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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32. Goblin Squad Member. Organized Play Member. 194 posts (304 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. No wishlists. 1 Organized Play character. 2 aliases.


Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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I think Pathfinder has forced WotC to get back in shape and work to make their game better. I think they took their best ideas from older editions, 4e, 3e, and Pathfinder, and even some indie games, and have made a game that is better than anything they have ever done since perhaps the first game that invented RPGs.

This is really great to me. In a perfect world, we would have two awesome game systems with two excellent design teams competing and driving the quality of the product up through competition.

I really love the art of Wayne Reynolds and the Pathfinder look, but I think the 5e PHB and MM are two of the most beautiful RPG books I've seen. The full-page art pieces in those books are so awesome, and there is so much good art. I think Paizo does an amazing job, but for me, the 5e books I have pull ahead.

I really like the new Advantage/Disadvantage mechanics. I like the simplicity of character creation. I like the overall streamlining of the system. I like the idea of the Inspiration/background rules, but I'm not 100% comfortable with them yet. I need to wait and see how much use they'll have in the game. I think the cantrips are good and I really like the spells leveling up at higher levels. I also like the ability score bonus/feat system, and how the feats are more unique and important.

I don't like the auto-healing overnight and I houseruled that away, but I'm ok with the Hit Dice/short rest mechanic. Beyond that, there isn't a lot that I prefer from Pathfinder over 5e. I think 5e has most of what I really liked about 3e/PF built into the system, and has trimmed away a lot of the stuff I don't think is important. I do like the extra race and class options of Pathfinder, but some of the newer stuff like modern weapons don't do anything for me.

I guess I'd rather play 5e right now than try and houserule 5e tweaks to the Pathfinder game. I think Pathfinder is a more complex game, and has a lot more tactical options. If anything, I might try and convert some homebrew Pathfinder class or race options over to 5e. And I'll definitely continue using Pathfinder's awesome adventure paths.

Basically there are light rules systems like the OSR/Old school style games, medium rules systems like D&D 5e, and complex rules systems like Pathfinder. I think each has its own play style. I think Mike Mearls did a really good job in finding a sweet spot for the new version of D&D, and I think this is going to end up being my default game. I'll still continue to buy Paizo accessories and adventures, but I don't know if I'll get any more of their rulebooks.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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This makes me supremely happy.

I'm switching my current 0e Razor Coast/Red Tide game over to 5e, so it's super great to see the support from quality publishers like Frog God Games/Necromancer Games (which in my mind is a top 5 D&D Publisher, with obviously Paizo and WotC, and then Goodman Games and Lotfp rounding out the others).

Top-notch third-party support like this makes me FAR more likely to be content playing 5e, rather than bouncing around from system to system like I have been over the last 5 years or so.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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Neil Spicer wrote:


Ah, yes. The email notification. That would be the official notice I initially missed during my year. With the main RPG Superstar page refusing to load because the website was so busy, I wound up visiting the DMTools chatroom and finding out I made the Top 32 when Liz greeted me with a hearty congratulations. From there, they encouraged me to check my email and there it was. The official notice.

My experience was kind of the opposite. I submitted and kind of forgot about it, thinking I didn't really have a chance. So I was very pleasantly surprised when I got a random email saying I made it in the top 32.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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I've never liked the exit poll thread. I know why it exists, but I feel like it sways voters to rally around the front-runners. I know it's a tradition in this contest, but I've never been a huge fan.

Of course it may be sour grapes because my Round 2 entry didn't too so hot years back. :)

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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Can't wait for the Top 32 reveal!

HUGE thanks to Clark, Neil, Ryan, and Sean for their countless hours reviewing, critiquing, and fighting over our submissions. It takes a lot of time, dedication, and sacrifice to make this contest everything it is - THANK YOU! RPG Superstar is one of the best things to happen for this game, and we're very lucky for Lisa, Eric, James, and all the awesome people at Paizo for their love of the game. This contest is a lot of fun, as a competitor or voter, and I'm looking forward to seeing all the great entries.

LESS THAN 2 HOURS TO GO!

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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It could be subliminal pop culture. The Sherlock Holmes movies had quite a bit of pipe smoking. Of course, the Hellboy movies had iconic cigar-smoking and those were a few years back. I guess it's hard to know why certain items align like they do each year.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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Vic Wertz wrote:
For one thing, though we've had four complete years of running this contest, we've thus far republished only a tiny amount of content—a small handful of items that made the Top 32 in their year appeared in a short article in Kobold Quarterly, and one or two later-round entries have found their way into actual Paizo products (though in different forms). We will be including some items from this year and years previous in the upcoming Ultimate Equipment book... but part of the reason for that is that the community keeps *asking* us to. (And, of course, we credit the authors for their work.)

I can't speak for the others who got their RPG Superstar items published in KQ, but it was really awesome to see mine in print, credited to me, and complete with art. And much, much more valuable than the $10 or so a 300-word submission is "worth" at normal freelance rates.

(Edit: as an aside, I'm sure the KQ article was done to raise awareness of the contest -- not because Paizo can't easily make a better item than my flawed submission.)

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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Backstory is what it sounds like: Background Story. Don't include this.

Do not go into its history, its creation, its crafter, or the lost empire it's from. Do not write about how it was made, how exotic animals were hunted down and their body parts harvested, or the nature of the mad wizard who invented it. Don't talk about the kobold tribe that worshipped the ancient dracolich and crafted the orb around its phylactery. Don't talk about the line of priests or the rites they practice while creating these items. Don't talk about the famous barbarian who wrenched this tooth from the mighty dragon to create the totem.

If it's something about the past, ditch that part.

It doesn't matter.

Think of it this way: if the One Ring from LOTR was a wondrous item (and not a ring, or an artifact), its description for this contest would be the description in The Hobbit. Bilbo found the simple gold ring, and when he put it on, it made him invisible. It didn't talk about Sauron, or ring wraiths, or any of that stuff. All that mattered to Bilbo was that it was a cool ring of invisibility.

This is about the item -- not the history of it. and this item isn't unique. It may be cool, but it's not a perfect special one-of-a-kind item. Any spellcaster who meets the requirements can make one of these. They don't need to belong to a secret cult, or a race of monsters, or forge this item in the deep furnaces of the mountain kings.

Stick to the present. Show us what it does, and what it looks like now.

You can describe the intricate runes etched along its surface if you want. You can talk about how it glows, or how it makes its wielder hover over the ground, or how the owner's hands become caked in thick hardened clay, etc. That stuff is description, or flavor, or fluff, or whatever, and is necessary to adequately describe the item. Don't spend all your time on description, but please include some description- even if it's just a line or a few words with a lot of imagery sprinkled here and there.

Just don't go into the item's background. The judges could care less about the history of the item. They want to know what makes it awesome right this instant.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

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I'm just curious if we'll see an organization of blink dogs. :)

Scarab Sages

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I think it's immensely unfair to blame Bill Slavicsek for many of these things that were out of his hands. Sure you can disagree with some of the design choices on 4e, but much of the problem with the edition change was due to Hasbro being a big corporation. And someone like Bill was not able to change that.

I'm sorry to see him and others laid off/forced to retire/whatever from WotC. It's a very difficult industry to find paying work in, and I wish them the best. If any of them can land on their feet at Paizo, I'll be more than happy to support them.