You're all very welcome. It was very much my pleasure. Yes, please spread the word. :D Thank you, Dale, for the kudos. And for stepping in to answer questions. Thank you to everyone who submitted. Stay tuned to jonbrazer.com and our Facebook/G+ pages for more Pathfinder (and other gaming) goodness.
To answer your question, Drejk. Some items were better than others, some would take more editing than others to make them shine, etc. I wouldn't call any "bad". Everyone who submitted an item really did make it difficult to choose. :) Motteditor, we have kicked around the idea of doing something like this periodically. The particulars...Well, none as of yet, and even if there were - Mum's the word. ;)
The rights to any items not chosen revert to the authors. You can do with them what you wish. :) It was my pleasure. Seriously. :D This process also gave me an increased appreciation for the RPGSS judges' job. ;)
Your wait is over! Final item selection wrapped up tonight. Emails will go out to all who submitted an item (or more) for consideration tonight and tomorrow. Contracts will follow shortly thereafter for those who were selected. The contract may get to you before my email notification does because Dale is handling them. If you've heard nothing by Tuesday morning, please message me. Thank you for your interest, participation and patience. Y'all didn't exactly make it easy on me. ;) [Thank you for that, btw] My target date to have this wrapped up and released is the beginning of February. This date is subject to final approval by Dale so don't quote me on that. Have a very Happy New Year! Stay safe and game on. :)
Finalizing selections now, folks. I will post in this thread after emails have gone out. I was in NM the first ten days of December taking care of my mom after surgery. My hopes that I would have time to review items and make decisions was decidedly misplaced. Thank you all for your patience. :)
Thank you to everyone who submitted an item (or several). They are under review now.
No worries on the fonts, folks. The Big Question is "Does the item follow the template structure?" The submissions are coming directly to me, and everything that has come in looks good on that score. :)
My guess is that whatever your email font default is, that's what the text is converted to. That's how my gmail works, anyway. A quick note on a slightly different subject. I have to travel out of state early in the morning, so I won't be online until probably Sunday evening/Monday morning MST. I'll be back on the 11th. I'm packing my computer to take with me. I'll try to check in on my husband's computer this evening and tomorrow before I leave; since he works from home on it, I make no promises. This will have no effect on the 12/31/13 notification deadline for those items that have made it and those that haven't. (I plan on having all those done by the 15th, but don't hold me to it. ;) )
Just a friendly reminder... With Thanksgiving this week for those of us in the States, don't forget JBE's open call ends 11/30/13. May your holiday be filled with good food, good drink, and great company. :)
You're welcome, Jesper. And good luck. :) Looking forward to seeing them, Jacob-ses [Is that even the plural of Jacob?]. ;)
Dale is right. Those style of items call for a different product than what I'm envisioning for this. Our goal is to create something that provides additional support to the AP as seamlessly as possible, and "general" items meet that goal best given this AP's focus on Indiana Jones'-style world-saving. (At least that's how it strikes me ;) ) Since we're talking about general ideas and nothing specific as yet, might I suggest you develop these ideas for RPG Superstar? :)
Good evening, folks. Just a friendly reminder, JBE's open call for Ancient Egyptian-themed magic items ends in 15-ish days (11/30/13). We have received some very spiffy items so far, and I'm looking forward to what the rest of the submission period has to offer. No. I'm still not telling. ;) For those of you still working on or considering items, make sure you get your item(s) in. Don't let the internet gremlins, the vagaries of stubborn computers, or Perfection(TM) get between you and the opportunity to be published. Thank you to everyone who has sent in an item (or several). Thank you to those who have passed the word. Thank you to those who are considering submitting an item. We couldn't do this without you. :)
Anyway, submitted some items. Good to hear, Darkjoy. For those who are wondering, I'm sifting through the submissions as they come through. No. I'm not telling until after final selections have been made. ;)
Perhaps it's just the crowd I run with, but "canopic jar" isn't an obscure term for us. Chances are if an item were named "The Burial Jar of MoeLarryShempsut" we'd likely ask "Why didn't they call it a canopic jar?" Which is why I say it's essentially a judgement call for the item's author. :) I've played with folks who appreciated the nuances of language, and they'd ask the same thing as your group, Shadowborn. I've also played with folks who were fine with generalities - in this case they'd consider "burial" to be interchangeable with "canopic", the GM's intentions not-withstanding.
My advice is to consider your audience and the usefulness of specific vs more general terminology (canopic jars vs burial jars to use your example) with the audience's and your item's needs in mind. Some questions I ask myself when writing, and why...:
1. Will the reader have to look up the word you used? This can be inconvenient for the reader. Sometimes the inconvenience is worth what the reader gets out of it. Sometimes its not. 2. Can you communicate your meaning without archaic language (like "canopic")? This one's tricky. Sometimes nothing other than the slightly obscure reference works as well for what you're trying to convey. I would say if the specific reference and general reference are essentially interchangeable, use the general reference. On the otherhand, if you mean exactly the specific meaning of the obscure word, use it instead Basically, HerosBackpack (and anyone else with the same concern), choose your words carefully to convey exactly what you mean to convey. I'm not choosing items based on accurate adherence to modern Egyptology. ;) I'm simply looking for items that "feel" ancient Egyptian that I also think are balanced, fun to play, and add to the gaming experience.
Sands blow across the Western Desert carrying stories of treasures from our fabled past. You, Great Scribe, have been tasked with researching the ancient writings to confirm these stories. Once you are done, Pharaoh shall send those with the strongest arms, wisest minds, and most tireless legs to search for and return these items to our land. Thus will our glory be sung throughout the Ages. Thus will our people live for all Time. All will be good in the eyes of the gods. Find your way to JonBrazer.com. Submit your findings for review, and Pharaoh may reward you handsomely.
Thank you, everyone. I'm excited to join the JBE crew. :)
I also want to say thank you for your time and input, Endzeitgeist. I am very glad you enjoyed it. :)
The disparities are what make it "fantasy", ie fantastic, not real, over the top, etc. GIJoe isn't physiologically functional anymore than Barbie is. And that's the visible root of the problem. As a mother of two girls and two boys, I'm faced with the wonderful challenge of raising confident women and empathetic men. It's not easy when even the teachers' first comments at conference are how pretty, vivacious, helpful and obedient my girls are vs. how competent, smart, capable and challenging my boys are. I actually had to take a teacher to task about that because she didn't seem to realize I was as interested in my daughter's academic performance and my son's social competence as I was with everything else - and more so than in what she thought my children's social graces were. The issue is really about expectations and socialization. If society didn't judge women by their appearance in lieu of their ability, this art style would not be insulting to women. And if society did not judge men by their physical prowess in lieu of their other qualities (like empathy, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, etc), this art style would not be capable of objectifying women for men to begin with. We teach our children what to value in others via our choices, our words, the people we invite into our lives, etc. This is a generational fight, and so long as progress is being made, I think that's all we can really ask.
“Women’s Writing Group”:
Chibiamy and mamaursula, I'd like to help with the support group if you want it. I'm thinking of doing the same thing on Facebook and would love the help if you're on there. Or anyone else interested. :) Addressing women in game design: Solutions?:
I don't have specific problems at the community level, let alone any that can be addressed by Paizo. Then again, I tend to lurk and not get too directly involved outside the Superstar forums. I tried once or twice, but I wound up feeling like I made a fool of myself instead of contributing constructively to what was going on.
Lurking is a "me" thing. I do it even on messageboards run by longtime friends. Paizo can't help with that. Something Paizo can do is get the word out sooner, maybe a month or two prior to opening the submission window. Also, really stress the anonymity of the first round. Two of the largest reasons I didn't send anything into the 2010 competition is because I didn't know it was anonymous and I didn't have time to acclimate myself to the idea of public criticism. That is extraordinarily intimidating. Again, being intimidated was my problem. Not knowing the initial round was anonymous could have been addressed more directly by Paizo. Like in the announcement itself “It’s that time of year again. RPG Superstar 20XX begins <this date>. Remember, the first round submissions are anonymous. <Rah-Rah text>.” The cons Paizo participates in can certainly address the problems, also. Paizocon would be a fantastic venue for this. How many women make it onto any convention’s game design panels? I don’t know; I’ve never been to one. Seeing is believing, as they say, and seeing women on these panels discussing game design or RPGSS as authorities and being treated respectfully by their male peers in front of all and sundry can definitely make a difference. Also, setting aside time for networking, mentoring, etc will really help those who want to put themselves forward and aren’t quite certain how to go about it. I’m not certain how helpful “Women Focused” panels will be. If they’re nothing more than “It sucks to be a woman so a) the industry needs to focus solely on women or b) women need to suck it up.” - Both positions are incredibly not helpful. Unfortunately, most of the discussion I’ve seen on other forums fall into these two categories. Slight tangent for an illustrative point - I’ve said this before; I wanted to be an astronaut before I ever knew there was such a job. Neil Armstrong and the moon landing was a big part of the desire; Sally Ride was a big part of the goal. Ms. Ride and her female colleagues opened up tech to girls my age. Unfortunately, few if any women advanced in tech fields regardless of their competence (or their accomplishments aren’t trumpeted to the rest of us), and we’re seeing a drop off in girls interested in tech as a career. I think that lack of continued or growing competent female presence, particularly in leadership and research roles, is hurting that industry. My advice for RPG companies…Put the Lisa Stevens’ in game design out there on panels discussing how they got in the industry, why they stayed, and where they’re going. Have them stress the importance of continued growth in the female design pool and address the challenges, including cultural ones, they met along the way. How did they address the problems? What has worked for them? What hasn’t worked to make the culture more welcoming? What’s changing that maybe we don’t see on the outside? If you’d rather, generalize it to include all “minority” viewpoints. If we acknowledge the factors that lead to intimidation and withdrawal on the part of those in the minority, then we can more believably recruit people to directly address those factors and encourage those in the minority to step up, make changes, and recruit others. As for those of us in the minority, we need to take responsibility for our responses. We choose to withdraw or not. We choose to directly challenge these stereotypes or not. Sometimes it’s worth it. Sometimes it’s not. It’s an individual choice, and that has to be ok. Example from today, I walked into my FLGS to browse gaming books and buy a couple of Magic boosters with my husband. I am not a stranger here, and neither is my hubby. The gent behind the counter was a nice enough guy; he certainly wasn’t the stereotype that still sticks around. Lo and behold, the conversation shifted to language, specifically English – more specifically American English. And he pontificated on how American English isn’t really English. Looking at me, he did this. My husband was there and participating in the conversation. Another gent setting his stuff up on a table behind us was there. I was the only woman in the establishment. And he focused his attention on the anomaly – me. I write for a living. English is my first language. I can still communicate basic ideas in German and French. (We shan’t go into the Spanish I learned in high school in California). And he essentially told me my…interpretation of American English was wrong because words like Colorado and Rio Grande aren’t English. I never said they were, but that’s the assumption he made. I tried to address it via deflection (“American English isn’t really English” – “According to the British”), which didn’t work. I’m happy to say I smiled politely and wished him a good day as we left. After the door closed behind us, I told my husband “This is why I won’t walk into that store without you if he’s at the counter. I don’t need to be lectured. At least he didn’t look at my chest while he pontificated.” His need to pontificate and prove his intelligence is his problem, not mine. I refuse to own it. I refuse to allow his behavior to influence how I view men in gaming or in game stores. I refuse to allow his behavior to influence my belief in my competence. If I did, I wouldn't be able to work because my command of the language isn't competent. And I think the ability to act accordingly with confidence, while receiving the support from the community (especially those within it most like us) in doing so is integral to getting more women into gaming, specifically game design. To borrow a phrase from Neil, that’s just my 2 cents. ;)
On the subject of encouraging more women to submit to RPGSS - Outside of advertising on other forums or venues, I’m not certain Paizo can actually do anything. We all come with our own personal baggage. We all have the Little Voice telling us all the reasons we shouldn’t do it, can’t do it, whatever. Often those voices aren’t ours, they are someone else’s. Another personal story that will (hopefully) illustrate my point. I would never have thrown my hat in the ring, or continue to do so in the face of repeated failures in 2012 and 2013, without two things. First, my military service taught me I am as good as any man or woman at what I choose to do with my brain. I didn’t really learn that prior to my time in the Air Force, and for years after I didn’t apply that lesson to “creative” endeavors because I was always the “academic” not the “creative” person in my family and with close friends. Second, my husband procured a promise from me that I would submit an entry for 2011’s competition because I felt I wasn’t ready for 2010’s. Then I made it and had to learn a lot of the rules on the fly (archetypes, I’m looking at you). That experience is why I decided game design was something I wanted to do. Notice neither of those circumstances have anything at all to do with Paizo, besides my wondrous item being picked for the Top 32 in 2011. Both circumstances represent a fundamental shift that occurred within me. The only thing we can do is scream it from the rafters and rooftops that RPGSS is a fantastic opportunity with a fantastic community. We can mentor. We can encourage. We can finagle a promise from those we know to not let us do it alone (like my husband did with me). In the end, we can only do so much. Paizo can probably market the competition better. Beyond these things, I don't know that there is anything to do.
Thank you for posting this, Sean. I twitched more than a little seeing archetypes again this year. :P Also, thank you Paizo for posting the twist before the Top 32 are announced. The extra time isn't good for the hairpulling; I may very well be bald by the time the Top 32 are announced. It is excellent for averting the panic attack I expected to occur on a three-day deadline if I make it to Round 2 this year. :)
...Half of my gamer friends are female, but none of them feel like they can take on the rules aspect of things, and none of them DM... This was me in Dec 2010 when I submitted my Verdant Vine to RPGSS 2011. It made Top 32, and I went on to Top 16. I submitted something last year, and my entry for this year is already in. If they don't want to work in game design as freelance or in-house professionals, that's one thing. If they're afraid to take the chance this opportunity (and others) represents, that's something else entirely. They truly have nothing to lose by entering if game design is something they want to do. I'm pretty sure that's one reason the first round is anonymous - to take the "OMG! Everyone will know I failed before I'm even in the contest for really!!!" excuse away from people like me (I didn't submit for RPGSS 2010 for just this reason). Edit: I realize when I'm posting about hows and whys of entering I use a lot of "me/myself/I" and it can come off as grating and obnoxious. I apologize if it does. I simply have no other frame of reference since I'm the only person I know of (face to face) who competes.
I second Sean. Speaking from personal experience, the community here is extremely supportive, and you'll learn a ton. :) If you've been thinking about it, do it. Don't second guess. Do it. No excuses. :) I didn't know much beyond character creation rules in RPGSS 2011, but my item made the cut anyway. Now, not having the time (as opposed to telling yourself that out of fear) is a totally different issue. :D One last note --: Do. It. You know you want to. ;)
Read through all the archetypes in the APG, the Ultimate books, and the Advanced Races Guide (all available here on the PRD) to get a feel for what has already been done. Next, read through all 32 2011 entries to understand where mistakes where made.This scares me about doing too much too early, as some of the archetypes in Ultimate Magic appear to be at odds with some of the 2011 rules and judges' advice, and the 2011 word limit looked like it made some classes particularly tough. Really want to see what changes or is clarified in the 2013 rules, if anything. Having done this once, I strongly suggest a list of possible archetypes for the classes with some notes on how you'd "make it happen." That way you at least have an idea and can get enough info down to see if it will work. For that matter, I strongly suggest jotting down your ideas for all the rounds - just in case. ;) I waited until the Top 32 were announced, spent two of the three days allotted trying to make an archetype work, then had to switch to the one I submitted. It was (understandably) panned. Getting your thoughts and running through a few ideas will help in the long run. You can then tweak to the requirements for the round, and you'll have more than one or two ideas to run with when you're thrown a curveball. At least, that's what I learned after the judges dedicated a "please be kind" thread to kick off the 2011 archetype round. :P I think that hurt more than the actual critiques. Then again, I could have blocked it from my memory. ;)
Ok, my story needs a bit of background because my first submission boils down to a difference of opinion between my hubby and myself. Growing up, my folks were really big on "roles." I was the smart, analytical, dependable one, and my sister was the goofy, flighty, creative one. I'd been married for almost 14 years when my hubby discovered RPG Superstar 2010. We'd gone back and forth over whether I was creative enough to design adventures and run campaigns for...oh...almost 14 years. ;) He had been the world creator, gm, adventure designer, etc, etc for all of our groups. I was the person he bounced ideas off of. I had done some dabbling, but not a whole lot of indepth design - mostly of the world creation variety. I'd never designed a magic item of any type before. He told me about the contest, but there was only one or two weeks to go. I bowed out by telling him "I'll do it next year." 2011 came around, and don't you know he remembered that statement. :P He was hounding me around Halloween, and I mean nagging me, to put something in. I told him "I'm not creative enough to compete in something like that." The back and forth continued for a couple of weeks. "Fine! I'll do it. And if I make it, I'll never say I'm not creative again, ok?!" The last time I made the statement "I'm not creative" was 11/12/10. ;) Now, I do it to push myself. It also serves as a reminder that no boundary is more difficult to get around than the boundaries we surround ourselves with. Imagine...a life lesson from a game design contest. :D
For another perspective...It doesn't get much more humbling than to have made Top 32, progressed to Top 16 (while being justifiably raked over the coals by at least three judges not recommending my progression each of the following rounds), completed and refined the best wondrous item idea I had this year out of about half a dozen while working 3 different freelance assignments of various kinds, and get the "Reject, Reject, Rejected" for S/MIAC and SAK that I should've been able to make better given my past experience. My choice was to chuckle at myself sardonically and decide that I would take what I learned from last year's success and this year's epic fail to make something fantastic for next year. I don't view the Top 32 as the "best of sub-par entries." I understand different strokes for different folks, and sometimes perception is everything. For me, Sean, Neil, Clark, et al.... Please, do not change your critiques. Yeah, sometimes I had to take a step away from the computer, rant and rave, whine and snivel. I'm where I'm at because of everyone's input last year, community and judges. I wouldn't change that for the world. I got to where I was last year because I read all the other critiques and the auto-reject threads and learned from them. That's the lesson all of us can take from this. We should be able to see what worked. Sometimes, it's more difficult to see where a design went wrong. The critiques offered shed light on that, and I'd rather that didn't change. My opinion, take it for what it's worth.
Congratulations and good luck! It's not easy to hit that submit button - period. Several of us were first timers last year so it is possible. What do you do if you make it? Well, I had a panic attack at work and had to take a break so I could squeal, jump up and down, breathe deeply and...panic some more. That kind of excitement looks funny in a social services office. :P Then I had to hurry up and read the parts of the core rulebook not directly related to character creation and crack the brand-spanky new APG that had arrived two days before. I didn't think I'd make it, so reading slowed. Like Scott, my lack of rules-fu showed up and I was out in round 3. Would I change it? Not on your life. I started doing a little bit of layout with Rite Publishing the same month I submitted my wondrous item, and I've turned my RPGSS appearance into two freelance contracts so far. I've just finished my first one and am waiting on feedback from the publisher. The contest is a good gauge of "Can I handle the...deadlines, feedback, stress, fear of rejection, etc." So, good luck again. Whether you make it or don't, what you choose to do with it is entirely up to you. :D |
