Medium Midlevel Matinee! (2025): Rules and Discussion

[ZamuelNow]

Struggling with your character in the valley between level 20 and level 40?

Can’t find anything that won’t turn you to paste in AE when you select “My Level” because it’s left on the default 1-54?

Want to be creative but lack the spark to make a new arc?
 

The Mission Architect Sunday Special proudly presents the

 

Medium Midlevel Matinee!  

To close out 2025, we present AE writers with a contest to build a medium sized arc for midlevel players.  If successful, this will be an annual contest.  This year’s theme will be: Hobbies!  Whether it be heroic or villainous, write an arc centered around the antics a super might encounter in their downtime.

 

With the prompt out of the way, what are the fine details?
 

Rules and Judging

 

• Submissions must be marked as Final, have a level no lower than 20 and no higher than 40, and have a length of Medium.  Any arc not set to Final or outside the level range will be disqualified.  Authors may use a smaller level range for their arc (similar to how most official story arcs are only five or ten levels).  Due to the quirks of the AE interface and how it calculates length, a Long arc will be allowed if it is only 3 or fewer missions.
• Though you can stretch for comedy or tragedy, the arc must take place in Paragon City, the Rogue Isles, or Praetoria and feel like it fits in City of Heroes.
• One entry per person.
• Judges may not enter.
• This year’s judges are @ZamuelNow, @Darmian, and @Lunar Ronin.  Entries will be graded on a rubric to help with fairness but considering writing and opinions on writing are subjective, entries are not expected to make a “perfect” score.  We celebrate the creativity of all the entrants.
• Entries must be submitted to the entry thread with Arc ID, in game global, arc name, and the arc’s description.

Arcs must be published after Sunday November 2nd, 2025 6:00 PM EST, with an Arc ID greater than 69600. Entries will be accepted until Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST.

 

Prizes

 

First place: 300 million inf + the Lords of Winter, Heroes and Villains, and Rogues and Vigilantes Super Packs + 500 Prismatic Aether
Second place: 150 million inf +the Heroes and Villains and Rogues and Vigilantes Super Packs + 250 Prismatic Aether
Third place: 50 million inf + the Heroes and Villains and Rogues and Vigilantes Super Packs + 100 Prismatic Aether

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:50 PM by ZamuelNow
Added Homecoming's Prismatic Aether to prize pool

[ZamuelNow]

Please ask any questions here.  Submissions here.

Edited November 2 by ZamuelNow

[TerroirNoir3]

1 hour ago, ZamuelNow said:

Struggling with your character in the valley between level 20 and level 40?

Can’t find anything that won’t turn you to paste in AE when you select “My Level” because it’s left on the default 1-54?

Want to be creative but lack the spark to make a new arc?
 

The Mission Architect Sunday Special proudly presents the

 

Medium Midlevel Matinee!  

To close out 2025, we present AE writers with a contest to build a medium sized arc for midlevel players.  If successful, this will be an annual contest.  This year’s theme will be: Hobbies!  Whether it be heroic or villainous, write an arc centered around the antics a super might encounter in their downtime.

 

With the prompt out of the way, what are the fine details?
 

Rules and Judging

 

• Submissions must be marked as Final, have a level no lower than 20 and no higher than 40, and have a length of Medium.  Any arc not set to Final or outside the level range will be disqualified.  Authors may use a smaller level range for their arc (similar to how most official story arcs are only five or ten levels).  Due to the quirks of the AE interface and how it calculates length, a Long arc will be allowed if it is only 3 or fewer missions.
• Though you can stretch for comedy or tragedy, the arc must take place in Paragon City, the Rogue Isles, or Praetoria and feel like it fits in City of Heroes.
• One entry per person.
• Judges may not enter.
• This year’s judges are @ZamuelNow, @Darmian, and @Lunar Ronin.  Entries will be graded on a rubric to help with fairness but considering writing and opinions on writing are subjective, entries are not expected to make a “perfect” score.  We celebrate the creativity of all the entrants.
• Entries must be submitted to the entry thread with Arc ID, in game global, arc name, and the arc’s description.

Arcs must be published after Sunday November 2nd, 2025 6:00 PM EST, with an Arc ID greater than 69600. Entries will be accepted until Saturday, January 3rd, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST.

 

Prizes

 

First place: 300 million inf + the Lords of Winter, Heroes and Villains, and Rogues and Vigilantes Super Packs
Second place: 150 million inf +the Heroes and Villains and Rogues and Vigilantes Super Packs
Third place: 50 million inf + the Heroes and Villains and Rogues and Vigilantes Super Packs
 

 

 

What a great idea!  Looking forward to seeing the entries!  Good luck to all who enter!

 

 

[JuggernautJ]

An excellent idea!

 

This contest has already garnered the attention of "Massively Overpowered...." and because of that showed up in my google newsfeed.

Hopefully lots of our "Architects" will see it and participate.

I'm looking forward to seeing what our community comes up with.

 

https://massivelyop.com/2025/11/03/city-of-heroes-homecoming-players-host-a-contest-for-creating-missions-to-help-mid-level-players/

Edited November 4 by JuggernautJ

[Jiro Ito]

This is awesome!  Can't wait to see what comes of it!

[Darmian]

43 minutes ago, JuggernautJ said:

An excellent idea!

 

This contest has already garnered the attention of "Massively Overpowered...." and because of that showed up in my google newsfeed.

Hopefully lots of our "Architects" will see it and participate.

I'm looking forward to seeing what our community comes up with.

 

https://massivelyop.com/2025/11/03/city-of-heroes-homecoming-players-host-a-contest-for-creating-missions-to-help-mid-level-players/

Oh nice that Massively have picked up on it.

[SirArthurIV]

Ooh! I think I have an idea that might work.

[ZamuelNow]

Update: The Homecoming team has graciously added Prismatic Aether to the prize pool! First post has been updated.

[Darmian]

1 hour ago, ZamuelNow said:

Update: The Homecoming team has graciously added Prismatic Aether to the prize pool! First post has been updated.

That's great news! 

 

Ok folks, get writing!! Let's see those AEs!!

[SirArthurIV]

4 minutes ago, Darmian said:

Ok folks, get writing!! Let's see those AEs!!

Writing as we speak. I'm not used to working with restrictions on length like this but I'm having a fun time with it.

 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a contact that would work as a college freshman/high-school senior? Just like, a young guy.

[Darmian]

50 minutes ago, SirArthurIV said:

Writing as we speak. I'm not used to working with restrictions on length like this but I'm having a fun time with it.

 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a contact that would work as a college freshman/high-school senior? Just like, a young guy.

No! No hints!

 

ROFL 

[ZamuelNow]

While I won't give a suggestion as a judge, I'd actually encourage writers help each other.  Iron sharpens iron and all that.

[SirArthurIV]

That's fair. I think I've got a guy but he's a bit tall so I'm going through the list to find anyone better before I have to make a custom guy.