Last updated October 31, 2007

General Questions | Entering the Contest | Voting

General Questions

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What is the schedule for the contest?

Round		Round Begins	Submissions Due	Fan Voting Begins	Fan Voting Ends	Winners Announced
1	Open Call: Design a wondrous item	10/31/07	11/14/07			11/28/07
2	Top 32: Design a country	11/28/07	12/3/07	12/5/07	12/11/07	12/12/07
3	Top 16: Design a villain (complete with stat block)	12/12/07	12/17/07	12/19/07	12/25/07	12/26/07
4	Top 8: Design three thematically linked monsters	12/26/07	1/7/08	1/10/08	1/15/08	1/16/08
5	Top 6: Design an encounter	1/16/08	1/21/08	1/24/08	1/29/08	1/30/08
6	Top 4: Submit a full adventure proposal	1/30/08	2/11/08	2/14/08	2/19/08	2/20/08

Note: As of Round 4, the schedule has been adjusted to give the judges an extra day to evaluate and comment on entries. The ultimate winner of the first RPG Superstar contest will be announced on February 20, 2008. All events are at noon Pacific time on the specified date.

What are the design topics for each round of the competition?

Open Call: Design a wondrous item
Top 32: Design a country
Top 16: Design a villain (complete with stat block)
Top 8: Design three thematically linked monsters
Top 6: Design an encounter
Top 4: Submit a full adventure proposal

Are these topics going to be as open-ended as listed above?

No. We will provide a more detailed assignment as each round starts.

What rules system do designs in this contest use?

All entries in the RPG Superstar contest must use the 3.5 OGL rules as currently listed at www.d20srd.org.

Who are the judges?

Paizo has gathered together three judges to oversee the competition. Paizo's publisher, Erik Mona, will share the spotlight with fan-favorite author and Kobold Quarterly publisher Wolfgang Baur, and Necromancer Games' head honcho, Clark Peterson.

What are the judges' duties?

During the first round, the judges will be responsible for selecting the top 32 Open Call entries. In subsequent rounds, the three judges will critique the entries before the public vote begins.

Will the votes be viewable by the public?

No. At the end of each voting round, we'll announce the names of the contestants that will proceed to the following round, and we may identify the most popular contestant for that round, but the number of votes any contestant received will not be announced.

What will the winner win?

The ultimate winner, as chosen by the fans, will earn a paid commission to write one of Paizo's upcoming GameMastery Modules!

Will you be doing this contest again?

We are focused right now on running the first RPG Superstar contest. Once the contest is finished, we will evaluate whether there will be any future contests.

Entering the Contest

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Who is eligible to enter the contest?

Because we are trying to discover new talent, anybody who has been published in the RPG industry in a significant way is not eligible to enter. If you have been employed full-time as a designer for a game company, you are not eligible. If you have a credit on a Pathfinder or GameMastery product, you are not eligible. If you have received cover credit as an author of a hardcover RPG book, you are not eligible. Everyone else is eligible to enter! You must have an account on paizo.com to enter the contest—visit secure.paizo.com/paizo/account to set up a free account.

How many times may I enter?

Each person is allowed one entry into the Open Call. If we find that someone has cheated by submitting more than one entry in the contest, they will immediately be disqualified and any prizes won will be immediately forfeited.

Will I be identified to the public?

Your Open Call submission will be presented to the judges anonymously, and if you are not a finalist, your submission will not be displayed to the public. However, if you are selected as one of the 32 finalists, your full name will be displayed along with your submissions.

Who owns my entries in the contest?

All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Paizo Publishing. If published, reasonable effort will be made to credit the original author.

How do I enter the RPG Superstar contest?

Write up a new and original wondrous item using the 3.5 OGL rules (see here for examples). Then, after noon PST on October 31, 2007, log in to your paizo.com account, go to the RPG Superstar home page, and submit your entry. Entries must be received before noon PST on November 14, 2007.

What criteria will be used to judge the Open Call entries?

Entries will be critiqued on creativity, originality, usefulness, and adherence to the 3.5 OGL rules. Entries will be presented to the judges anonymously, so do not put your name or anything else which could identify you in your entry.

What is the word limit for my Open Call entry?

Entries for the Open Call round of RPG Superstar must be 200 words or less. Entries that exceed this maximum will automatically be removed from the competition.

Can I use material from any published books in my entry?

You may only use the material from the 3.5 OGL as listed at www.d20srd.org. All other books are off limits (unless you're specifically directed otherwise in later rounds). Use of other content is grounds for disqualification.

Where are the official rules?

The official rules are here.

Voting

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Who can vote in the RPG Superstar contest?

During the Open Call round of the contest, the official judges will decide which 32 entrants go to the next round. In each subsequent round, each person with an account on paizo.com will be able to cast one vote. You must have an account on paizo.com to vote in the contest—visit secure.paizo.com/paizo/account to set up a free account.

How do I cast my vote?

During the voting periods, log in to your paizo.com account and visit paizo.com/rpgsuperstar. You'll be able to cast a vote for one contestant. You may only vote once per round, so make sure to look through all the entries before casting your vote! If we find that someone has cheated by placing more than one vote, those votes will be nullified.

Will I be able to comment on entries?

Absolutely! While our celebrity judges will give you their insights first, we expect that members of the paizo.com community will want to register their own thoughts on the entries, perhaps even trying to sway votes to their favorite designer.

What are the guidelines for messageboard conduct?

The messageboards on paizo.com are renowned for a friendly environment with knowledgeable and passionate members. We encourage anybody who posts to give the community their thoughts on each entry, but to do so in a constructive and non-inflammatory manner. Critique the submissions, but not the designer—personal attacks on the contestants will not be tolerated.