Paizo Publishing today announced the finalists for RPG Superstar, the largest open-call tabletop roleplaying game design contest in history. Judges Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, and Clark Peterson selected the Top 32 from hundreds of submissions in an initial contest to design a wondrous item using the rules from the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, available in stores and in electronic form on paizo.com. The Top 32 wondrous items are now on display at paizo.com, complete with judge commentary and additional comment from 2009 RPG Superstar finalists Matthew Stinson, Kevin Carter, and Eric Bailey and winner Neil Spicer. Gamers are invited to contribute their own comments to the entries.

"This year marked a new creative high-point for RPG Superstar," said Erik Mona, Paizo's Publisher. "The judges had a more difficult time than ever choosing the top 32 submissions from a field of hundreds. As the contest enters its third year, the quality of the submitted designs gets higher and higher."

The Top 32 finalists for RPG Superstar 2010 are:

Alexander MacLeod (Raleigh, North Carolina, USA)
Scapular of True Devotion

Alex Shideler (Springfield, Virginia, USA)
Crystal Chalice of Dawnflower Dew

Andrew Sun (Springfield, Missouri, USA)
Muse of the Solemn Vessel

Benjamin Bruck (Boise, Idaho, USA)
Steadfast Gut-stone

Brian Hoffman (Altoona, Wisconsin, USA)
Stone of Alliance

Chris Mortika (Coralville, Iowa, USA)
Sublime Phial

David Posener (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia)
Starborn Seeds of Manifest Denial

Dennis Baker (Stockton, California, USA)
Pharasma's Blessing

Eric Hindley (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Hourglass of the Insightful Conjurer

Erik Randall (Missoula, Montana, USA)
Gloves of the Shortened Path

James Martin (Durham, North Carolina, USA)
Runcible Spoon

Jared Goodwin (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Lyre of Truth-Telling

Jason Schimmel (Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Bracelet of Smoke and Mirrors

Jeff Spencer (Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands)
Amulet of Sparkling Deceit

Jesse Benner
Snapleaf

Jim Groves (Ontario, Oregon, USA)
Seducer’s Bane

Joe Wells (Saint Louis, Missouri, USA)
Nightingale's Tongue

Joshua Kitchens (Centerville, Georgia, USA)
Locket of the Umbral Kiss

Kevin Akemann (Hartford, Wisconsin, USA)
Sal's Master Key

Lief Clennon (Garberville, California, USA)
Seven Thousand Blossoms

Matt Goodall (Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia)
Spellstrike Vambraces

Matthew McGee (Davis, California, USA)
Batrachian Helm

Matthew Morris (Columbus, Ohio, USA)
Tankard of the Cheerful Duelist

Nick Waln
Gloves of the Deceiver

Nicolas Quimby (Anson, Maine, USA)
Goblin Skull Bomb

RC Higgins (Stanton, Kentucky, USA)
Waters of Transfiguration

Richard Hunt (Plano, Texas, USA)
Needles of the Ebon Strand

Sean McGowan (New York, New York, USA)
Cacophonous Monkey

Seth White (Plymouth, Minnesota, USA)
Vessel of the Deep

Stephen Sheahan
Spell Component Powder (Pixie Dust)

Tobias Mullen (Boulder, Colorado, USA)
Gem of Immediate Defense

Tom Phillips (Orange Park, Florida, USA)
Troll Fingers

2010 alternates include Andrew Black, Bill Dodds, Blake Davis and Patrice Lazure.

The Top 32 will now be required to design a concept for a new monster to the specifications of the RPG Superstar judges and submit that concept by 2:00 PM (Pacific time) on Friday, January 22. These round two submissions will be revealed to the general public on January 26 with judges’ comments and the public will then get to discuss the entries and vote for their favorite. Voting ends on February 1 and the Top 16 by votes will move on to round three.

The ultimate winner of RPG Superstar, announced March 23rd, 2010, will write a Pathfinder Module to be published in early 2010. The 2009 RPG Superstar champion module, Neil Spicer’s Realm of the Fellnight Queen, releases in February 2010.

For a complete schedule of RPG Superstar, including rules and a FAQ, visit paizo.com/rpgsuperstar.

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