Herremann the Wise's page

I can imagine several different archetypes for Ranger that would nail the brief so perhaps it is not so clear-cut - the top 3 archetypes could all be rangers perhaps? I'm really hoping to see if one of the contestants has taken a risk with an Outsea-based archetype. I'm looking forward to seeing who has taken a risk in general and who has played it safe.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Vomit in the bed and through a 3 year old's long hair at 2:00am and then again at 3:30am in the morning is not fun! [Washing hair and changing bed stuff and then still smelling it is the worst so I completely sympathize]. And your poor cat - I'm very sorry. :(
And then your future bank account depletion. :(

However, allow me to hopefully cheer you up. I reckon your efforts would not have gone unnoticed by Paizo staff as well as other 3PPs and I think they'd be crazy not to throw something your way. And further, there are lots of regulars here who would have something in common. When thinking about Anthony Adam, the image of that avatar would come immediately to our minds as well as a smile, thinking of the fantastic work you did that the top 32 are most likely utilizing. Hopefully a mountain of good will your way counts for something. :)

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

My favorite was the birdcage of masterwork knives. I don't remember the name.

I think that was the Roost of Razors and that was certainly in my top 32 along with the Candle of Distant Assurance. Both of those were strong keeps for me.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

You know what is truly evil? Reading your posts and knowing which of you made it and which of you didn't. Hehehehe.

My routine for the last two years has been to look at my inbox, wait patiently until 5 past the hour, drop the head slightly, then go look at the Top 32. You can start laughing now Clark.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

...And, though I know Paizo will never release which items got passed over, I can't help but be curious which ones floated to the top that still got an instant-veto from the judges. (Please not me, please not me... :P)

If it was my item, I'd obviously be disappointed but at the same time, I'd love to read the feedback why it got rejected by the judges. I think it would be a fantastic opportunity for learning; even though "my" item was a success in the public voting, "this" is why the judges looking at it with an experienced eye rejected it. That would be a very valuable design lesson for the public. If the Critique My Item sub-forum gets up and running, hopefully the judges might pop their heads into a thread or two for such feedback.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Anthony Adam wrote:

Jerrycnh wrote:

I hope they show you your entry at the end, because I've pretty much forgotten it.

You only see the top 32 once revealed. You should keep a copy of all your own work, that way if you don't make top 32, you can post for feedback in the open discussions that follow the reveal. Plus it is part of your portfolio which may be needed to show what you can do elsewhere.

He could be in the same boat as me and just not have access to where he saved it at the moment. I saved all my RPGSS work and then forgot to Dropbox it to myself before I left for vacation. Unless someone saved it, I won't be able to post for feedback either. I hope someone did.

I copy/pasted each item I saw into reject and keep word docs (I think I saw all but about 50 or so items based upon what a couple of posters are predicting). Once the top 32 have been revealed, PM the name and I'll PM it back to you if I've got it. Of course even better is if you make top 32, then Paizo will do this publically for you instead. Best of luck; hope for you it is the latter.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Having an item be useful for multiple classes as well as the villains is a good box to tick among a variety of Superstar boxes. It's certainly a cool feature for an item to have.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I think the biggest thing for me is that all the advice I have read and heard from the judges has been put into context. I see exactly what they mean.

The hardest thing for me though is the waiting; not only to see how many of the regular posters here make top 32, but to discuss some of the items that were so good, or others that could have been brilliant if only they had included this or more likely not included that.

So much fun ahead whether I make it in or not.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I've seen a lot of items with hyperlinks and it had no impact on how I voted. If two items were exceptionally close in quality, I'd prefer to tiebreak them on which one had the better name or which one was more original rather than which one did or did not include hyperlinks.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

DarkLightHitomi wrote:

I can't buy, though I would if I could, at least if I made top 32. Right now I'm hoping my half a tank of gas will last the next 8 days when I get my paycheck because I have nothing, not even a dollar to buy more gas, so when I say can't, I mean it.

Thanks for the wiki link! :)

Wow, ninja'd. Thanks Sean!

DarkLightHitomi, a copy of the pdf should be sitting in your downloads by now. Enjoy.

Now that was special. I hope you both make top 32 and he nails his archetype. All class!

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I'd be interested in how many times the no. 1 item has been voted for and voted against. Stuff like that would be pretty cool to find out.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I thought (keeping it general so as not to identify particular entries) that it would be interesting to post a thread focusing on things we're seeing in the better items that we wish some of the others entries could have done. I think most of this stuff is going to be equally important in the latter rounds as well.

Name
This element is so crucial and it relates to what the item actually is. Lanterns, boots, quills, cloaks and gloves are all OK but when you see so many, it makes it so difficult to make your pair of boots stand out. Unusual items become much more identifiable and this is something that most of the better items have in common. As for the name, alliteration works well most of the time. However, some of the better item names also use good connotative words while also telling me what the item is and cluing me in as to what it does.

Mojo/Wow Factor/Superstar
Most of the best items have a trick or a "thing" that makes them cool and memorable. However, what makes the very best items stand out from the ones that have a neat idea but not much else is that the better items are a more cohesive, unified whole. All aspects of these better items work together towards a single purpose. Rather than a suite of abilities, these items do one thing and do it really well. They don't need the support or padding of extra tidbits of stuff. They don't need the extra line giving you a bonus to "this" or a free "that". They are living or dying by their one cool thing. They are focusing on selling their cool idea and only their cool idea; rather than diluting it with stuff that is not directly related.

Active Voice
This has been said numerous times before but not many entries have taken note of the advice: please use the active voice with your writing, only use the passive when you have good reason to. Have you noticed that some entries are more engaging to read and not just because they are paragraphed instead of a wall of text? Giving your writing access to the complete world of verbs boosts your descriptions, and tightens your writing. Most of the best entries focus on using the active voice. The lesser entries suffer from bloated writing with less clarity, with their designers using the passive voice almost exclusively.

And so what things are you observing that the better items are doing?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I've seen 15 three-hundred word items: 13 in my reject file and 2 in my keep.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I'm now at 594 items in my reject file and 80 in my keep file with this including all items seen pre and post cull. I'm currently getting an unseen item roughly once every 10 to 15 pairs and I've seen my own item twice up to this point.

By the way, cheers to CHEERS; you're the first I've seen with the "Champion Voter" tag. Darn impressive!

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Now that we have that one settled... ;-)

...here's a thornier one to debate. When archetypes were initially introduced in the APG, they all included a statement at the end of the introductory copy that read:

"A [insert archetype name here] has the following class features."

The statement also appeared in Inner Sea Magic, but not in Ultimate Magic, the Inner Sea Primer, Ultimate Combat, or the Dragon Empires Primer. Then lo and behold, it reappears in all of the archetypes introduced in the Advanced Race Guide.

This one I am tempted to leave out because I find it to be redundant with the way we are required to write up abilities. But, I am conflicted. What to do?

In terms of voting, I think there are quite a few things that will have a dramatically greater impact on whether you go from the top 32 to the top 16. In terms of dotting the i's and crossing the t's, including it while still prioritizing the rest shows good form. Aim to include it; delete it if it's pushing out more necessary content.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I'm getting a little tired of seeing bold tags on the item's title.

Quote:

bracket-B-bracket Filigreed Shadow Lantern of Safely Resting bracket-slash-B-bracket is better

I don't down-vote for it, though.

I can imagine someone: carefully and painstakingly crafting their item in word, pasting it and previewing, going back to word and editing, sitting on it over night, doing further edits, copy/paste into the preview, doing some final formatting and then... putting it back into word for one last time. Then they do a final copy/paste and submit without previewing... not realising they didn't highlight when copying the initial bracket "[" throwing their bb code out. Unfortunately, they only realise the mistake after they have voted a few hundred times and they see their item in all it's glory for the first time... in absolute shock at their "dumb" mistake.

I think that realization is easily punishment enough for the designer and so I don't automatically down-vote it either. I'm really looking at the idea behind the item and the design decisions made; such considerations easily outweigh any format issues. Formatting is easily fixed, poor design decisions somewhat less so.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

It's a shame when you come across those items: you're smiling as you go to copy it into your keep folder only to read something near the end that makes you uncertain - but then you still think, "but the idea's still cool enough to make my keep folder". And then you realise some logical discrepancy that forces you to paste it to the reject pile.

All these items need are an edit; for the designer to surface for air long enough to realise what parts they could easily improve. I suppose this is the classic litmus test of whether a designer is ready for the competition. Good designers can repeatedly come up with good ideas; but it is the capacity to hone these ideas and present them to their sharpest design that separates the few from the many.

So many items could have been polished into the keep folder and even the top 32.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

I have a reject word doc and a keep word doc open. I currently have 392 items in the reject folder and 44 in my keep folder. I've been at about the 10% mark for the voting thus far with my criteria being fairly loose; looking to pare it down at the end of voting. I'm looking forward to posting my top 32 in order and seeing how it compares with everyone else.

Of interest (I'm voting from Sydney, Australia by the way) is that at night when I'd say the voting is at it's quietest worldwide, I regularly get to see new items. During the morning when voting worldwide is at it's heaviest, I'm seeing the same items repeatedly (and generally of lower standard too). I'm blaming the silly "neither" button which to me defeats the purpose of this contest. If someone's gone to the effort of submitting something, surely the least I can do in supporting their efforts is to vote higher or lower, even if it's to effectively judge their item number 2,000 out of 2,000 and the other one 1,999.

I think it would be really cool if they could suspend the "neither" button for a few days and see what happens. I might then get to see new items more regularly. I'm still yet to see my item - maybe a good sign, maybe not.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Hello Everyone,

With less than a day before the big reveal, I thought I would post some “imagined” feedback that might help the top 32 sculpt their round two entries. It's a bit all over the place but it is based on feedback given in previous years that seems applicable to this new "Organization" round. I hope it helps; take out of it what you can. :)

The Good:
- The execution isn’t great but there are still a lot of useful ideas here for a campaign. The submitter got the “antagonist” part right.
- This organization is seven bags of fun for a DM to throw at their players. Excellent stuff!!!
- I really like how this competitor writes. She has clearly expressed herself, hit the notes she needed with not a groat more. Other competitors are struggling to present half as many ideas within the same word limit.
- Love the name, premise and delivery.
- This one hooked me straight away. Excellent ideas and description had me engaged from the get go.
- Mojo through the roof on this one. I’m not quite so sure on the execution but damn do I want to get this group into my game like yesterday! Why hasn’t anyone come up with something like this before?
- Now this is how you write! Economy of expression, with precise dynamic language. I really want to workshop this one for our next RPG Superstar panel. This gal knows how to turn a phrase and convey an idea.
- Smart design. The writer has picked the point exactly where the reader can join the dots without it being vague. I can’t believe they packed this much useable detail into so few words.
- My players are going to love to hate this bunch.
- I love the versatility offered here. There are so many ways I can push this lot in front of the PCs.
- This is good stuff. This organization is doing something and I mean DOING something. There are so many consequences here for the PCs.
- Scarily good. This gives me so many ideas and that is the best sign that the writer has hit on something special. I love it when Superstar gives us these moments.
- This writer has nailed unique and gonzo together but in a good way. This is weird but a good weird. It is making me think and again, that is the sign of a good submission.
- An old concept but a fresh presentation really makes this sing. Engaging stuff.
- This one’s mojo gets it through but only just… and I mean only just.
- This is really innovative. I don’t think anyone’s done something quite like this before. Wow!!!

The Bad:
- Clunky prose has let this submission down. Needs a good edit and trimming; a shame too as there are some real novel ideas here.
- I can’t see how this organization is going to realistically get in the way of the PCs.
- This organization is really only a single idea. Too monotone and boring.
- As a DM I am going to struggle to steer this organization into the path of the PCs and be able to keep them there.
- I need more. I understand that the word limit does exactly that but this competitor needs to be smarter with the information they are throwing at the reader. Too many words on stuff that’s simply not important within the abbreviated space provided. I don’t think this writer has the chops for the big time.
- This organization does not logically work. How are they going to stay together? What’s keeping this lot from imploding in one great illogical mess? It’s a shame as what at first seems a clever idea ends up having too many holes in it.
- I need more here. There is simply not enough action where I can throw this organization into the PCs path. This organization is too static.
- Too many clichés. This is just boring. I know this is fantasy but if I see another cliché I am going to SCREAM!
- This submission needs development on a massive scale. I understand the word limit but this is just too darn vague. Looks rushed and feels incomplete.
- A good idea let down by poor execution.
- You would think that a guy that could produce THAT wondrous item could follow up with something half decent. It would seem not. So many gaps to fill, I don’t quite know where to start.
- [SKR]WHY!?! You have the opportunity to make up any name you can think of for a headquarters and you come up with… Riverwood! Now I’m not suggesting that competitors should go overboard here or ridiculous but when you come up with a name… please make it sound like an interesting place, just in case you know, the PCs want to go there, claim it, or destroy it, or something. If you think it sounds boring then it most likely is.[/SKR]
- I really wanted to like this competitor’s submission but let’s face it… this organization is flat, typical, clichéd and boring. It is simply not superstar.
- Awesome premise but then it completely under-delivers.
- Completely misses the mark. The writer has simply not given me the tools to drive this organization.
- There’s not enough here to make this organization memorable. Essentially too hollow and unremarkable.
- Sorry but for me this organization is gonzo for gonzo’s sake.

The Ugly:
- This does not follow the template and is all over the place. Very disappointing considering how much we all loved her wondrous item.
- It says a Golarion organization and this is just… not that. Should be disqualified.
- This organization is dead set for the PCs. How is this going to antagonize them or present some measure of villainy? Pure failure to read the instructions on the tin.
- I literally can’t read this. The writer has misguidedly gone to a thesaurus to pile in as many out-of-context big words they can find. This IS NOT writing; it is torture!
- I am sure this is the most boring organization the competitor could think of. Ross, can you just check that the emails match up on this one or something because there is NO WAY, that the author of THAT wondrous item could have written THIS.
- Ahhh… the unprepared deer in the headlights follow-up submission. This one’s just weak sauce and that’s a shame because I golden ticketed this competitor. What a waste!
- Don’t DM the DM. Don’t present the DM with vague, undescribed mysteries. The DM needs to know this stuff so they can present this organization to their players and your submission has failed the DM with a lack of information. The DM provides the mystery to their players, not you to the DM.
- Please tell me he didn’t go there? He went there didn’t he? Seriously, who did he think was going to try and publish this? Push weird and gonzo too far and unfortunately, this is what you get.
- If you only have 100 words to describe your organization’s goals, why start with THIS! Too much useless detail that leaves me with no clue why this organization even exists. What self-respecting NPC would buy into this rubbish?
- If this was design a villain, then fine but this simply is not a true organization. Fail.

Feel free to add more good/bad/ugly comments and stuff that you think will help guide the top 32.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Its not tied to the date so to speak, but the specific day and time (2pm) in the Pacific US Timezone. So all the Aussies and others have to wake up in the middle of the night or wee hours to see it with the rest of us. :P

9:00am in the morning actually. I'm thinking I'll get into work about 8:30am, make a tea or coffee while keeping an eye on the emails. Then about 9:05am my head will slump just slightly as no Paizo email will have been received; and then I'll try and access the site to see who made it in and which items I like best. If on the other hand I do receive an email, I dare say I'll make quite the fool of myself. Best of luck everyone, not long now. :)

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Dragon78,

3) Regarding spelling/grammar: It is a courtesy to anyone who reads your writing to write as clearly as possible. Anything less than that is sloppy and shows your respect for your audience is not as good as it could be.

4) No item has ever made it in or been forced out of the top 32 based upon imprecise pricing. As long as you get the order of magnitude correct, the judges more than likely won't blink an eyelid.

7) Not offering a description of your item is like eating a 3 hat meal with a blindfold on. You'll know how nice it tastes but you're missing the visual splendor that unites the entire presentation and experience. This doesn't mean going over the top but giving your audience a definite mental picture that they can imagine and build upon.

In addition to what everyone else is saying, I suggest you have a close look at each of the items that made top 32 in previous RPG Superstar competition. In particular, read the entire thread for each focusing on the judges comments. If you do this, you will have a really good idea of what the judges are looking for and what things will cause them issues.

Pay particular note that not that many entries go over the 20,000gp mark, let alone the 100,000gp mark and I don't think any have even gotten close to 200,000gp. In the RPg Superstar Seminar podcast, I think it was Sean that mentions that anything over 100,000gp really does not work that well as a wondrous item. I think it fair to say that the judges will always place a 300gp imaginative and tightly designed wondrous item over a 150,000gp uber item. It is not a competition to see who can create the most powerful item, but the most imaginative, useful and coolest one.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Background:
I'm a busy family man and professional and my spare time generally comes in 15 minute allotments (except for tabletop gamedays once a month). I've played and DM'd every version of D&D and Pathfinder since the basic red box (1983) and I'm a subscriber to just about every subscription Paizo currently offers. I would like to support Paizo in their online endeavour but I've got a feeling it is simply not going to be for me.

While I have played numerous computer games since Dungeons of Daggeroth on the TRS-80 and Dark Castle on my MacPlus through the decades, I have never played an MMO. I think I have always feared the time sink qualities of such games and avoided them.

I wonder how many people are similar to me in this regard:
- Time poor
- Wanting to support Paizo in playing their online endeavour
- Want to see some strong Pathfinder elements in the game.

Is it possible for me to enjoy this experience too?

Now you will have to excuse me because obviously my knowledge of MMO's is incredibly lacking. But is there a way that I as a player can contribute and be involved without the time dedication required in the "adventuring" component of the game?

Could I for example:

- Create "NPCs" that basically just "sit" in the village, township or city they live in? I don't control them, but I create their existence. Their stats are rolled (for example my NPC "Tom" has his stats randomly determined) and I the player through a character creation system work out that becoming a smith is his most suited occupation (you could have a very large number of occupations to choose from here). I set how he will work within the game, his alignment and react to different things (how he does his job as smith). For example, as part of his creation, he is apprenticed to a local smith within a particular town (the computer chooses the town most suitable in terms of population) and that is where he lives.

- However, Tom the NPC smith produces things that adventurers and other NPCs require and so develops on his own but in symbiosis with the adventurers that need his services. The fun for me then becomes watching him develop over time (along with tens of other NPCs I have created). Some will not develop that much, but some may rise in status, becoming important cogs in the town (and possibly realm).

- It would be fun to check in and see that Tom had levelled and the option was there to move him to his own smith in a different town. Perhaps a different NPC I created has been murdered by an adventurer and I get to put a bounty on the offending character's head? Perhaps another NPC has been upgraded to captain of the guard in such-a-such town and so on. Perhaps Tom the smith is the only one in his new town capable of crafting a particular item. Perhaps my mage is the only one capable of identifying a magical item that an adventurer has brought in? It would be fun to play with these tropes of the pathfinder game within the online MMO.

- I understand that the OGL does not extend to computer games, but I'm sure you could do something for NPCs here that more closely follows the typical level 1 to 20 abilities of that Pathfinder game, than what you have planned for the MMO (and I can understand on both counts why the traditional MMO play needs to be quite different from what happens at the tabletop; this just allows a compromise for the dearth of people looking for something more closely tied to the pathfinder experience). I think this might be a neat way to hook in more of your paizo audience that wants to help create this online sandbox, without requiring the extreme time commitment of adventuring and typical MMOing.

- Alternatively, as well as NPCs, perhaps I can also create monsters. Perhaps I can create a little tribe of goblins? Dependng upon their success against adventurers in their little pocket of the realm, I earn some sort of currency to then craft tougher monsters. Perhaps earning enough currency to introduce a dragon into the game.

Is there anything that time poor me can do to add to the online Golarion world without having to commit to the time requirements of playing it to its fullest? Perhaps if you have two games in one in symbiosis; one for the PCs (hardcore MMO players), and one for the NPCs and Monsters (time poor but interested in bringing and developing Pathfinder to an online community), then you will have something for everyone and a unique experience in the MMO world.

Is any of this possible?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

And as Herremann can point out, I have not figured how to make the em dash in word, stay an em-dash in paizo. :)

I've noticed that too. I have no idea what the unicode thing is for an em dash, but I have found opening my Core Rules pdf and copy and pasting an em dash from an appropriate item seems to work. Alternatively, copy and past this:

Slot: —

It is such a small thing but I have seen it repeatedly noted by the judges in successful submissions. I think it an extra string to the bow if you pay attention to such details. It's not going to get you into the top 32 but it will be noted if you get there.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Hello Everyone,

How do the bandits of the Greenbelt make a living? Where do they go to perform their banditry (aside from poor Oleg's)? I understand they venture North into Rostland but that's a fair way away. Is there anywhere else south or west that is an easy enough target? Surely lone bandits would suffer a terrible fate in the greenbelt dying in the jaws of some worg or somesuch. So do they perform expeditions grouping together in significant multiples? Where to though and perhaps they have boltholes or safecamps within the boundaries of Rostland?

I suppose I'm trying to get a solid idea of how the bandits work as I'm looking at starting my Kingmaker campaign slightly differently to how it is written. I'm thinking of starting the campaign from an earlier point on the timeline:

- Having the PCs assist Oleg in establishing the outpost (Oleg already deals with many of the hunters and trappers and even bandits).
- The PCs are tasked by someone who has recently purchased the charter for the Greenbelt lands.
- The Stag Lord arrives at his fort as Oleg arrives at the outpost.
- There are several bandit groups that already exist in the Greenbelt. Some will cave in to the Stag Lord while others will attempt resistance.
- The Greenbelt is more dangerous than presented in Stolen Land. Everyone locks up at dusk as the dangerous denizens of the night and dark roam the plains and hills of the open Greenbelt.
- The forest areas are continually highly dangerous (although the forest area north and east of the Thorn River) are slightly less so. The Hunters and Trappers that venture here have had an effect although most regard these lone men as crazy or strange thrill-seekers.
- Only the most capable venture alone while any banditry is definitely done in larger groups.
- Numerous ruins dot the landscape, some providing safety while others the mere illusion of it.
- As well as the Thorn River Camp, I was thinking of introducing a more neutrally based bandit town further East in one of the old forts.

And thus the question becomes, what do the bandits have to rob aside from poor Oleg's and each other?

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

Excellent idea! Thank you very much. I was sitting here trying to figure out how make up the BPs in a believable manner.

I'm still going through this path but I'm planning this campaign similarly - not so much low magic as much as rare magic. Magical items have a history and heritage rather than just being special tools that give combat bonuses.

In terms of BPs, I think I have an elegant and organic solution. The party sell/add their BPs as appropriate which if reduced due to a lack of saleable magical equipment can be made up by the DM getting this difference as their own build points to "spend" on the new kingdom.

The PCs may micromanage their new kingdom and orchestrate for everything to be just so. But in reality the world reacts to these plans in uncertain ways. As such, I'm planning to augment their towns and cities with extra buildings and sites that fit in with what the PCs have organised. In this way the PCs feel like they get a bonus. It's like a DM reward for good planning or roleplaying. For example, they may encourage businesses/enterprises/religions in Restov to move or expand into the frontier at no cost. Occasionally though, I can use it to throw the PCs a curveball planting things in a city that they may not really want. I suppose the trick is reacting appropriately to what the PCs are organising and keeping it fun.

Anyway, I'm waiting for the complete path before I start things up so I'm going to have plenty of time to work things out. I'll keep track of this thread and offer any other ideas that I have when setting this campaign up.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise