting into the world of Exandria. As Critters, we all love this world and want to experience it in new and fun ways—so this is to make sure you are giving people that!

Submissions Payments & Deadlines

Now, let’s get two nitty-gritty house-keeping issues out of the way.

Payments

There are no monetary payments for submitting module material to Living Tal’Dorei. This organized play project is very much a labor of love created by and for the Critter community, and at this time all finished module materials are distributed free to the players.

As we’re fond of saying: this is Matt’s world, we’re just living in it.

Deadlines

Though this is a “labor of love” type of organization—we do take deadlines seriously.

If we accept your pitch, you will be given a submission deadline. The usual turnaround time we aim for will be 2-3 weeks from the acceptance of your pitch. Please do not submit a pitch to us if you feel you would be unable to commit to this time frame if accepted.

These deadlines are created with the overall distribution date of the season materials, play-testing requirements, and our editor’s schedule in mind. While we do understand that life happens, all deadlines are expected to be met once agreed upon. If they are not, this likely will affect acceptance of any future submissions.

Submission Form Items

Please write up your module pitch using the Submissions Form Items below and email it in the body of an email to contact@livingtaldorei.com.

Submission Form Items:

  • Working Title:
  • Character Levels:
  • Adventure Synopsis:
  • Adventure Category:
  • Magic Item Distributed:

 

Here is a sample pitch using the required Submission Form Items:

Working Title: Stillben Bound

Character Levels: 1-4 (optimized for 5 3rd level characters)

Adventure Synopsis: News of trouble on the Silvercut Roadway has made travelers wary–and this has created some lucrative opportunities for adventurers willing to travel. The adventure begins when the party is tasked with picking up an important delivery in Stillben for Dyson Brant—a well-known figure in the current economy of Emon. They go to meet with Dyson, are charmed by his loyal secretary Claire, and agree to help him when they are offered a handsome reward for doing so. The party then undertakes the journey  to bring his cargo back to Emon quickly and safely.

As the party make their way across the continent and back, a variety of encounters can be thrown at the players, testing their skills and dedication. (Some of these encounters include: wolves, outrunning a hoard of goblins, helping a snooty caravan in trouble, and more.) Completing this mission puts them in Dyson’s good graces, promising a good working relationship with him that can lead to many more well-paying adventures.

Adventure Category: Exploration

Magic Item Distributed: Moon-Touched (Any Melee Weapon)

Acceptance … or Rejection

Please be patient with us! At its core, LT is run by two very human administrators who will try their best to respond to each and every submission in a timely fashion. The lead time stated below is subject to change based on community response.

You can expect a quick reply from us when we receive your submission, after which you can expect a follow-up email within one week, notifying you of the decision regarding your pitch.

Pitch Acceptance

If we like your pitch, we will request a complete first draft of module. A deadline for this submission will be set, usually with the 2-3 week window mentioned above in the Deadlines section. We will provide you with a specific formatting sheet upon acceptance, so that you can provide us the finished draft of your 4-hour module in the format that we require.

If we accept a pitch, it’s because we’re feel your module fits within the living system we are creating, and that it will bring joy to the Critters who play it. If the full module submitted to us delivers on the promise of the original pitch, we will work with you to make sure the best version possible is released to the community.

Pitch Rejection

Do not be discouraged if your pitch gets rejected. There are many reasons why this might occur, and we ask that you not take it personally. We are limited to how many modules we need to fill our projected release every season—and one rejection does not mean we want to discourage you from submitting other ideas in the future!

While we cannot critique every single submission we are unable to accept, here are some common reasons why a pitch may be rejected:

  • It is poorly written.
  • It is too similar to something that we have already published or something that is currently accepted/in the works.
  • It doesn’t appeal to the Critter audience. Generic “D&D” material doesn’t cut it here; the module must feel like it is occurring in Tal’Dorei to become a part of Living Tal’Dorei.
  • It focuses too much on mechanics, and not enough on narrative.

Terms & Conditions

In submitting any materials to Living Tal’Dorei by sending them to Living Tal’Dorei through its submissions e-mail address at contact@livingtaldorei.com, the submitter (hereinafter “Author”) agrees to the following terms and conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, submission of any and all materials (“Work”) is considered acknowledgment of this agreement.

  1. Author Warranties Author warrants that he has clear title to the Work. Author also warrants that the Work has not been published previously and that the Work is not being considered for publication or published by any other publisher. Author warrants further that the Work is original and does not infringe upon any copyrighted material.
  1. No Obligation Author acknowledges that Living Tal’Dorei is under no obligation to acquire the Work.
  1. Independent Development Author acknowledges that the Work may be similar to the theme, plot, idea, format, or other element of material that Living Tal’Dorei has independently developed or that has or may come to Living Tal’Dorei from other sources. Author shall not be entitled to any compensation by reason of the use by Living Tal’Dorei of such similar material, whether developed or acquired by Living Tal’Dorei before or after Author’s submission of the Work.
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