I can start thinking about a game now but not write it yet?

Exactly. We're counting on you!

Can I test my RPG before the seven days of writing?

You can do whatever you want as long as the text you write has never been published.

Can several people collaborate to submit the same RPG?

Yes, with the following conditions:

• A single person is still responsible for handling the submission and ensuring that it follows all the rules.
• Everyone has a say in the project and has explicit authorship in the game for the work they have done.
• You organize yourselves, the event does not include randomly pairing up people.

Do you need a very specific definition of the setting, can it just be a few notes, or can it not have one at all?

Your RPG needs to be minimally playable solely from your text. If this is possible to do without a proper setting, go for it.

Is it 5000+ of rules + setting or does it also include cover, acknowledgments, credits, etc.?

Everything counts as long as the text shows an effort on the part of the author to write what he considers to be an RPG that can be played by other people.

Do I need to create a character sheet or include illustrations?

No, it is only recommended that your readers have the bare minimum in order to play. Of course you want people to try your game, right? Don't forget that you can collaborate with other people for your submission.

So can we think of a setting for an existing rules system?

Yes, as long as that system is available under an open license and its rules are explained in your own words, i.e. you can't just write the setting and tell the reader to look up the rules elsewhere, nor can you just copy-paste the system into your text.

I would like to write an RPG, but I don't know how to do it :(

It all starts with your experience as a game master, player or reader of RPGs. Create the game you would like to read and play. It's similar to how we learn to write better by reading a variety of books. We recommend that you play RPGs, board games, card games, video games...

Can I write in English?

Yes, you can write in any language.

How does someone control that the participant really writes the game only in that week?

This event is a challenge for the participant against himself or herself. If you have to lie to win, then you have already lost, even if no one else knows, because the pleasure of this event is in writing with other people who are also facing the same challenge.

Why are the dates in the game jam not exactly seven days?

For participants from all over the world to be able to choose the days that are most convenient for them depending on their time zone.

Why 5000+ words in seven days?

We were very inspired by #NaNoWriMo, an event in which participants create a novel by writing 50000+ words in thirty days. 1666+ words per day is a challenge that people with all kinds of talents can face and overcome. Some prepare themselves intensely to be able to maintain a daily rhythm and a minimum of quality. Others can improvise a lot of text easily blasting through the limit and only later worrying about what they wrote. It seems to us that 714+ words per day (less than half of a #NaNoWriMo) is a good equivalent and the feedback we have had over the years is that the event is challenging without being impossible, especially with a minimum of preparation or with the help of someone else.