General FAQ's
What is the Ribbon Game about?
It's about giving the con goer's a new and exciting way to spend their time and have an easy way to make fun memories and hopefully, new friends.
How do you play it?
Think of a typical scavenger hunt, with possible updates on where certain ribbons will be at and in what cosplay the “dealer” (the person handing out the ribbon), will be wearing via social media (Facebook and Discord). The ribbons have different designs on them, either related to a meme, anime fandom, whatever you can think of (PG-13 related if through the group order, please). There is no need to have ribbons yourself in order to play, just complete a challenge, beat somone in a game, answer trivia, be in cosplay of a certain character, or simply ask and make conversation and then collect! There are many ways to go about earning ribbons! The goal is to collect as many as you an and show off your collection at the end of con.
Are there rules to play the game?
- There are no "rules" besides having safe fun and taking mind some Ribbon Etiquettes!
- If you see someone freely giving out ribbons, it's the okay to go up and ask if you can have one as well, or ask if there is a trivia/challenge to obtain one.
- If you notice someone being "sneaky" with handing out their ribbons, please assume they're low on ribbons, or could only have enough for certain people (ex: friends, specific cosplayers, ect).
- When asking for a ribbon, if the dealer says no, please accept this. (Hopefully they give you a reason, which could be low or for certain cosplayers, ect).
- When denying someone a ribbon, please be polite about it (giving a reason, though not necessary, helps a lot)
- Challenges should be appropriate to convention and hotel policies and shouldn't make anyone feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
- Just like everyone, ribbon dealers need to take breaks and eat too.
- If you see a dealer walking away from a crowd, give them space. They need a break and if they're up for it again, they will come back to do more ribbons.
- See a ribbon game button? That's the "okay" to approach for a ribbon!
Who gives out the ribbons?
The “dealers”! There are individual people (attendees) who create their ribbon designs and ordered by either themselves or through the Official Colossalcon Ribbon Group order. Ribbon ops will also have free and earnable ribbons!
How do I get in contact with Ribbon Staff?
Where can I find Ribbons? I can't find any, anywhere!
There are some ways to get around this!
Join the Facebook group or the Discord group! Some dealers take to social media and post where they’ll be. Come to the Ribbon Game meetups. Also check the Colossalcon social media, as people will show up at photoshoots and panels with ribbons as well! There will be an online catalog of all the group order ribbons and also a physical binder with info on how to earn and where to possibly find them. Ribbon Ops will also have free and earnable ribbons to hand out as well, so don’t forget to check us out!
Unfortunately because it’s basically a scavenger hunt, we can’t guarantee that people will be in that particular cosplay, or that particular area, etc. Try your best and keep your eyes and ears open!
Ribbons to earn are definitely around!
Ribbon Dealer FAQ's
How do I make a Ribbon?
There are many ways to make a ribbon. On a computer, on a tablet, or phone, there are many art apps out there that save in high quality jpeg/jpg, png, pdf, and vector. The one that gets used a lot is Photoshop. There is also GIMP, which is just like photoshop, but free. Some people even use Word and Paint to make their designs. As long as the designs are sized 3.4" W x 0.9" H (1020px X 270px), they will fit a 4" W x 1 5/8" H ribbon that we use for group order.
For more in depth info on how to use GIMP, please follow this Ribbon Game 101 slideshow.
How does one become a "Dealer"?
Great question! Join the Facebook or Discord for updated information on when the group order form drops (4 months before con!) Design your ribbons, or reach out via either social media app and ask if someone could help. Admins and mods are more than happy to help with designing a ribbon for you! The group order is a great way to get your ribbons for cheap, as a larger bulk order brings down the cost of ribbons.
Do I need something that tells people I'm a "dealer"?
Ribbon Ops has ribbon game buttons for sale that are readily available for you to purchase via cash only. They’re not necessary in order to deal, but we do have them to easily identify dealers.
Group Order FAQ's
How do I join the group order?
When does the Group Order form begin? (Prime and East Info here)
The group order form opens about 4 months before con, meaning that it will be live for Prime in February and end in April. While East will be live in May and end in July. It takes about 3 to 4 weeks for a large group order to be processed and shipped, so giving us a month to have that prepared gives us the ability to have ribbons in hand by con.
I have a design that is not PG-13 friendly. Can I still join the Group Order?
Due to con and hotel policies and standards, we cannot currently accept designs that rate higher than PG-13. That being said, if the badge ribbon companies end up making your ribbon without issue, we cannot add your ribbon in the ribbon directory (online guide or physical binder) due to minors that play the game as well.
What format do I save my design in?
We go through Marco Promos and they like to have their designs sent via Vector format, but will accept high quality JPG, PNG, and PDF. If you can save in Vector, definitely do that, but if you can't, JPG/JPEG, PNG, and PDF are friendly.