Unroll the Maps!

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

We just unveiled the Top 32's Round 2 entries, making their maps available for everyone to check out and vote on! This round is a major change of pace for contestants who managed to win public support by creating interesting and intelligible magic items, and those who go on to become our Top 16 will have already proven they have a wide range of adventure-design skills!

While obviously the community can vote however it pleases, we do have comments from a great set of judges available to give some critique and guidance to contestants and fans alike. I especially want to point out that when considering the maps, voters shouldn't get too distracted by artistic talent (or lack thereof). A map entry should be evocative, clear, and interesting, but we're not looking for publishable, finished images. These maps should be ready to be sent to a professional cartographer, who can take care of creating appealing and consistent visuals. What a professional cartographer can't do is make a great map from a designer's turnover that's 75% blank space, or doesn't clearly communicate what it represents, or that details a boring place. That's where the designer should shine by creating and communicating great ideas.

Also, don't get too distracted by details in the prose descriptions of the encounters that might happen at these locations. If a map is dull, but the description sounds like the contestant had a neat idea for something to happen there, it's still a bad map. This isn't an encounter-design challenge (that comes later), it's a mapping round. The prose element of this round can be used to help give a sense of context, but I hope voters will give preference to creativity, clarity, and the ability to describe an interesting location that makes GMs want to run an encounter there.

So go take a look, see what creative cartography our newest Superstars-in-Training have produced, and use your votes to help determine which of them are going to earn the chance to help shape the Pathfinder RPG in years to come.

Vote Now!

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer, RPG Superstar Host

More Paizo Blog.
Scarab Sages Developer

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Big thanks to the Top 32, who did an awesome job making maps that are interesting, novel, and beg to be used for memorable encounters!
Go check them out and vote for your favorite, folks! Let's pick some creative writers and cartographers to move on to the Monster round!

Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Clouds Without Water

A quick reminder- Click on the images in each thread for a full-size version. It really makes a difference with most maps!


What happened to the bathysphere map? It was there a few minutes ago, but when I went back to vote it disappeared.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Champion Voter Season 6, Champion Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Champion Voter Season 9

AdAlta wrote:
What happened to the bathysphere map? It was there a few minutes ago, but when I went back to vote it disappeared.

Most likely an alternate that was mistakenly placed on the list.

Scarab Sages Developer

Thomas LeBlanc wrote:
AdAlta wrote:
What happened to the bathysphere map? It was there a few minutes ago, but when I went back to vote it disappeared.
Most likely an alternate that was mistakenly placed on the list.

Basically, yes.


Wow. There's a lot of really good stuff here. Good going, Top 32! Narrowing this down to only 8 votes is going to be a bit of a chore.

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16 , Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Rusty Ironpants

Some very nice maps this season!

Star Voter Season 9

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Thomas LeBlanc wrote:
AdAlta wrote:
What happened to the bathysphere map? It was there a few minutes ago, but when I went back to vote it disappeared.
Most likely an alternate that was mistakenly placed on the list.
Basically, yes.

I also saw this entry and then noticed its absence when I checked back to begin voting a few moments ago. Mistakes happen, but for a contest like this it seems a tad unfair to include an aspiring author in the list of winners and then take it away. I'm just imagining my own reaction to winning followed by the crushing disappointment upon seeing it taken away.

The contestants are all held to rigid deadlines and legal requirements. Paizo should also take a similar responsibility to the entrants. Either the entry should be reinstated (an extreme solution to be sure, and yes, I realize it would also be unfair to the other winners to include 33 entries), or RPG Superstar owes the contestant a short apology (at the very least).

(Full disclosure: I know and was rooting for the contestant that got added and removed.)

Scarab Sages Developer

I'm happy to apologize. I wish it hadn't happened. I'm sorry.

That said, and sincerely, I do want to keep this thread on topic for the Top 32 and their accomplishments. If anyone has any further concerns about this at all, I ask you to contact me about them privately.

Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Well I did my part and voted for 7 of the maps. I'm not sure I will give my 8th to any of the remaining ones. Most maps are very good, but only 7 stood out for me from the rest.

RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut, Contributor

7 people marked this as a favorite.
TotalAnarchy wrote:
Well I did my part and voted for 7 of the maps. I'm not sure I will give my 8th to any of the remaining ones. Most maps are very good, but only 7 stood out for me from the rest.

Then spend your vote on another designer rather than a map. Consider their work in all rounds so far and the potential you think they may have to excel in future tasks. Or upvote someone from whom you'd like to see additional work over the remainder of the contest before you fully decide if they should be eliminated yet.

Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Neil Spicer wrote:
TotalAnarchy wrote:
Well I did my part and voted for 7 of the maps. I'm not sure I will give my 8th to any of the remaining ones. Most maps are very good, but only 7 stood out for me from the rest.
Then spend your vote on another designer rather than a map. Consider their work in all rounds so far and the potential you think they may have to excel in future tasks. Or upvote someone from whom you'd like to see additional work over the remainder of the contest before you fully decide if they should be eliminated yet.

That's a valid point. *starts looking at items from round 1*

Scarab Sages Developer

4 people marked this as a favorite.
Neil Spicer wrote:
TotalAnarchy wrote:
Well I did my part and voted for 7 of the maps. I'm not sure I will give my 8th to any of the remaining ones. Most maps are very good, but only 7 stood out for me from the rest.
Then spend your vote on another designer rather than a map. Consider their work in all rounds so far and the potential you think they may have to excel in future tasks. Or upvote someone from whom you'd like to see additional work over the remainder of the contest before you fully decide if they should be eliminated yet.

In case anyone is curious why Neil is our continuity judge, commenting on every round this year, here it is.

Extra-Mile-Spicer is just good for the contest and the community.

RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut, Contributor

3 people marked this as a favorite.
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Extra-Mile-Spicer is just good for the contest and the community.

Just trying to live up to that "Judgernaut" tag... ;)

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16 , Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 8

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Neil Spicer wrote:
TotalAnarchy wrote:
Well I did my part and voted for 7 of the maps. I'm not sure I will give my 8th to any of the remaining ones. Most maps are very good, but only 7 stood out for me from the rest.
Then spend your vote on another designer rather than a map. Consider their work in all rounds so far and the potential you think they may have to excel in future tasks. Or upvote someone from whom you'd like to see additional work over the remainder of the contest before you fully decide if they should be eliminated yet.

In case anyone is curious why Neil is our continuity judge, commenting on every round this year, here it is.

Extra-Mile-Spicer is just good for the contest and the community.

A true champion. The Superest of the Superstars

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