RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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For example you may have written a fantastic scenario, but be way over on the word count -- an experienced editor can tell the difference between 750 words and a 1000 at a glance (and possibly has the wordcount displayed in his toolbar), if you've obviously ignored an explicit instruction then why should they spend much time reviewing the script when they've got a hundred more to go through.
Oh, that was aProblemAtFirstUntilIFiguredOutHowToReduceWordcount.
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Send, got confirmation - and now i see all the misspelled words, clipped sentences, and general suck of the proposed story. Always only once it is out, but then in the first rough looking-through.
Yeah. You can be the Stephen King of modules (here's looking at you, Logue) but when you look at your older mods, all you see are the flaws :)
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Send, got confirmation - and now i see all the misspelled words, clipped sentences, and general suck of the proposed story. Always only once it is out, but then in the first rough looking-through.
I've not dared to reread mine.
Mine were mostly written last night between 1 and 2am after I'd spent the previous 36hours ill and was off my face on pain killers.
Not reread them, waited until I got the "received" emails from Josh then hurridly locked the submissions away in a vault where hopefully they'll lie unread for the next hundred years :)
Send, got confirmation - and now i see all the misspelled words, clipped sentences, and general suck of the proposed story. Always only once it is out, but then in the first rough looking-through.I've not dared to reread mine.
Mine were mostly written last night between 1 and 2am after I'd spent the previous 36hours ill and was off my face on pain killers.
Not reread them, waited until I got the "received" emails from Josh then hurridly locked the submissions away in a vault where hopefully they'll lie unread for the next hundred years :)
Right, it could be me but the due date is 23:59 Seattle time? So you couldn't just wait for the drugs to wear off ;>
But I guess you were going for some original Gonzo, old skool style.
This submission was very inspiring and gave me plenty of good ideas, so whether it's selected or not, I'm going to run this adventure with my gaming crew. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun :)
- Zorg
Contributor
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Done. Weird thing was I picked the one I didn't initially like. Twisting it around in my head produced some interesting juice, so I ran with it. Best of luck everyone!
I had a similar experience. I put off working on one of them because the idea just wasn't coming together for me. After I finished my first submission, it was like a light bulb went on and the second submission came together rather quickly.
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
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Pirates. Spiders. Finished, edited, and submitted.
Last week, I worked up a sort of generic "vampires and vaults" pitch, with which I was pretty happy. But when I read the parameters of the actual assignment, I realized it wouldn't fly.
I tried to wrap my brain around a vampire, played intelligently, against a table of 5th Level PFS characters, and --whoulf-- that just never came together.
So, for anyone who cares, here's what the original "vampires and vaults" pitch looked like:
The Redemption of Gimel Carver
For tables of 4 -6 characters, level 7-8, and level 10-11.
Background
When a priestess of a harpy clan high in the Kortos Mountains and the champion of the rival minotaurs fell in love, they were willing to sacrifice anything for time together. Their Deep Lords accepted their words, tore away their lives and their souls, and recast them as vampires, whose devotion for one another is now stained with hatred and envy. Hawthorn and the bestial Lors spend their nights tormenting each other, foiling one another’s schemes. For how else might vampires show their love?
When a Venture Captain of the Pathfinder Society stumbled upon them, Hawthorn took the man’s will and sent him off to steal a great carved gem held sacred by Lors’ tribe. She now offers both the gem and the pathfinder to her Deep Lords. Her sacrificial crevice leads to the Writhing Lands, one of the vaults of Orv.
Introduction
Each PC receives a note through the channels the Society typically uses to notify members of upcoming missions, but this note is no invitation. It was written by Venture Captain Gimel Carver, and it details a mission he himself had undertaken the week before into the Kortos Mountains, 30 miles from Absalom’s walls. His note explains that by now he is to be presumed dead and asks the party to meet and follow after him, to succeed where he failed, and to return his body to Absalom. The Kortos Mountains have been considered too dangerous for official Society missions, so this presents a rare opportunity.
Act One
Captain Gimel’s note directs the party to search foothills controlled by a nomadic tribe of minotaurs and find an onyx gem, 2’ high by 1’ wide. Gimel believed it to be covered in ancient pictographs, which he wished to sketch. Through combat, subterfuge, or diplomacy, the party finds out that Captain Gimel did indeed enter the bull-folk encampment and, uncharacteristically, stole their sacred gem.
Act Two
The party follows the leads or tracks, discovering the vampires Hawthorn and Lors. Hawthorn boasts that Gimel has come under her sway: she commanded him to steal the gem. And Lors boasts that the party is too late: that he had thrown Gimel and the gem down their sacrificial crevice only seconds before.
The party may attack, in which case Lors joins combat, and Hawthorn flees. But seconds count, and the party needs to follow Gimel down the crevice.
Act Three
The fissure leads to a miles-deep shaft. The landing area is illuminated with bulging luminescent vines, bursting forth from some deeper source. Landing, the party is carried away by the vines through a gap in the wall.
The party catches up to Gimel and breaks the enchantment. But that’s the least of their problems.
This vault is the Writhing Lands: the ivy-covered terrain flows eastward, at varying speeds. The ceiling far above is always a deep green or blue, but the “stars” strewn through it change color every couple of hours.
Party members constantly feel as if someone is scrying them, and everything from the luminescent vines to the boulders radiates a low level of evil. Two fiendish bullettes attack, and the ivy itself consumes the corpses of the defeated.
Through the influence of the vault, Gimel continues to fall under Hawthorn’s sway, attempting to murder the PC’s or to take the sacred gem to “the mountain”.
Act Four
The PC’s see a great mountain in the distance, and the land pulls them to the crest. This is the seat of the Demon Lords of the Vault. The Lords do not manifest here, but they communicate through omens, receive sacrifices, and punish those who displease them by disgorging a pair of guardian rage-inducing liquid monkeys, which split to be a score of monkeys, and then a swarm of hundreds.
This is where the PC’s, feverish with rage, can enter the realm of Gimel’s soul and fight the vampiric influence that has taken root there.
Act Five
The ivy continues to push the PC’s through the vault, till they come to the “sink,” a tremendous whirlpool of vines, over which rises another shaft. The party breaks free of the entangling flora and makes their way up the shaft.
Hawthorn waits at the top, summoned by her Deep Lords. After a midair battle with the vampire harpy, the party emerges from a cavern on a small island west of Absalom, with Gimel free of both her influence and the vault.
(Historical footnote: back when Nick Logue announced Pathfinder Society OP, I had asked if I could write a "rescue Grimcleaver" adventure. This is that. And I spelled the character's name "Gimel Carver" to be less obvious.)
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Contributor
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Yeah...I was going in a completely different direction with the vampires and vaults one until I saw the guidelines. I think I came up with a pretty good way to handle the vampire requirement against the given level of PCs. If my submissions don't make the cut, I'll be happy to share the ideas I came up with for both scenarios.
In general, I hope my ideas didn't end up being too common, but I think that a sense of familiarity could be a good thing. One of the cool things about the Pathfinder setting (at least for me) is that the pulp adventure feel allows it to have some recognizable elements. I've come to view the PFS scenarios like episodes in a film or TV serial.
The idea that viewers know there are certain parameters involved in watching their favorite shows can be particularly useful when dealing with an organized play situation where time at the table is limited. If players can quickly get an idea of what the scenario is about, even if they don't know all the details, yet, then they can keep moving forward without getting stymied by the idea that they should be looking at all the possible options.
While one can occasionally use this concept to mislead the players and provide them with an interesting twist during the scenario, doing that too often will lessen the impact...kind of like the "surprise ending" in the first several M. Night Shyamalan movies. (They were really cool at first, but eventually people came to expect them, and were let down when they weren't as surprised each time.)
I sent an outline for "The Trouble with Secrets", but I did not submit for the other one.
Director of Brand Strategy
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I had ideas for both, but a death in the family prevented me from getting The Trouble with Secrets out in time. I hope that Perils of the Pirate Pact is adequate, though, and I look forward to feedback if nothing else. Hopefully next time I can get an outline in for both scenarios.
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Contributor
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I had ideas for both, but a death in the family prevented me from getting The Trouble with Secrets out in time. I hope that Perils of the Pirate Pact is adequate, though, and I look forward to feedback if nothing else. Hopefully next time I can get an outline in for both scenarios.
Wow. Sorry for your loss. Like you, I'm looking forward to getting some feedback, at least.
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I just read the confirmation of receipt for my Trouble with Secrets submission. Here's wishing everyone good luck. I don't envy Josh the job of going through all of these excellent submissions.
Also, sorry for your loss sir. I shall offer up a prayer for your family tonight. Please don't be offended.
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Lame! Seriously need more warning than a day. I just found out about this, 20 minutes after the deadline.
Like give us a week of warning next time. I'm not sure what y'all are thinking, but limiting the applicants to those people who check the boards religiously and continuously isn't going to ensure quality submissions.
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Lame! Seriously need more warning than a day. I just found out about this, 20 minutes after the deadline.
Like give us a week of warning next time. I'm not sure what y'all are thinking, but limiting the applicants to those people who check the boards religiously and continuously isn't going to ensure quality submissions.
Uh, Paizo notified folks on the blog that they were looking for scenarios on the 2nd. Full instructions were posted on the 9th with the deadline clearly marked.
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I had ideas for both, but a death in the family prevented me from getting The Trouble with Secrets out in time. I hope that Perils of the Pirate Pact is adequate, though, and I look forward to feedback if nothing else. Hopefully next time I can get an outline in for both scenarios.
Sympathy vibes sent your way to you and your family.
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Lame! Seriously need more warning than a day. I just found out about this, 20 minutes after the deadline.
Like give us a week of warning next time. I'm not sure what y'all are thinking, but limiting the applicants to those people who check the boards religiously and continuously isn't going to ensure quality submissions.
Take a look at the blog and scroll down - they actually first announced it on Oct. 2, then posted the submission rules & guidelines on Oct. 9. So there were actually 2 weeks of warning.
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There needs to be a better way of announcing these things, because like I said, I didn't know about this til 20 minutes after the deadline.
The blog is such a pain in the ass to read, I only check it when someone specifically mentions something on it. I didn't even know that I had to read that to find out about calls for submissions.
Like, you know, a sticky in this forum would have been EXTREMELY useful.
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You know what, nevermind. I'm just complaining because I really, really wanted to take a shot at this, and I'm pissed off that I found out about only after my opportunity was completely lost, and as if to rub it in, it's was twenty minutes after the fact.
I'm just feeling like the universe kicked me in the teeth. I really wanted this, and now I don't even get a shot.
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There needs to be a better way of announcing these things, because like I said, I didn't know about this til 20 minutes after the deadline.
The blog is such a pain in the ass to read, I only check it when someone specifically mentions something on it. I didn't even know that I had to read that to find out about calls for submissions.
Like, you know, a sticky in this forum would have been EXTREMELY useful.
[shrug] As a full-time blogger in the auto industry, weblogs are rapidly replacing forums and the like for daily announcements on many a site.
There's an email address somewhere on the site to notify Paizo of your issue. Likewise, you can lodge your complaint over at the Website Feedback board as well.
There will probably be another submission request sometime in mid to late 2009, if not sooner.You know what, nevermind. I'm just complaining because I really, really wanted to take a shot at this, and I'm pissed off that I found out about only after my opportunity was completely lost, and as if to rub it in, it's was twenty minutes after the fact.
I'm just feeling like the universe kicked me in the teeth. I really wanted this, and now I don't even get a shot.
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Director of Game Development
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The blog has tons of information regarding the world that these submissions are to be written for. I think that the people that check the blog on a regular basis can provide as good if not better submission than those who do not.
Being involved in the setting, I think, is paramount to working within a 'living' organized play setting such as this. I, of course, could be wrong, as I have no experience with organized play.
However, some of the elements of other organized play settings that turned me off were the complete disconnect with the world that seemed to be shoved in just to fit these events. Being well-connected with the setting, and those who create the setting through their daily offerings, seems very important to me.
Edit: Portions of this post are irrelevant now. I, in no way, support the Richard culture of the internets.
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The blog has tons of information regarding the world that these submissions are to be written for. I think that the people that check the blog on a regular basis can provide as good if not better submission than those who do not.
Oh, that I really don't like.
I mean, how is anyone supposed to remember where stuff is in the blog? Or what if, like me, they haven't really read the blog (I mean seriously, I can only read so much promotional stuff before my eyes glaze over), how are they supposed to get caught up?
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Director of Game Development
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I don't think the information there is promotional as much as it is informative.
As a freelancer, I have turned down projects that I easily could have taken, on the sole basis that I was unfamiliar with the source material enough that I didn't feel I could tackle the project at hand in a way that would satisfy the fans. Lost World stuff, sorry I'm not the guy for the project. Sumerian-based Mythos stuff, nah, not me again. I'm just saying, if someone wants to freelance for a certain world, it's best to follow it completely.
This is something that dings me all the time, as I don't really read sci-fi or fantasy literature. In a recent Open Design project, that I supported on a patron level, I pitched an adventure that was decently written, but missed the mark for the world. It wasn't that I was a bad writer. I just missed the finer points, and lost the opportunity to write the adventure.
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I don't think the information there is promotional as much as it is informative.
Yeah...informative about new products that they are promoting, and hence "promotional."
On the first two pages of the blog, other than the Open Call announcements, it's all 100% advertisements. That's pretty much why I don't read it.
I'm just feeling like the universe kicked me in the teeth. I really wanted this, and now I don't even get a shot.
I think Enworld also posted a link to the open call.
But, if you really want to enter an open call, I think it is required that you check a publishers site often, very often.
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I don't think the information there is promotional as much as it is informative.Yeah...informative about new products that they are promoting, and hence "promotional."
On the first two pages of the blog, other than the Open Call announcements, it's all 100% advertisements. That's pretty much why I don't read it.
That's a little extreme. The whole website is an advertisement if you think about it. What Daigle is saying is that the blog is of greater use for information than it is for advertising. It's advertising through information. The information in the blogs deals with the newest releases to be sure, but it always goes beyond the stuff presented in the official products. For anyone remotely interested in Golarion, the blog is a great place to go to learn new things. And for someone who already buys the products, I still read the articles regularly to expand my knowledge. And I'm not even one of the hardcore Golarion nuts. You know who you are. :)
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Creative Director
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To a certain extent, yes, the blog's mostly advertisements. But it's also one of the only places we HAVE to advertise. We HAVE to let folk know what's coming, and doing previews of upcoming products and all that is a powerful tool. It's also a great place to put announcements, but it's not the best tool to do so. I can understand the disappointment of folk who want to write for Paizo but who happen to miss the all-important blog post and don't realize that there's an open call going on.
That said, this is certainly something we'll be working on to fix in the future, as our website slowly but surely evolves.
Further, this is not the last time we'll be doing an open call for writers. It's the first time, really. We spent the majority of the last year and a half recovering from changing from magazines to books, handling the launch of a new campaign setting, and navigating the announcement and release of 4th edition. On top of releasing monthly products the whole time. We haven't had much time as a result to handle things like open calls, but now that we're coming out the far side of that long dark tunnel of tumult, things are going to start changing. We'll be having more and more frequent open calls for Scenarios, I suspect, and we'll start having more for modules and even parts of Pathfinder itself in the future as well... possibly as soon as December. We'll make those announcements via the blog, certainly. I'll probably post stuff on our messageboards and over at EN world as well. I'll be talking about the open calls on the Tuesday night chats. I'll probably even mention some of them in print in Pathfinder's forewords.
But still, a big part of the responsibility of the prospective author is to keep abreast of a company's announcements. Writing for Paizo isn't a prize, it's a job, and if one wants to do it and be successful, one should dedicate a portion of the day to watching our blog and website and messageboards like a hawk, perhaps even posting now and then to ask about writing opportunities. Treat sending in submissions for an open call with the same maturity and dedication you'd treat submitting your resume to a prospective employer. After all, a submission for an open call IS a resume in some ways; it's your attempt to catch our attention and convince Paizo to hire you for a job.
Eventually, I'd love to get a section of our website set aside for ALL writing opportunities; this'd be a great place to put our writer's guidelines (which still aren't ready for public consumption) for one, and it'd consolidate the open call schedule in one place. We're not there yet, though, so for the immediate future, the prospective writer just needs to be diligent in watching our blog, messageboards, and other venues we have to communicate to the outside world.
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I dunno, the above conversation is making me think maybe I shouldn't even bother. I can't afford to be a superscriber and buy every single book, so clearly I can't write for Golarion, and it seems like there are people who are willing to devote themselves to learning everything about someone else's world entirely on spec.
But like, I have a life outside Paizo fandom. So...
Meh, I'll just write and publish independently, and bless the OGL for letting me avoid the hassle of jumping through hoops and blowing money on books I can't afford on the off chance I might get a submission in.
<bounces in and posts a smurf to try to lighten the mood up>
I dunno, the above conversation is making me think maybe I shouldn't even bother. I can't afford to be a superscriber and buy every single book, so clearly I can't write for Golarion, and it seems like there are people who are willing to devote themselves to learning everything about someone else's world entirely on spec.
It's not realistic to expect prospective freelancers to track every detail of a growing setting, but writing is not always a solitary endeavor. If an idea for an adventure hits you, ally yourself with one of the setting's enthusiasts, who can fill you in on the details you've missed and advise you about which sources to review.
Don't despair: Just stop by the chat room!
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Creative Director
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I dunno, the above conversation is making me think maybe I shouldn't even bother. I can't afford to be a superscriber and buy every single book, so clearly I can't write for Golarion, and it seems like there are people who are willing to devote themselves to learning everything about someone else's world entirely on spec.
But like, I have a life outside Paizo fandom. So...
Meh, I'll just write and publish independently, and bless the OGL for letting me avoid the hassle of jumping through hoops and blowing money on books I can't afford on the off chance I might get a submission in.
The honest truth, though, is that in order to succeed at writing for Paizo, you kinda DO have to be familiar with our world. For scenarios, this isn't as MUCH of an issue, since you're just writing a small adventure that doesn't have much impact on the world, but you still need to know things like how goblins don't have a written language, aged gnomes bleach instead of wrinkle, and that it's very unlikely to see gnolls walk the streets of a city in Almas but pretty common to see them in Katapesh. This is the main reason we provide guidance for the open calls, and don't simply ask for, say, an "8th level adventure set in a hilly region."
The Open Calls are not a route for the person looking to self-publish or get his homebrew creations into print, in other words. We're looking for people to write adventures set in Golarion, and that does mean that writers who are familiar with Golarion will have an edge over those that do not.
Meh, I'll just write and publish independently, and bless the OGL for letting me avoid the hassle of jumping through hoops and blowing money on books I can't afford on the off chance I might get a submission in.
If you do want to venture in the wonderful world of self-publishing, might I suggest the following, free, title: How to Save Money Starting Your Own PDF Game Company
OK, the title could be better, but it does have a few good points.....
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To a certain extent, yes, the blog's mostly advertisements. But it's also one of the only places we HAVE to advertise. We HAVE to let folk know what's coming, and doing previews of upcoming products and all that is a powerful tool. It's also a great place to put announcements, but it's not the best tool to do so. I can understand the disappointment of folk who want to write for Paizo but who happen to miss the all-important blog post and don't realize that there's an open call going on.
Why not put that stuff in the "This Week in Paizo" mails I keep getting as well?
Sadly I'm sitting this open call out as I just don't have the time to write all that stuff up coming up to X-Mas. I look forward to the next one though, or RPGSuperstar 2
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The honest truth, though, is that in order to succeed at writing for Paizo, you kinda DO have to be familiar with our world. For scenarios, this isn't as MUCH of an issue, since you're just writing a small adventure that doesn't have much impact on the world, but you still need to know things like how goblins don't have a written language, aged gnomes bleach instead of wrinkle, and that it's very unlikely to see gnolls walk the streets of a city in Almas but pretty common to see them in Katapesh. This is the main reason we provide guidance for the open calls, and don't simply ask for, say, an "8th level adventure set in a hilly region."
The Open Calls are not a route for the person looking to self-publish or get his homebrew creations into print, in other words. We're looking for people to write adventures set in Golarion, and that does mean that writers who are familiar with Golarion will have an edge over those that do not.
Sure, sure. But at the same time, this is why editors exist. This is why over at Marvel comics, when someone makes a glaring continuity error, people (in the know) don't b&$$+ about the writer, they ask why editorial was asleep at the wheel.
There's a difference between being familiar with Golarion -- like I've read the Campaign Setting cover to cover, and have a Chronicles subscription, so I'm familiar -- and having an obsessive mastery of the world. Which I'm never going to have. It's the difference between knowing you guys won't ever be interested in stuff about Shadow Elves (from Mystara) or Blighted Nyss (from iron Kingdoms), no matter how much cooler I think they are than Drow, because Golarion's got Drow, and knowing that you won't be interested in an adventure set in Town X because the author described the mayor as male, and there was passing reference to Town X in Module Y that claimed the mayor was a woman.
Or knowing that you won't be interested in anything involving Drow for awhile after Second Darkness to avoid over-saturation, but knowing your tastes well enough to know you might be receptive to a pitch about an scenario involving a dinosaur hunt in the Mammoth Lands.
But seriously, I hope you guys wouldn't reject an awesome adventure just because the writer included something trivial like "One of the goblins has scrawled 'Znortag's mother wears combat boots.' on the wall in the Goblin tongue." I'd hope that would be something the editors would just say "Nice flavor, but doesn't fit." and edit it out.
Anyways, within two years or so, y'all will have produced enough material that the only people who will be able to remember it all are going to be the sort of obsessive Asperger's types who have no imagination of their own. You know, because the dudes who know Marvel canon better than Marvel editorial are generally pretty lousy writers, just like the guys who no D&D canon better than anyone are usually kind of scary people.
The worst thing is if you end up doing adventures where the only reward is the small bit of self-satisfaction you get at recognizing the millions of continuity-correct references, but continuity has so bogged down the writing that it smothers any actual sense of fun or wonder.
I'm totally threadjacking, aren't I? Does it matter? The Open Call is over, so this thread can go off-topic safely, yeah?
James covered most everything I would've said in response to where this thread has gone in the last 24 hours.
I will say that we announced the Open Call on our blog twice, on ENWorld's main page twice, and folks talked about in these forums since 10/2. The Pathfinder Society page here also has a "Write For Us" page here which was also updated on 10/2 and 10/9 and will be updated every time we do an Open Call.
We'll also be doing an Open Call for one or more scenarios every month. So those of you who didn't get in this time will have plenty of opportunity to wow us.
And to be totally frank, some of the comments in this thread in the last 24 hours don't exactly wow me. :-/
But seriously, I hope you guys wouldn't reject an awesome adventure just because the writer included something trivial ...
We wouldn't.
... the only people who will be able to remember it all are going to be the sort of obsessive Asperger's types who have no imagination of their own.
I'm not sure how insulting our fan base is going to make you any friends around here. Or get you hired as a freelance author, for that matter.
I'm totally threadjacking, aren't I? Does it matter? The Open Call is over, so this thread can go off-topic safely, yeah?
Yes. Yes. No.
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And to be totally frank, some of the comments in this thread in the last 24 hours don't exactly wow me. :-/
I thought James was being remarkably restrained for once. ;)
This thread was friendly, can we keep it that way? I don't speak for everyone but I had very little difficulty keeping track of the open call process. Granted, my desktop wallpaper has the PRPG Playtest schedule on it so that might suggest something about my interest level in the boards.
EDIT: Josh: Did you receive my second e-mail?
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I'm not sure how insulting our fan base is going to make you any friends around here. Or get you hired as a freelance author, for that matter.
I'm only insulting your fanbase if you believe your fanbase cosnists entirely of creepy obsessives. So apologies if they are necessary, Josh, but I'm pretty sure I'm not insulting anyone's fanbase. I'm part of your fanbase, and I'm certainly not insulting myself. I mean, I don't think I'm a creepy obsessive.
I'm just saying something that's true about any fandom. As Pathfinder grows, and as it's fanbase expands, and most importantly as the volume of material produced under the Pathfinder brand increases, you will eventually reach a critical mass where you will be dealing with very element of fandom, including the highly obnoxious elements. Really Josh, I'm not insulting anyone, I'm just warning you about something.
I mean really, am I insulting Paizo fans by pointing out that some crazy obsessive person is eventually discover what you're doing here, and that person is eventually going to know more about Golarion than anyone on the Paizo staff? You got to be prepared for that eventuality. Continuity errors will be made, they are unavoidable (unless you're editors have talent on loan from god, something will eventually get past them...heck, I bet something already has), and that's when you'll meet a distressed obsessive-compulsive who has transformed his free-floating aggression into a consuming hatred for everyone at Paizo because someone dared to forget that the bartender in the Jade Dragon Inn has blue eyes. Every fandom that gets big eventually attracts that guy. And that guy is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to weird fans. Remember, fans are fanatics, and fanatics are sometimes really weird people. Really, really weird.
And I'm just saying, that guy, he's not going to be a better writer for his ability to never forget any details about the world. And writing adventures that will appeal to him -- pastiches of references that only he'll remember -- aren't going to appeal to anyone else.
There are people posting in this thread, not you, not James, just other fans, who I sense were implying that the best adventures would be written by that guy. And wow, is that not the case. That guy is not only a bad writer, he's not even a part of the fanbase that you should try to accommodate.
It's kind of like what killed the The X-Files: eventually everything became so self-referential that only real diehards could even understand it, so it's audience could only dwindle. Over the long term, Paizo will be forced to deal with the question of keeping Golarion accessible, which means sacrificing continuity over time, or adhering slavishly to continuity and eventually only appealing to a dwindling number of people who have always be superscribers.