RPG Superstar™ 2009 Scours the Globe to Find New Design Talent

Competition starts December 5, 2008 on paizo.com

Paizo Publishing, LLC® is proud to announce RPG Superstar 2009, the second season of its popular RPG design contest. The search for the newest talent in RPG design begins in early December on paizo.com.

"We were absolutely blown away by the success of the first RPG Superstar contest last year," said Lisa Stevens, CEO of Paizo Publishing, "Not only was it a lot of fun to follow the contestants as the contest progressed, but Paizo was able to find a handful of designers that we've already put to work on some of our Pathfinder products."

	Submit Your Entry! (coming December 5) Official Rules Frequently Asked Questions Round 1 Rules RPG Superstar 2008

The first RPG Superstar contest came down to Final Four contestants Christine Schneider, Clinton Boomer, Jason Nelson, and Rob McCreary battling it out for the win. Voters ultimately selected Christine Schneider's "Clash of the Kingslayers" adventure proposal; Paizo will be releasing Christine's Pathfinder Module S1: Clash of the Kingslayers in January 2009.

Starting at 2 PM Pacific Time on December 5, 2008, contestants will be able to submit their RPG Superstar entry at paizo.com/rpgsuperstar. For the first round, that entry will be a wondrous item designed for use with Paizo's Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Each entry must be 200 words or less, and must include all of the proper mechanics and flavor. Contestants must submit their entry by January 2, 2009. Judges will select the top 32 entries to be announced on January 20, 2009; those 32 contestants will be assigned a new design task and their entries will be posted on paizo.com for the public to read, critique, and vote on. The designers garnering the most votes in each round will continue on to subsequent rounds, and the ultimate winner will earn a paid commission to write one of Paizo's upcoming Pathfinder Modules!

Paizo has selected three judges to oversee the competition. Returning from the previous season are author and Kobold Quarterly publisher Wolfgang Baur, and Necromancer Games co-owner Clark Peterson. Joining them will be Paizo's own Sean K Reynolds, author and developer extraordinaire. These judges will critique each round's entries before the public vote.

In addition, this season will also feature guest judges chosen for their insight on specific themes for each round. For the Open Call round, last year's RPG Superstar Final 4 will provide their advice to this year's top 32 contestants. In the second round, New York Times best selling author Ed Greenwood will lend his expertise on villain creation. In round three, Pathfinder RPG designer Jason Bulmahn will help critique the villain stat blocks and new rules. Round four will feature star designer Monte Cook providing insight on the Top 8's villain lairs. Finally, Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief James Jacobs will provide his feedback on the Top 4 adventure proposals.

As the contest progresses, the public will decide which talented designers succeed by discussing the entries and voting for their favorite contestants each round on paizo.com.

Specifics for each challenge will be announced as each round begins. The winner of RPG Superstar 2009 will be announced on March 24, 2009.

Meet the Judges

Wolfgang Baur

Wolfgang Baur is the founder of Open Design and the publisher of Kobold Quarterly, a magazine of RPG goodness. Wolfgang is the author or contributor to dozens of RPG adventures and supplements, including Pathfinder #4: Fortress of the Stone Giants, Pathfinder Chronicles: Classic Monsters Revisited, The Book of Roguish Luck, Empire of the Ghouls, GameMastery Module J3: Crucible of Chaos, and the Dark*Matter campaign setting—and most importantly for our purposes here, the Kobold Guide to Game Design, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. 

Baur has foolishly agreed to return and judge RPG Superstar for a second year. Some of the entries he saw last year can never be unseen...

Clark Peterson

An attorney by trade, Clark Peterson doubles as the president of Necromancer Games, perhaps the most prolific adventure publishers in the d20 industry. Necromancer's products boast a "First Edition Feel" that hearkens back to the quality of many of the classic adventures. Clark's professional design credits include Rappan Athuk: The Dungeon of Graves, Crucible of Freya, the Tome of Horrors series, the Wilderlands of High Fantasy, Tomb of Abysthor and the recent City of Brass.

Sean K Reynolds

Sean K Reynolds was born in a coastal town in southern California. A professional game designer since 1998, he's best known for his work on the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Greyhawk, and the 3rd edition Monster Manual. He lives in Seattle with his four cats, and spends his free time reading, painting miniatures, and writing three-sentence biographies.