James Martin's page

Flowers? Jewelry? Isn't that something you bribe women with..? :D

Hey now! Neil's classy. He's not a woman, he's a dame. Dames gotta be courted all careful-like.

Liquor. I'm going to drink. Maybe watch some episodes of the West Wing and read me some Pathfinder RPG. Also, drink.

I live in North Dakota; it's pretty much like the state hobby.

Well, I'm a third of the way through my comments and there's some really cool stuff here. And, also some disappointments. But that's the way things usually shake out every year in Round Two. Lots to look forward to, though...

Dude, you are an evil man. Beneath all that helpful advice lurks the heart of an evil, evil man. Now I'm going to spend all my weekend wondering, "Did I disappoint Neil? Did I make Neil cry? Crap. What sort of flowers do I send Neil to make him stop crying? Or is this a jewelry sort of cry?"

I shot Gary Gygax in Reno, just to watch him die. He didn't, of course. Turned around and tore out my left kidney. Ain't peed right since.

GYGAX!!!!

I did the same thing. We should totally share the "Might-Have Beens" once the real ones have been unveiled.

So far I've tried not to give any advice, mainly because I am an expert in nothing. But reading some of the critique threads and thinking upon how to take the words that may seem at first blush to be harsh has changed my mind. I am an expert: I am expert at being criticized. And I know how to take it, so allow me to share.

1. Never Post Angry: No matter what you think you read, no matter how angry you are, no matter how unfair you think the criticism is, never post angry. It doesn't help, it doesn't aid you in any way and it makes you enemies that you don't need.

2. Don't Take It Personally: They're not critiquing you, they're critiquing something you wrote. The best criticism I ever got came from a Political Science professor in a class I took a few years back. He was rumored to be a sharp guy, very excellent teacher. So I took his Politics & Literature class and turned in my first paper, thinking I was pretty hot. He returned the paper two days later with the large letter F and If this is the best you can do, don't waste my time. Blink. Blink. I had NEVER gotten anything less than passing on a paper. I could write like a pro, right? I was smart. I was clever. I was... lazy. He was absolutely right; I half-arsed it and it wasn't worthy. I squared my shoulders, nutted up and tackled the next paper with renewed vigor and determination. I got an A and aced the class. And I thanked the professor. He reminded me of what I could achieve if I tried, so I tried and hard. These criticisms are reminding you of what you're capable of and attempting to point out where your writing and design is weakest. It's not that you're a bad person, it's that what you wrote needs work. And if you want to improve, then you're going to have to work at it. This isn't a game anymore, it's what you do.

3. Don't Attempt To Explain Yourself: At least, not until you've thought about the criticism for at least a day. Yes, you know why you chose the method you chose. Yes, you thought it came across like you thought it did. No it didn't. If it did, you wouldn't have the criticism in front of you. But think about it before you respond. Yes, you did it that way. But it doesn't mean it was a good idea. It may have been, but you should approach it as "This is why I chose that particular option" instead of "This is why I'm right." Believe me, I'm done the latter way too often and it never ends well.

4. Smile: Whenever you get criticism, be it constructive or not, the first thing you should do is smile. It won't make anything better, but it keeps you in the habit.

5. Thicken Thy Skin: There will come a time when you get criticism that doesn't seem helpful, that just seems ugly. And it will bother you. You'll want to respond, to react to the criticism. If you're like me, you'll have the impulse to strike out. Suppress it. Take a deep breath and remind yourself that it's part and parcel of the game. You'll get compliments and you'll get complaints. There will be good days and bad. In the end, as long as you've done something you can be proud of, then the only thing that matters is that you stepped up, you took the swing and you can be proud of the result.

In the end, you'll always be your worst critic. Steel yourself, keep at it and never accidentally insult the Mormons. (True story. I did this. Unintentionally. Yep. Lot of criticism that day.)

Danny Lundy wrote:

*whew*

Done and submitted. Let the dice roll what they will.

I just submitted mine too. I thought I'd feel better with it out of my hands, but now I'm super paranoid that I missed something or I have one word too many! :)

Yes, let the dice roll!

Oh dude, do yourself a favor and don't look at it for a few days. I looked at mine and noticed a small, but annoyingly obvious error I made. Doesn't negate the concept, but it does make me ever so irksome.

I see a lot of people who had computer issues in the Critique My Item thread. I cannot say enough good things about getting a Google Docs account for RPG Superstar. Your item is available from any internet connected computer anywhere, your work is not bound to a single place and it's free!

I'm using it regularly now and it's a great tool for this sort of contest.

That's all I have to say. Anyone else have good RPG Superstar tips?

I just submitted after several hours of putting it down, picking it up, putting it down, etc. After three hours of not being able to find anything that sprang out at me, I decided to bite the bullet and get it in early. I think I had it where I wanted it and I hated the idea that I might tinker a bit too much and lose that sweet spot...

Good luck, everyone. I'm going to go finally read all the other items now!

Crooked Man (Bard)
Not every bard is a master of music, some are masters of the spoken word. And a select few use this aptitude to sway minds, cower the weak willed and swindle the soft-hearted.
Bardic Performance: A crooked man (or woman) gains the following types of bardic performance.
Honeyed Words (Su) At 1st level the crooked man can use his words to make even a hostile listener believe the incredible. The crooked man may target one person per his bard level. He then makes a speech, which must be in a language the listener understands. Listeners must make a Will Save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard’s level + the bard’s Cha modifier). If the listeners’ saving throw succeeds, their attitudes do not change and the crooked man cannot attempt to sway them for 24 hours. If their saving throw fails, they become helpful and more inclined to believe whatever the crooked man tells them for as long as the crooked man speaks plus one minute per bard level afterwards. At the end of this duration, listeners automatically become hostile to the crooked man. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents this ability from working. This ability relies on audible components. Honeyed Words is is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.This performance replaces Countersong.
Sickening Doubts (Su) At 8th level the crooked man can use his words to cause enemies to grow indecisive and doubt their own abilities, causing them to become sickened. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet and able to hear the bard's performance. The effect persists for as long as the enemy is within 30 feet and the bard continues the performance. The performance cannot cause a creature to become nauseated even if the targets are already sickened from another effect. Sickening Doubt is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability and relies on audible components alone. This ability replaces Dirge of Doom.
Silvered Tongue (Ex): A crooked man gains a bonus equal to half his bard level on Bluff, Diplomacy and Perform: Oratory checks (minimum +1). A crooked man may also substitute his Bluff or Diplomacy checks for any Perform check where an audible component is required. This ability replaces Bardic Knowledge.
Verbal Dodge (Ex): Once per day a crooked man may roll a Bluff, Diplomacy or Perform: Oratory check as an immediate action and substitute the result for his Armor Class against one attack. He must keep the result even if it worse than his normal Armor Class. He may use this ability twice at 6th level and once more for every 4 levels thereafter. This ability replaces Versatile Performance.

Hello! My name is James, I'm 32, divorced and the father of a little boy. In real life I'm a grantwriter and specialist for North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. I was born in Northern Virginia, outside of DC, lived in Indiana for several years, then North Carolina before moving here. I GM for my home group, which is just starting the Rise of the Runelords AP. In what spare time I have I read, write and drink.

I started gaming in 1996, with GURPS and the Old World of Darkness. I moved onto 2nd Edition D&D for about three weeks, then headed to Africa with the Peace Corps. When I got back I discovered 3rd Edition and have been with the ruleset ever since. I gave 4th edition a go, but both I and my gaming group were not excited by it. We've been Pathfinder fans ever since.

This is my second year of RPG Superstar. I submitted in 2009, got picked in 2010 and now here I am again. I still can't believe it and I'm working my butt off to make my archetype as archetypical as I can. My problem is I fell in love with five ideas and couldn't choose until I got them all into the first draft. Now I've chosen and I'm fine-tuning the rules parts.

I wish everyone good luck and look forward to reading all the cool new options for my favorite game!

You know Vic, if the answer was 42, we'd finally know the question...

Is there a specific item or a situation that's being referred to? If so, please say so. I'm sure if the situation exists, it's probably a situation of parallel development over intellectual dishonesty, but it's important to get it out in the open. If I did create an object that is similiar to something presented in a thread on these boards, I'd like to know so I can apologize to the person who created the item. I know if I did such a thing it would have been unintentional, but if I did do such a thing, I would resign my position and allow an alternate to step up in my place.

Edit: Allow me to clarify. I don't think that I did something like this, but I read a lot of these forums, and it's entirely possible that I read something, it lodged in my head and I created an item that is eerily similiar because of it. If I did, then the person who originally had the idea deserves to be acknowledged and I should at least acknowledge them. I'm only speaking for myself here; I have enough problems of my own without prescribing a course of action for anyone else.

Dude, honestly. I actually went to bed an hour ago, lay there for five minutes, had better ideas than I did when I was typing them up in the two hours prior, got back up and just put in another hour. Now I'm going to try again. We'll see how this times works.

I'm currently in Fargo, North Dakota. Which is mostly a mix of Norwegians and Germans. That's close to being European, right?

I totally want virtual cookies with a side of inspiration, please.

And hello everyone! My name is James and I am an Superstar-aholic.

Sphen wrote:

Is there anyway we can view the comments on our items. I actually thought I had a really good one and would REALLLLY like to know what I need to work on to make it better for next year.

Maybe your entry was much less good than those that made it, but you have to realize also that there is a degree of arbitrariness, perhaps even luck. In past years they have said they got down to about 100 entries and then started making really hard choices. So, even many that are extremely good get dumped.

Absolutely this. You didn't lose. You just didn't make the cut this year. Ask the judges for their feedback, think about it long and hard and re-enter next year, wiser and better and ready to be selected. I can guarantee you that the discussions in the judges' threads came down to a lot of back and forth, and you may very well have been the 35th out of 34. There shouldn't be any sense of loss in that.

Issac: congrats, man! Glad to see a fellow Star Wars PbP'er make it! Good luck and keep up the awesome, man.

Likewise, Tom! Glad to see a member of the 2010 Old Guard again!

I'd like to thank the judges for their comments and for allowing me the honor of returning this year. I will endeavor to do my best to bring the gonzo.

James

Looking over this poor, poor thread, one question springs to mind:

What would Paizo gain by licensing D&D? According to industy reports, acedotal, but reliable, Pathfinder is doing pretty darn well. They'd have to pony up a lot of cash, abide by someone else's strictures and gain a name that they've already proven they don't need. Yeah, they get access to a few closed content critters, but guys, I can't be alone in saying I don't miss 'em one bit.

D&D has a lot of history, but it also comes with a lot of baggage. Let's let someone else play in that game for a while and enjoy the Little Game System What Could, Pathfinder.

My mom LOVED that show, which meant I was occasionally forced to watch it. He was my favorite part of it. He was funny and quirky and managed to make his parts interesting to a person who wasn't interested in the show.

I heard him tell the story of getting on a flight once, when someone across the aisle recognized him (he was the Angel of Death on the show) and began freaking out, claiming she had to get off the plane. The stewardesses calmed her down, but he was amused that his role got such a reaction... Rest in peace.

Well, if we need a ship, the best place to get one is a shipyard. SO I'd be up for a daring adventure where we steal a battleship.

Also, going undercover to turn some Imperial agents might be nice. And also perhaps a trip to steal the plans to some superweapon or another in the name of the Rebellion!

That is good news. I hope you get more pretty soon. My thoughts are with you.

This looks pretty cool. If you need an alternate, let me know!

I would certainly vote for you if able. Also, I hear they are to focus on the PF land of the terror mists soon, which would be a perfect in for you. Good luck my friend.

Sorry to hijack, but Beckett, are you still interested in playing in a PbP? You were an alternate for DM Kelgrith's game which, thought lacking Kelgrith, I've taken over. We need a player and thought you might be interested still. OOC's here!

I have no hope of making it again this year, but if any of you lot do, I'll be cheering for you! Good luck and it was a helluva lot of fun just being in the running last year. Thanks!

When I was 13 or 14, and very new to running a game, I ran an (not so) epic battle against a Titan and his minions..... and neglected to give them their turns in combat. :/

Heh. Heck, I'm 32 and I'm still doing this! Things get heated, things get confused. The important thing is always that everyone has a good time. And I've found, if you're going to run a big battle, with many NPCs, it's always a good idea to deputize a co-DM to help run the minions. We did a HUGE 4e battle featuring 10 PCs and over 100 NPCs. I was the co-DM and the final battle was Epic in scale. If we didn't co-DM it would have never ended well. As it was, it was a great time.

And then we gave up 4e. It was a great system for huge battles, though.

Here at Paizo, in the 21st century, we are all advertant merchants of LIFE!

And thus are company mottos born.

I'd like to see Monte do something planar, maybe around 7-10th level.

Uh-oh, them's some high expectations to fill...

My apologies, but my work is a little busier than I previously thought, so the first post will go up over the weekend, so I have time to make it better.

I had never read that article, and you're absolutely right: it makes you and Lisa come off as the stern parents. Which is funny, considering how it all went down. All I can say is thank goodness you guys founded Paizo.

ENWorld is reporting that Fantasy Flight refuses to deny it, so they're still in the running...

Okay, since our Mysterious Benefactor has not shown himself, I will have to Assume the Role of the Even-Mysteriouser Benefactor...

I will put up an opening post later today. I'll put a link to it in this thread when I do.

I found myself thinking about this last night as I lay in bed: it's Christmas, I wonder if WotC will lay off more staff? As much as I hate to think about it, it's been a holiday tradition the last few years. Is it happening again this year?

No news, just mockery and bitterness. It's like a gathering of RIFTS players...

Hmmm. Unknown. He may be LOST in time! Quick, someone notify JJ Abrams and get Carleton Cuse and Damon Lindelof high. We might need a cast of thousands just to figure that Nick died in the first season and has been writing his modules from Purgatory the whole time.

Well, we're going to need a DeLorean, some uranium and a road long enough to get us up to speed. We'll never break the time barrier at this speed!

If it's not Paizo, I sort of hope it's Savage Worlds. Seems like a good system to model it.

Okay, barring our Mysterious Benefactor's sudden appearance, I'm going to go ahead and start dreaming up horrible fates, I mean a story for you lot.

So, tell me why you're in Sandpoint, three years after a small band of heroes successfully prevented the Runelord Karzoug from rising. Sandpoint is mostly rebuilt after the pounding it took, but there are now several entrances to catacombs beneath the town and surrounding areas that attract adventurers and ne'er do wells. Also, the surrounding area has seen a rise in monstrous activity, as Karzoug's army disbanded and faded into the area. Rumors have been coming in from travelers that speak of bands of giants combing the hinterlands, supposedly searching for the Septurian Key. No indication of who or what this is has been heard. Most of the personalities from the RotRL adventure path are still in town, so any notable personalities you know from there can be used in your justifications.

I'll aim to get the first post up on Friday if I hear back from enough people. Any stragglers will be added in as we go. Cheers!

Plan on practicing archetypes, continue looking for work :(, eat lots, spend time with family and friends, and last but not least relax. Not necessarily in that order.

I think the only archetype I'll be working on is 'Druid- Devourer of Turkey.' My special powers include Swallow Turkey Whole and Ranged Attack: Spit Gravy.

If only Sean's sword had been around in the 1930's... Curse you reality for not conforming to my fantastical specifications! CURSE YOU!

Oh, and Neil, I was totally not comparing you to Scrooge. You're totally our Jacob Marley and Sean is our Ghost of Superstars Future. Just pointing toward the reject pile with his horrible shiny pate and fixed grin... Even now I regret kicking Tiny James Jacobs....

And an entire month to bang out a simple, elegant wondrous item in 300 words or less? ;-)

I'm sorry. I'm just not going to sympathize with the very few who can't manage to meet this requirement when so many others do.

And I completely understand your point. I think it's all the holiday spirits making my Scrooge-like heart a little softer than usual. Either that or a congenital defect. I should get that checked.

I'd join in heaping scorn on the poor people who went over count, but I can completely understand how it happens. You're excited, you're relieved, you're finally submitting. You've worked on this a while, been through seven drafts, four ideas and countless doubts and now it's over. And you completely forget to check the little title thing that says you're three words over. Your word processor software said it was okay; why don't these things all agree with each other?

Sure, it may not be professional, but a lot of people who are submitting aren't professionals yet. They want to be, they read all the posts, listened to the copious amounts of advice, but there's a long gap between hearing advice and living the life. They'll get there, they're not hopeless or mentally deficient, they're just a little over-excited. I realize this may still disqualify them, but it's a sympathetic situation. Sometimes excitement makes us forget to check the obvious things. Doh!

Plus, it totally could have been me. Heaven knows I've made stupid easy to fix mistakes on things before. It why we have erasers on pencils and delete buttons on computers.

Thanks everyone!

Well, time to start saving up for a new computer...

I'd like to thank the Academy... For casting me out and beginning me on my life of crime! Mwah ha ha! Wait, wrong speech.

Thanks for the nod! I just need a couple of mechanics questions and I should be ready to roll shortly.

First, point buy of how much?
Second, what sort of starting gear ought I have?
Third, Anything else I should know?

Thanks again! I'm looking forward to the game. I've been following the IC thread and it looks like I'm hopping in at a cool moment!

He is appallingly smart, but he's also overconfident to the point of insanity. While he may have contingency plans, I'd have them be along the line of "If I can't have the world, no one can!" Perhaps, to continue the adventure path, he's devised a way that in the case of his death, the Tarrasque is awakened or some otherplanar evil is unleashed. I wouldn't have it be a situation where you'll just be fighting Karzoug over again. Doing so cheapens the first fight and makes the second seem repetitive.

No problem. :) Just wanted to be sure!

Ravenath, does that mean you would or would not like to be involved in a possible replacement game?