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Hi all
I found an old chat log from a Superstar chat from a while back and thought some of you might appreciate it.
I have cut lots of hello's, good-byes and wecomes and general chit chat, corrected a couple of spelling issues, leaving the Superstar meat and potatoes of the chat.
I hope you find it useful and I am sure you will draw some very interesting parallels to your experiences thus far - I certainly did when re-reading this and editing it for sharing.
Oh, and for the eagle eyed, this post contains a "single word" response from Neil, I'm sure you will spot it :P
And I think Neil just may have played too much Gauntlet in the arcades - see if you can spot that one too :)
Enjoy...
Jodi 2:00 AM 12/09/11
So, let's get this thing started! Welcome to our guests this evening,
Neil Spicer, Sean K Reynolds, and who knows who else they get to pop in
there. Guys, introduce yourselves. And while they are doing that,
everyone, please remember it is against the rules to discuss YOUR
potential submission. Any questions that will not point back to your
submission specifically are allowed. We're hosting this so folks can ask
questions of the judges, hear about some points that made previous RPG
Superstar winners really stand out, etc.
Sean K Reynolds 2:01 AM 12/09/11
Go ahead, Neil!
Neil Spicer 2:01 AM 12/09/11
Ha! I was about to say Sean is the senior judge, he can lead off. But I
guess I"ll take it.
Neil Spicer 2:02 AM 12/09/11
I'm Neil Spicer. I won RPG Superstar 2009, the second year of the
competition. We're in year 5 now. The contest really opened a lot of
doors for me in terms of freelancing professionally. And I'm happy to be
able to give back by being a judge these past couple of years.
Neil Spicer 2:02 AM 12/09/11
Take it away, Sean.
Sean K Reynolds 2:03 AM 12/09/11
I'm Sean K Reynolds, designer/developer at Paizo. This is my 3rd year as
an RPG Superstar judge. Before Paizo I worked at Upper Deck on various
card games, at Interplay on D&D video games, at Wizards of the Coast as a
D&D/FR/Greyhawk designer, and at TSR as the online coordinator. Part of
my job at Paizo is dealing with freelancers, including the winners of RPG
Superstar--in fact, I developed his Superstar adventure, Realm of the
Fellnight Queen, which was most excellent. :)
Sean K Reynolds 2:03 AM 12/09/11
his = Neil's :)
Jodi 2:04 AM 12/09/11
http://paizo.com/rpgsuperstar For anyone who wants a refresher on the
rules of RPG Superstar.
Sean K Reynolds 2:05 AM 12/09/11
Jodi this chat is logged, right?
Jodi 2:05 AM 12/09/11
Yes, we will post a transcript of the chat later. When I get around to
it.
Neil Spicer 2:06 AM 12/09/11
Cool. We had some people mention they couldn't make the chat on the Paizo
messageboards and they asked for a transcript so they could catch up on
what they missed.
Clint Black 2:07 AM 12/09/11
So, Sean did you judge the year Neil won or was that the year prior to
your judging?
Sean K Reynolds 2:07 AM 12/09/11
That was my first year!
Sean K Reynolds 2:08 AM 12/09/11
Quite a crazy challenge, it's a lot of work, but I love the game and love
to see the process of people getting better over the course of the
competition.
Jodi 2:08 AM 12/09/11
Well, Sean, tell us what made Neil's submission a winner. Neil, what was
the hardest part for you?
Dawson Berry 2:09 AM 12/09/11
Sean, Neil, are there any items that just make you roll eyes and sigh? If
so which, and how do we avoid such a reaction?
Sean K Reynolds 2:09 AM 12/09/11
Whoa, that's two very diff questions.
Dawson Berry 2:10 AM 12/09/11
So get typing! ;-p
Sean K Reynolds 2:10 AM 12/09/11
Neil's item had just the right mix of flava and mechanics that made it
stand out for being clever, efficient, and smart.
Neil Spicer 2:10 AM 12/09/11
The hardest part, honestly, was outlasting my fellow competitors and
getting to the end just so I could take my shot. When I made the Top 4, I
think I was probably seen as a bit of a dark horse. I was lagging a bit
behind some of the other guys in those final couple of rounds. So, I
really didn't feel a whole lot of pressure in that last round while
pitching my adventure proposal. It all just sort of came together as
something inspired by the fairy tales my children enjoyed...only turned
up a notch for Pathfinder play, of course.
Sean K Reynolds 2:11 AM 12/09/11
Neil also likes to make it hard for himself, then rise to the challenge.
I think I described his work in the later rounds as "guy running a race
with a backpack full of rocks... he's not in the lead, but he's somehow
keeping up, and that's really impressive."
Neil Spicer 2:11 AM 12/09/11
As for my item submission, yeah...that was a bit more of a nailbiter. The
hardest part was second-guessing yourself. Does it have enough appeal? Is
it mechanically right? Does the descriptive text flow well? Is it priced
correctly? Will someone else do something similar or better?
Sean K Reynolds 2:13 AM 12/09/11
Dawson, last year I wrote 27 "auto-reject" categories for items. About
half of those are eye-rollers that make me disappointed in humanity. Like
joke items, items with in-character text quotes, items based on toys,
items that are just a variant of an existing item (ioun stones and
figurines of wondrous power are common in that category), and so on.
Things that make me want to throttle people. :)
Sean K Reynolds 2:13 AM 12/09/11
Here's an update of that list, btw:
http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz4uu2?Seans-consolidated-advice-thread
Jodi 2:13 AM 12/09/11
Good to know, Sean. thanks for the link!
Neil Spicer 2:13 AM 12/09/11
It's true that I intentionally made things hard on myself. That's because
I wanted to take the toughest elements of any challenge round and try to
impress both the judges and Paizo...as well as the voters, of course. But
I wanted to catch Paizo's eye regardless of how the voting shook out.
And, that added pressure helped me turn out stuff that just happened to
appeal to the voters, too. So it was a win-win.
Herremann 2:13 AM 12/09/11
The whole idea of this competition is to write cool stuff for Paizo. What
attributes and attitudes are you looking for from these future writers?
Clint Black 2:14 AM 12/09/11
I admit Neil, I was impressed that your initial item and your final
adventure were kind of thematically linked. Genius or Brilliance? ;)
Sean K Reynolds 2:14 AM 12/09/11
I want to see creativity, rules knowledge, and a sense of what is fun and
cool to add to the game. We can teach grammar, punctuation, and math, but
it's really hard to teach someone to recognize an awesome untapped part
of the design-space and make something that really pops.
Sean K Reynolds 2:15 AM 12/09/11
That's why rule 27 is there: a really awesome item will make us overlook
other flaws and say, "I MUST see what else this person can do, because I
think they GET IT."
Neil Spicer 2:15 AM 12/09/11
I wanted to bring it full circle. The middle parts of the competition had
taken me far enough away from the fey and the nature-themed stuff that I
felt comfortable exploring it again. The contest stretches out over
several weeks. So, it was time to close the circle and do something
awesome that also reminded people of the whole reason I'd made it into
the competition...i.e., the strength of that wondrous item.
Neil Spicer 2:17 AM 12/09/11
One other attribute that I think is really important to look for (and
it's hard to measure in a 300-word item submission) is that someone's in
the game to win it for the express purpose of giving a freelance career a
go. Nothing disappoints me more to find that people entered on a lark and
maybe took a spot from someone else who would have been far more
dedicated had they had a chance and won in their place.
Christina Stiles 2:17 AM 12/09/11
People do that, Neil? I would have thought only the serious got involved
in the contest
Sean K Reynolds 2:18 AM 12/09/11
Yep, what Neil said--some people plan for this all year, and some person
with a lot of talent but no staying power may take their Top 32 spot. :(
Neil Spicer 2:18 AM 12/09/11
Oh, there've been people who admitted exactly that. Thankfully, I don't
believe many of them have made it into the Top 32. But folks have
mentioned after they've been rejected that "oh, well, I didn't really
want to win anyway...wouldn't have had the time...whatever..."
Sean K Reynolds 2:19 AM 12/09/11
It's a bit more of a time investment than buying a lottery ticket. :)
Dawson Berry 2:19 AM 12/09/11
Sean or Neil, Do you think that some people may have missed out because
the rounds did not play to their strengths? For example, I entered last
year but was honestly dreading if I made the cut because, I had no idea
of what to do for an archetype.
Christina Stiles 2:19 AM 12/09/11
How did you deal with the ramping up of the competition for the long run,
Neil?
Sean K Reynolds 2:20 AM 12/09/11
Dawson: yeah, the competition is a little odd in that it's trying to suss
out several aspects of game design, and not everyone is good at all of
them. That's partly why we vary the challenges from year to year--if you
didn't do well in archetypes last year, you may perform strongly in
organizations this year.
Caias Ward 2:21 AM 12/09/11
Sean, Neil: right to assume that the process of the contest is to not
only measure writing ability but also workmanship skills (ie able to keep
up a certain work pace)? What I like to call The Forbeck Factor :)
Neil Spicer 2:21 AM 12/09/11
Ramping up for the competition is a big element to consider as soon as
you find out you made the Top 32. You HAVE to plan for the longhaul. Not
so much anticipating what each round will bring...but just being light on
your feet and ready to roll with the punches. I took some vacation time
from work in some rounds so I'd have all day to work on my next
submission. Small things like that help. Really, whatever fits your
process.
Sean K Reynolds 2:21 AM 12/09/11
And we've gotten better about selecting our top finalists for other work.
Several of the Top 8 are now frequent freelancers, like Dennis Baker, Ben
Bruck, and Jim Groves.
Sean K Reynolds 2:21 AM 12/09/11
Oh to add to what to Neil said...
Russ Taylor 2:22 AM 12/09/11
Dennis Baker was top 16 at that, so the brass ring's within your reach
Sean K Reynolds 2:22 AM 12/09/11
The competition parallels life as a freelancer in a way. As a pro
freelancer, you're not just thinking about your current project, or the
next project, but also about the NEXT next project. Forward-thinking is a
very helpful skill.
Marie Small 2:22 AM 12/09/11
Sean or Neil: I made Top 32 last year, and I find myself second guessing
what I've got this year. Any advice on how to quiet the voices in your
head and telling the difference between nerves and real flags? Thanks,
btw for the experience. :D
Jim Groves 2:23 AM 12/09/11
I don't want to comment to self-promote, but I think you have to prepare
yourself emotionally not to make the Top 32, but you also have to prepare
for *IF* you do make. A lot of pacing the floor. Hard work. And life
doesn't stop. One Round I had a dental crisis, but the contest goes on
(and I squeaked by). If you make it in, you need to take care of
yourself. You need to plan for the possibility of success.
Neil Spicer 2:23 AM 12/09/11
I like how James Jacobs (Creative Director for Paizo) described it once.
They really sort of internally rate/measure what their freelancers are
best out. Some are awesome storytellers. Some have awesome rules-fu. Some
have great mapmaking skills or are great world builders. Some are just
really good at making monsters. An RPG Superstar is going to be tested on
elements of all those things over teh course of the competition. Those
who excel at most of them, live to compete another round. But you HAVE to
appeal to the voters and know what moves the meter with them. That means,
sometimes you can take risks and push the envelope. Just be careful you
don't get burned.
Sean K Reynolds 2:24 AM 12/09/11
There's been a lot of talk on the boards about being a new writer, and it
comes down to this: all great writers started as crappy writers, writing
a lot of junk in their early years. Keep writing, keep practicing, keep
working on the parts you know aren't up to par. I've suggested working on
several items over the month, polishing them, and selecting your favorite
toward the end of the submission period. You don't HAVE to submit right
away... something 1 day before the deadline has just as good a chance as
something in on day 1.
Neil Spicer 2:25 AM 12/09/11
With regards to testing you for the pacing of freelancing, this
competition very much does that. The turnaround times from round to round
are very short. That's why I took vacation days from work to make sure I
had enough time. My process is a little slower than most. And I'm a
perfectionist, so I tend to need more time than some. Real freelancing is
a lot like the trauma the contest simulates.
Sean K Reynolds 2:25 AM 12/09/11
In other words, we don't run out of Top 32 slots as time goes by... we
make a list of ones we like and sort them down to 32 once the submission
period is closed. So... find what you're good at, and take that leap. :)
Christina Stiles 2:25 AM 12/09/11
That sounds like the truth, Sean +1
Dawson Berry 2:25 AM 12/09/11
Last year there were trends of items. One being changing lighting
conditions. Any expectations of trends this year based on what Paizo has
published so far?
Sean K Reynolds 2:26 AM 12/09/11
So, Marie, just work on what you have. If you're nervous about it, that's
okay... I still get nervous about parts of stuff I write, and I've been
doing this professionally for 10+ years. :)
Neil Spicer 2:26 AM 12/09/11
@Marie - My advice is to quiet those voices by finding the item you love
the most. Not so much that you're blinded by it. But rather, the one that
just keeps coming back in your mind. Take that idea that you're
passionate about and make it the best that you can according to all the
design-fu and creativity you can muster. And be awesome with it. That's
what the judges pick up on when we're assessing items in the judging
chambers.
Sean K Reynolds 2:26 AM 12/09/11
Dawson, I suspect the ninja, magus, and samurai may influence items this
year, as they're the newest classes/alternate classes/big archetypes.
Marie Small 2:27 AM 12/09/11
That's good to know, Sean. Especially the part about it not going away.
;)
Sean K Reynolds 2:28 AM 12/09/11
Marie, I think when that nervousness goes away, you've turned into an
arrogant jerk. Now, while I like to PRETEND to be arrogant now and then,
I'm not really. Others' opinions may vary, of course.... :)
Neil Spicer 2:29 AM 12/09/11
@Dawson - The judges have often said that innovation is appealing to
them. One of the best ways to be innovative is to look at some of the new
classes, rules, magic, etc. that can be drawn upon. It's easier to carve
out a new, innovative niche with those things, because very little is out
there in the wondrous item category that makes use of those things yet.
And, if someone can do something creative in that space, we often
recognize that's smart design, because the author recognized an
underutilized space and created something especially for it.
Sean K Reynolds 2:29 AM 12/09/11
Dawson, a new rule element tends to draw attention for superstar. For my
first year as judge, it was the year of the Beta, and people were crazy
about sorcerer bloodline powers, and we saw several items about those.
Not that that's a bad thing--recognizing "there is a new space to
explore" is a good talent.
Sean K Reynolds 2:29 AM 12/09/11
Neil and I are mindlinked tonight, it seems. :)
Neil Spicer 2:30 AM 12/09/11
I've been mindlinked to you far longer than you realize. I studied your
freelancing do's and don'ts long before submitting for Paizo's RPG
Superstar.
Guest Hugo 2:30 AM 12/09/11
So what is the take on a wonderous item that also has non-magical natural
effects?
Sean K Reynolds 2:31 AM 12/09/11
Hmm. Well, not to prod you for examples that would identify and
disqualify you...
Neil Spicer 2:31 AM 12/09/11
And I guess that's an important thing to mention, too. I wanted to get
into freelancing anyway I could. I did some freelancing prior to
competing in RPG Superstar, just nothing "heavy" enough to disqualify me.
But by educating myself on a lot of what publishers look for, it prepared
me for the gauntlet that is RPG Superstar. I think it made a big
difference.
Sean K Reynolds 2:31 AM 12/09/11
... R1 is about a wondrous item. If aspects of your item aren't from
being a magic item, it's sort of distracting you from the point of making
a wondrous item. If there's stuff you can't do with Craft Wondrous Item,
I'm not sure it belongs in the competition.
Sean K Reynolds 2:32 AM 12/09/11
thanks, Greg. I may come off as a jerk online, but in person, I really,
really, like talking to fellow gamers. :)
Neil Spicer 2:32 AM 12/09/11
I agree with Sean. You may be exploring an idea for a new alchemical item
(which isn't a wondrous item) or a new piece of equipment, etc.
Russ Taylor 2:33 AM 12/09/11
Has anyone mentioned what a huge, generous word limit you guys get for
your magic items? :)
Neil Spicer 2:33 AM 12/09/11
lol
Neil Spicer 2:33 AM 12/09/11
True, Russ. In my day...we had to walk through snow both ways. And we
only got 200 words.
Marie Small 2:33 AM 12/09/11
That 300 word limit helps verbose people like me. ;)
Sean K Reynolds 2:34 AM 12/09/11
That's part of the test. If you can create a really cool item in 200, and
you resist the temptation to pad it out to 300 words, that's a smart
designer.
Sean K Reynolds 2:34 AM 12/09/11
But if you NEED those 300 words, that's okay, too. :)
Caias Ward 2:34 AM 12/09/11
Brevity is the soul of wit. Besides, your editors complain if you get
paid by the word and try to cheat out a few extra few cents. :)
Clint Black 2:34 AM 12/09/11
Succinct writing is one of the biggest challenges.
Sean K Reynolds 2:35 AM 12/09/11
Unfortunately, many of us grew up on Gygax's flowery language and like to
make big, convoluted sentences. Write tightly. :)
Russ Taylor 2:35 AM 12/09/11
300's a really long item in a book. About half the page if there's art on
it. So even if it was in a book, it'd need to be loaded with the awesome
to make the cut
Sean K Reynolds 2:36 AM 12/09/11
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his style, but if you're writing a magic item
that you'll have to skim in the middle of battle, tighter prose is more
helpful to the player and GM.
Neil Spicer 2:36 AM 12/09/11
No matter what word limit you're given, you'll always use it up. The
trick is to define a smaller limit and hold yourself to that to ensure
you don't go over. Then, when refining the item, if you feel you need to
widen the explanation of something, you've got the extra words to play
around with without having to make excruciating cuts first.
Jack Mann 2:36 AM 12/09/11
I like to write out /everything/ on a concept first, and then figure out
what the reader actually needs to know.
Jodi 2:36 AM 12/09/11
On the other hand, editors like me have trouble reading your mind at
times: "What were they trying to say here?" So more description can be
better sometimes. Far easier to chop words than read minds. So explain
yourself completely.
Christina Stiles 2:37 AM 12/09/11
Jack, sounds like great for pre-writing...but shouldn't be the final
Marie Small 2:37 AM 12/09/11
I was a late intro to Mr Gygax. I read a bunch of fantasy by Anne
McCafferey and Andre Norton. I think in adjectives. ;) I'm trying, and
getting better, though.
Neil Spicer 2:37 AM 12/09/11
300 words is a useful limit, because that's generally the size of a
sidebar in a typical Paizo layout.
Jack Mann 2:37 AM 12/09/11
Like I said, figure out what the reader /needs/.
Sean K Reynolds 2:38 AM 12/09/11
Yes, don't cut just for the sake of cutting. But if an item's power is
"Once per day on command you can use it to cast death knell," don't say
"As a standard action, once per day, the bearer can speak a command word
and have the item create an effect identical to death knell." Same
content, tighter writing.
Sean K Reynolds 2:38 AM 12/09/11
Writing the Beginner Box gave me a whole new perspective on writing
short, concise sentences.
Ben McFarland 2:39 AM 12/09/11
you don't find clarifying whether the item provokes or not to be useful
in the description?
Neil Spicer 2:39 AM 12/09/11
Generally items do. If it doesn't, that's when you need to clarify it.
Sean K Reynolds 2:39 AM 12/09/11
Many times, the rules for that are built into the general magic item
rules, so stating them is redundant.
Dawson Berry 2:39 AM 12/09/11
Beginner's Box=Love. Any plan to add more characters? I know the
Barbarian is up.
Sean K Reynolds 2:40 AM 12/09/11
BBox = love for me, too. :) We are going to add some supplemental
material about using regular PF material, but the other classes are weird
enough that we'd really have to gut them to make them work in a BBox
format from level 1?5. But I don't want to digress about the BBox in this
chat. :)
Jim Groves 2:41 AM 12/09/11
Sean, you can't do this (because you wouldn't get enough variety in the
entries), but it's a shame you can't have them write magic rods,
according to your recent guidelines (i.e. something not easily
reproducible with a spell, be creative, be crazy). That would be fun. :)
Greg Kerner 2:42 AM 12/09/11
@Sean Will you ever go back and write Fewer Absolultes Part3?
Sean K Reynolds 2:44 AM 12/09/11
Jim, I personally think the rod category isn't needed. "We don't have a
spell that does this" could be applied to many wondrous items in the Core
Rulebook. There's no reason a rod item couldn't be a wondrous item
(likewise, rings as a separate category could go away, too).
Dawson Berry 2:45 AM 12/09/11
Sean/Neil. Do you see more items come in early, middle, or on the wire of
the deadline? Do you think it makes a difference?
Sean K Reynolds 2:45 AM 12/09/11
@Greg wow, haven't thought about that in a while. Maybe. I think I wrote
that after I left WotC, so it was a pie-in-the-sky sort of thing.
Nowadays, that sort of rules-tinkering would probably end up in an actual
book. :)
Pedro Coelho 2:46 AM 12/09/11
Sean/Neil, I have a question regarding grammatical gender. Some items in
the core rulebook use the male person to refer to the wearer/bearer/user,
while others use the female person. Is there a rule for this?
Sean K Reynolds 2:46 AM 12/09/11
Dawson, it's weird because there's a holiday in the middle. I think in
general, it starts off a little slow, then becomes steady for most of the
time period, a slight gap at Christmas, then steady, with a rush right
before the deadline. :)
Neil Spicer 2:46 AM 12/09/11
@Dawson - There's usually a rush in the beginning, steady throughout the
middle, and then another rush at the end. It all just depends on who's
been working over the entire summer and ready to go right from the start
vs. those who either procrastinated or worried over their submission all
the way up to the deadline. Either way, it doesn't make a difference to
us.
Sean K Reynolds 2:47 AM 12/09/11
Pedro, we try to balance use of gender pronouns equally. So pick one that
you prefer. However, if referring specifically to a class, it's best to
go with the gender of the iconic character shown in the Core Rulebook. So
if your item is for rogues, use "she." (Personally, I'd like to see a
trend toward using "you," like we do in spells and feats... the current
style is a holdover from 3.5.)
Jim Groves 2:47 AM 12/09/11
@Sean, the spirit of "come up with something that you can't reproduce
with a spell very easily." I'm just clarifying that I wouldn't want to
judge a thousand rods either. :) But I think striving to avoid
something that can be derived from a spell easily is a good idea. And I
really enjoyed writing some rods, because of the attitude you encouraged
to take in doing it.
Greg Kerner 2:47 AM 12/09/11
And Fewer Absolutes is still the basis for some of my 3e house rules.
Neil Spicer 2:48 AM 12/09/11
@Pedro - The genders correspond to the iconic character who might be
using a particular item. Say it's an item that's clearly for clerics.
It'll say "she" or "her" because Kyra is the iconic cleric for Pathfinder
and she's female.
Sean K Reynolds 2:48 AM 12/09/11
Jim, gotcha. Yeah, that spirit would hopefully result in fewer "spell in
a can" items. :)
Christina Stiles 2:48 AM 12/09/11
Where do we find this Fewer Absolutes?
Sean K Reynolds 2:49 AM 12/09/11
Fewer Absolutes is two articles I wrote on my website:
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/misc.html
Greg Kerner 2:49 AM 12/09/11
http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/misc/variantfewerabsolutes1.html
Greg Kerner 2:49 AM 12/09/11
oops. sean beat me to the enter key
Sean K Reynolds 2:49 AM 12/09/11
Talks about how absolute values in the game (like "you can't be critted"
or "you are immune to fire") are kinda poopy in game design.
Wild Gazebo 2:50 AM 12/09/11
I get stuck sometimes when I?m playing with new ideas for items. I enjoy
conflict and tension?and the idea that you trade power with the potential
of destruction: but get suckered into the grind of damage/hardness/hp.
Now I enjoy that type of documentation because I think it breeds a type
of calculated risk for the players and GM alike; but, from a design
standpoint it is clunky. It would be far better to just have percentage
failures or destructions to eliminate the tallying and metrics of that
type of item.
Is there room for these types of inelegant constructs in a competition
such as this?
Tommy Brownell 2:50 AM 12/09/11
I gotta say, I always preferred items that had "unique effects" and
didn't just "cast x spell at x level".
Sean K Reynolds 2:52 AM 12/09/11
Wild, if the Core Rules supported a system for that, it would be fine to
include in your item, but designing a subsystem just for your item is
beyond the scope of the competition. However, something like the oldschool,
"each time you use this, there's a 1% chance it's destroyed" has
a certain appeal... but also may affect your item pricing. :)
Greg Kerner 2:53 AM 12/09/11
For those two things, it does not bother me so much depending upon the
circumstances- the god of fire being immune to fire. However, in
general, I agree.
Sean K Reynolds 2:53 AM 12/09/11
Yes, the god of fire should be immune to fire. But should the fire giant
be immune to fire, so the god of fire can't burn him? That's sort of
thing. ;)
Sean K Reynolds 2:54 AM 12/09/11
Oh, I thought it would be funny to characterize all four judges as PF
character classes. Lemme paste those in here....
Neil Spicer 2:54 AM 12/09/11
Oh, great. This should be good...
Sean K Reynolds 2:54 AM 12/09/11
Ryan is the bard of RPG Superstar judges. He wants to see an exciting
performance and doesn't want things to be dull. He'd rather see someone
swing for the fences and make something epic and exciting than have a
solid item that's dull or even average.
Sean K Reynolds 2:55 AM 12/09/11
Clark is the paladin. He wants to find the best in everyone's item, he's
showing off that shiny aura of courage to get everyone enthusiastic about
the competition, but quite ready to smite any item that disregards the
holy purpose of the competition--including something submitted only as a
joke or to waste the judges' time.
Sean K Reynolds 2:55 AM 12/09/11
Neil is the wizard. He'll scrutinize every item and write a lengthy
scroll about its pros and cons. Given time, he can prepare an appropriate
response to any competitor's submission, question, or argument, and back
it up with references to one of his many spellbooks.
Sean K Reynolds 2:55 AM 12/09/11
I'm the inquisitor. It's my job to find and eliminate problems, and by
doing so, I protect the nature of the contest. I preach a lot of advice
on how not to make mistakes, and get grumpy when people insist on making
those mistakes anyway. Like the wizard, I have a lot of knowledge and
access to a lot of books... but inquisitors aren't as forgiving as
wizards are when it comes to errors.
Sean K Reynolds 2:55 AM 12/09/11
Yes, I'm a big gamer nerd. :p
Brian Cortijo 2:56 AM 12/09/11
Ooh, I have a question: Has there ever been any thought to having RPG
Superstar wondrous item entries include math for the pricing? I know it
might cut the cool-factor a bit, but I think it might help voters (and
judges, and future participants) to get a peek under the hood...
Clint Black 2:56 AM 12/09/11
When I see Neil from now on, I will yell, "Wiz-ZARD!"
Neil Spicer 2:56 AM 12/09/11
Wizard shot the food. :(
Christina Stiles 2:56 AM 12/09/11
But we never see, Neil, Clint :)
Neil Spicer 2:56 AM 12/09/11
That's because I cast invisibility, Christina. ;)
Neil Spicer 2:57 AM 12/09/11
No one can "see" the wizard.
Neil Spicer 2:57 AM 12/09/11
Unless you follow the yellow brick road (to a gaming convention).
Sean K Reynolds 2:57 AM 12/09/11
Brian, good question. I like seeing that in actual freelance turnovers.
For Superstar, hmm... it may be useful. But it would probably mean we'd
have to add word count to the round so people could add that info.
Sean K Reynolds 2:58 AM 12/09/11
And last questions to round out the hour?
Dawson Berry 2:58 AM 12/09/11
It's a good point Brian. I think that making something as unique as the
judges want, often requires thinking outside the pricing scale given in
the book.
Herremann 2:58 AM 12/09/11
Organizations seems a really cool idea for round 2; can you say anything
further? I think that top 32 win a copy of the Inner Sea World Guide, is
that the best early clue we're going to get?
BTW, we're not closing the chat, so if you need to go, thanks for joining
us. But as long as any one of the RPG Superstar judges will type, you
can stay and ask questions!
Sean K Reynolds 2:59 AM 12/09/11
Herremann, we'll reveal more details about the Orgs round when we figure
it out OOPS I MEAN when R1 submissions are closed. :)
Sean K Reynolds 2:59 AM 12/09/11
And it's a safe bet that the orgs would be for Golarion. :)
Neil Spicer 3:01 AM 12/09/11
We're going to hang out a bit longer and see what else folks might want
to ask about the competition. Should give Ryan a chance to offer his
insights a bit, too.
Ryan Dancey 3:02 AM 12/09/11
I agree with Neil
Russ Taylor 3:02 AM 12/09/11
Sean K Reynolds: rationalizing pricing is SUCH A PAIN in a turnover
Sean K Reynolds 3:02 AM 12/09/11
Jodi, thanks for the invite, and Neil, thanks for suggesting we fill this
slot with Superstar talk. :)
Sean K Reynolds 3:02 AM 12/09/11
gnight, have fun, and be safe! and listen to what Ryan says... we may not
always agree, but he is a very smart man. :)
Brian Cortijo 3:03 AM 12/09/11
@Russ: It can be a pain, but I think it's also an important step for nonstandard
items.
Sean K Reynolds 3:03 AM 12/09/11
Ask him to tell you the diff between Coke marketing and Pepsi marketing,
BTW.
Neil Spicer 3:03 AM 12/09/11
@Ryan - You've got to start establishing your own opinions. ;)
Paul Klotz 3:05 AM 12/09/11
Neil, how did you research what area was under explored and/or how did
you arrive at your round one submission?
Neil Spicer 3:08 AM 12/09/11
@Paul - My round one submission was just something that came to me while
watching a variety of films. The Chronicles of Narnia with Prince Caspian
had this scene with a swirling bunch of flower petals that formed a
humanoid figure that spoke with some of the characters. That got me to
imagining a bunch of leaves doing something similar in a Pathfinder game.
I'd also been watching a variety of Disney movies with my kids and ideas
kept coming together for it. I"ve also been a fan of dryads for a long
time and thought it might be cool to weave it into that. And basically, I
just kept adding elements for explaining why a dryad druid/sorcerer might
have created these magic leaves...i.e., for what purpose. And it grew
from there.
Paul Klotz 3:10 AM 12/09/11
Neil, that is a relief to see, as I draw a great deal of inspiration from
film and art, often without even realizing it. Thanks for the lengthy
response :)
Aaron Webber 3:10 AM 12/09/11
I have a question. Sorry I'm coming in late, funny enough I was just
watching Chronicles of Narnia ... but what other ways would you suggest
for someone to get into RPG design either as a freelancer or working in a
company? Other than things like Superstar.
Pedro Coelho 3:11 AM 12/09/11
@Sean RPG Superstar attracts contestants from all over the world. Aside
from the language barrier, what are the main difficulties of working with
freelancers outside USA, if any?
mattgoodall 3:11 AM 12/09/11
PFS society open submission is another way.
Russ Taylor 3:11 AM 12/09/11
Aaron Webber: Participate in an Open Design project. Submit pitches to
Kobold Quarterly. Inquire with Supergenius or Rite Publishing if they're
looking for writers.
Ryan Dancey 3:12 AM 12/09/11
@Aaron - id do a lot of web writing to build a resume & portolio
Russ Taylor 3:12 AM 12/09/11
Oh, and write for Wayfinder! :)
Russ Taylor 3:12 AM 12/09/11
Write a character class or archetype guide on the Paizo boards
Pedro Coelho 3:12 AM 12/09/11
oops, Sean has already left.
Jodi 3:13 AM 12/09/11
@Pedro - I work with international folks a lot, and I recommend you get a
gamer person in the US if at all possible to read your submission before
you post it.
Neil Spicer 3:13 AM 12/09/11
@Aaron - The approach I took was to research all the game companies I
wanted to write for...visit their websites...learn their submission
guidelines...hang out on their messageboards...pitch in where you can
with wise, intelligent input...submit for any open calls...and so on.
Paizo has open calls running for Pathfinder Society still. So RPG
Superstar isn't even the only way to write for them. And there are other
3rd party publishers out there open to freelancers as well.
Jim Groves 3:13 AM 12/09/11
Someone mentioned KQ, don't forget the KQ website... That can be a
stepping stone up to the magazine as well
Russ Taylor 3:14 AM 12/09/11
If you have an online presence, consider using your real name instead of
a nickname. It helps when the people you're submitting to recognize your
name from the community, assuming you're a positive influence there.
Russ Taylor 3:15 AM 12/09/11
Write in-depth reviews of products and post them to company websites and
amazon. Be sure to not just nitpick if you go that route :)
... at this point, thethread wound up with talk of gencon, babies and goodbyes - hope you found it an interesting and useful read.
