Each year has a "favorite item type"

[Montalve]

ok i din't win, but at leastmy item don't fall on some of the weird items critiziced here :P

nor do i feel it was repetitive

[Urizen]

And here I thought it was going to be puzzle boxes....

[Clark Peterson]

Ceylon Tom wrote:

Hmmm, my item was a "spy robot" item. When I came up with it I felt I had a pretty good idea, but reading that this kind of item was the most common this year is really a slap in the face. Well, better luck next time.

The problem with the "spy robot" is the same problem with the "make camping way too safe" item: they take the inherent risks and dangers of adventuring out of the game and they show that the designer isn't thinking like a designer but is instead thinking like a player making an item they wish they had to avoid risk for their PC.

[Dredan]

It's pretty funny, but Wicht's item and my own item were pretty dang close to doing the same exact thing, costing was similiar, but we used different spells. I will be curious to see what Clark has to say about the Craft houses... I don't think there is enough interest in the crafting side of the house to make these items shine. I am more of a roleplayer and less of a hack and slasher. Plus my own constructive critisicims is that the item is not wow superstar category. It may also be a mage's magnificent mansion in a can =)

[Matthew Morris]

I'll admit, I was hoping for more metamagic items myself. Since that was what got the most comments about my bracelt last year, I was hoping to see someone run with the idea.

[Turin the Mad]

Clark Peterson wrote:

Ceylon Tom wrote:

Hmmm, my item was a "spy robot" item. When I came up with it I felt I had a pretty good idea, but reading that this kind of item was the most common this year is really a slap in the face. Well, better luck next time.

The problem with the "spy robot" is the same problem with the "make camping way too safe" item: they take the inherent risks and dangers of adventuring out of the game and they show that the designer isn't thinking like a designer but is instead thinking like a player making an item they wish they had to avoid risk for their PC.

"Spy Robot": scrying / clairsentience, telekinesis / mage hand/ open/close, telepathic bond, summon monster / summon nature's ally/ eidolon and a whole slew of other spells do exactly this when used in combination (as they often are).

"Make Camping Way too Safe": tiny hut, secure shelter, alarm, private sanctum, rope trick, magnificent mansion and dimension lock spells (among others), individually and collectively all do this as well.

Should these spells be removed from the game because they do part of the functions that are complained about appearing in a Wondrous Item? What about the wondrous items that already do such functions?

I don't blame Ceylon Tom for feeling the way he does. After all, it has been made rather clear that one of the (unspoken) criteria was "would I want this for my character".

A designer is supposed to think in several ways, including what effects are desirable to antagonists and protagonists alike, aren't they? Wondrous Items that solve problems such as the above are going to be desirable.

[Sean K Reynolds]

{"Spy Robot": scrying / clairsentience, telekinesis / mage hand/ open/close, telepathic bond, summon monster / summon nature's ally/ eidolon and a whole slew of other spells do exactly this when used in combination (as they often are).
"Make Camping Way too Safe": tiny hut, secure shelter, alarm, private sanctum, rope trick, magnificent mansion and dimension lock spells (among others), individually and collectively all do this as well.
Should these spells be removed from the game because they do part of the functions that are complained about appearing in a Wondrous Item?}

No, but that doesn't mean we need yet another item to encourage players to be cowardly rather than heroic. We actually DQ'd more than one item that basically let your character stay at home and adventure remotely for that very reason. No risk, no reward.

{What about the wondrous items that already do such functions?}

We're not advocating taking things out of the game.

{A designer is supposed to think in several ways, including what effects are desirable to antagonists and protagonists alike, aren't they?}

And a superstar designer recognizes, "these areas are already covered in the many spells and magic items in the core book, I should break new ground."

{Wondrous Items that solve problems such as the above are going to be desirable.}

And they're already in the game.

We don't need more 1st-level fire damage area spells. We don't need more 1 HD humanoids that have the same role as orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and so on.. We don't need yet another way to squeeze a +1 onto an attack roll or saving throw. Or, more properly, it's not innovative to do such things.

The RPG Superstar is not the "can I make an item that would be satisfactory for a book of magic items?" competition, it's the "I'm trying to show that I've got what it takes to be a designer who creates things that make a big, memorable impact on peoples' campaigns" competition.

You don't try out for American Idol hoping to be a backup singer or part of a boy band, you try out for American Idol to become the next American idol. You don't compete in RPG Superstar to get an "Additional Design" credit, you compete to get a cover credit.

There's a place for spell-in-a-can items (many of them are in the book and staples of the game), and for spy robots, and even Swiss army knife and random-result items. But trying to win a design contest with them is unlikely because "item shaped like a [thing] that lets you do [spell] [times] per day" is going to lose compared to "item that does [something you can't do without this item]."

[Clark Peterson]

Turin the Mad wrote:

I don't blame Ceylon Tom for feeling the way he does. After all, it has been made rather clear that one of the (unspoken) criteria was "would I want this for my character".

Sure, all those items are good items. Of course they should be in the game. And yes spells exist for them. But that's just not Superstar. I think we've been pretty consistent for three years now in telling everyone that. We want something new, or something old done in a new or interesting way. We arent saying your item isnt good. We are saying its not Superstar.

[Eric Morton]

*shakes fist* Damn you, other tongue items that are better than mine!

Last year, I step on the double landmine "favorite item" (dream item) and camping item. I made my Reflex save and escaped unscathed, but I stepped on both landmines nonetheless.

This year, I step on the double landmine of "favorite item" (tongue item) and "exact same idea, considerably worse execution." That second landmine doesn't even allow a Reflex save.

Even the two main items I chose not to submit this year were "favorite items," at least as far as the self-rejected items thread is concerned.

Maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead. My ability to design wondrous items doesn't seem to be improving with practice, and the "favorite item" landmine I keeping stepping on is only going to get bigger and bigger as the number of Round 1 entries grows over time.

[Ceylon Tom]

Clark Peterson wrote:

The problem with the "spy robot" is the same problem with the "make camping way too safe" item: they take the inherent risks and dangers of adventuring out of the game and they show that the designer isn't thinking like a designer but is instead thinking like a player making an item they wish they had to avoid risk for their PC.

I get what you mean. This is the first year I participated, but I think I understand why my item wasn't Superstar material. It's not sufficient to show that you can do your math and make an item with sound mechanics, you have to make the judges think "I'd like to see what this contestant can will in the next round..." Ok, now that I get this I cannot wait for the next RPG Superstar.

Is it 2011 yet?

[Lief Clennon]

Ceylon Tom wrote:

Ok, now that I get this I cannot wait for the next RPG Superstar.

And for what it's worth, I can't wait to see you there. That attitude is exactly what you need. It's a hard one to cultivate, so consider yourself blessed to have it already!

[Llamafrog]

Tongue items are neat!

*licks SKR*

[Matthew Morris]

Epic Meepo wrote:

Maybe I should just quit while I'm ahead. My ability to design wondrous items doesn't seem to be improving with practice, and the "favorite item" landmine I keeping stepping on is only going to get bigger and bigger as the number of Round 1 entries grows over time.

Don't fall into that trap Eric,

Remember, the bracelet of shields wasn't expected by its designer to be in the top 32. I just wanted to get it out there to be ripped to shreds.

And if I took that attitude after the colossal fail that was my round 2 entry, I'd not have tried this year.

[Sean K Reynolds]

I definitely encourage everyone to submit an item next year even if they've failed to make the Top 32 in any of the previous years. The competition changes every year, what is "common" changes every year, and most of the people don't make it to the Top 32 (just because of the number of people involved).

Just remember that James Wyatt got rejected from Dragon and Dungeon over and over before getting a slew of articles in, and now he's an in-house designer at Wizards (and a very nice guy!).

[Patrick Walsh]

I had a rock item. There were two rock items that made the list. I was thinking rock items were going to be common.

[Turin the Mad]

Clark Peterson wrote:

Turin the Mad wrote:

I don't blame Ceylon Tom for feeling the way he does. After all, it has been made rather clear that one of the (unspoken) criteria was "would I want this for my character".

Sure, all those items are good items. Of course they should be in the game. And yes spells exist for them. But that's just not Superstar. I think we've been pretty consistent for three years now in telling everyone that. We want something new, or something old done in a new or interesting way. We arent saying your item isnt good. We are saying its not Superstar.

Fair enough, both for yours and SKR's replies.

Time to see what can be germinated for 2011.

[Shinmizu]

Turin the Mad wrote:

Time to see what can be germinated for 2011.

Awww, man, I suck at creating magical wheat.

[Eric Morton]

Matthew Morris wrote:

Don't fall into that trap Eric...

I appreciate your show of support.

And I agree with Sean that, in general, people should keep submitting to Superstar if they don't make it in any given year. Having a few specific ideas get passed over in a few specific contests isn't really that big of a set-back.

But my own situation is a little bit different. (Existential angst and verbose introspection follow.)

Spoiler:

It's not the fact that I didn't make the cut this year that's getting me down. As I said above, having a few unsuccessful ideas is no reason to give up on something. Not making the cut this year has merely forced me to reevaluate the big picture.

You see, my problem isn't that I've had a few unsuccessful ideas. It's that I've had a quite a few successful ones.

Over the last ten or so years, I've been published five times in Dragon; I've sold a softcover d20 supplement to a professional publisher; I've been a finalist in three Dragon-sponsored game design contests, one gaming-store-sponsored game design contest, and RPG Superstar 2009; I've made the second cut in two WotC open calls for shared-world novel proposals; I've spent a year publishing my own ezine and have credits in a dozen or so other amateur publications; and I've seen specific feedback I've given to designers incorporated in recognizable ways into multiple editions of the game we all know and love.

So why am I feeling down when I've been lucky enough to have a portfolio like that?

Because, after ten years of effort, with everything that I've accomplished thus far, I have nothing to show for it. I'm still just treading water. My ability to design game elements doesn't seem to have significantly improved; I can't consistently impress editors; I've created nothing memorable, let alone worthy of earning a following.

I have to wonder if I haven't just been wasting my time for the last decade. I've been more successful than most, yet I consistently fall short of the goals I've set for myself. I get some work, but I accomplish nothing of note. At some point, I have to consider the possibility that my best just isn't going to cut it in this industry.

And when I say, "my best," I really do mean "my best." I've devoted the vast majority of my effort and free time over the past ten years to the pursuit of writing in general, and, to a lesser extent, game design. While my friends were out pursuing careers and starting families, I was busy reading and writing and rewriting and studying to the exclusion of most everything else, all in an effort to hone my skills and learn what it takes to be a successful writer.

That's not to say that I don't have a life on the side. I do. But that's on the side. Writing has been the single, most-important focus of my life for the past ten years.

I've written five novels and at least three complete game systems, all unpublished. I've deleted more short shorties off my hard drive than most people write in their entire lives. My folder of Word files uses more space on my hard drive than my entire collection of mp3's.

And what, pray tell, do I have to show for that decade's worth of work? A shelf of RPG books that have paid for themselves, a tag next to my name on a messageboard, and a few articles that no one remembers.

Is that what success looks like in this industry? Is it even worth it if it is? Because I can tell you, it certainly doesn't feel like it's worth it, and I'm left wondering if my passion is misplaced. Maybe I've been trying so hard to live a dream that I've failed to anticipate the necessity of compromise. Maybe the ideas of living my passion and living my life aren't as compatible as I once thought.

Is quitting while I'm ahead the real trap? Or would I be freer if I just cut the cords and let my dream drift off into the aether, to be seized by loftier and luckier beings than I?

[Turin the Mad]

Shinmizu wrote:

Turin the Mad wrote:

Time to see what can be germinated for 2011.

Awww, man, I suck at creating magical wheat.

Gotta have something to go with the magical tankards.

[zylphryx]

Epic Meepo wrote:

Matthew Morris wrote:

Don't fall into that trap Eric...

I appreciate your show of support.

And I agree with Sean that, in general, people should keep submitting to Superstar if they don't make it in any given year. Having a few specific ideas get passed over in a few specific contests isn't really that big of a set-back.

But my own situation is a little bit different. (Existential angst and verbose introspection follow.)** spoiler omitted **...

Spoiler:

Nope, keep at it. Writing is by far one of the hardest professions to have measurable success in, at least on par with other professions. Few writers ever achieve monetary success to the extent they can rely solely upon their writing. What most writers have in common is a drive to write. To weave tales from the threads of the world around them in order to create something new and unexpected. It is the telling of the tale that is the greatest reward for many writers.

Writing for the RPG industry would be, I would expect, to be even more about a passion for the both the game and the telling of the new story. And with this being the niche market it is, the people who make it to the point they can do this type of work as their sole focus is a small group indeed.

Bottom line is this. If you love to write, write. Tell your tales and weave that tapestry for the world to see. Go into it not expecting recognition or riches; when they come your way those rewards are all the sweeter.

And I would love to see some of your novels. Do you have them posted anywhere?

[Sean K Reynolds]

Eric, two thoughts.

One, Stephen King struggled to get a novel published for six years after college; he got little short stories published here and there, but... six years.

Two, Roger Moore once said, "there are more professional astronauts in the USA than there are professional RPG designers." Meaning, it's a very small industry, and few people are making a living doing it full-time. Even Wizards of the Coast only has about 4 full-time designers now.

Three, Ryan Dancey once joked, "How do you make a small fortune in the RPG industry? Start with a large fortune!" Meaning, there's not a lot of money to be made here. You do it because you love it... and if the work pays for the hobby, that's great. :)

Meanwhile, you should email me at my Paizo address: (my first name) at paizo.com

[Heathansson]

Any tin intraurethral mercury-injecting syringes for cure disease: syphilis?

[Mike Welham]

Heathansson wrote:

Any tin intraurethral mercury-injecting syringes for cure disease: syphilis?

Dang! I submitted three of those (all under different user names, of course).

[varianor]

Epic Meepo wrote:

But my own situation is a little bit different. (Existential angst and verbose introspection follow.)** spoiler omitted **...

Um, Eric, you got to Top 16 last year? We're all success stories in our own right, one way or another. Yeah, I can see it's frustrating, but I think it's time to man up for next year or do something else that isn't as frustrating for you. :D

[Lief Clennon]

Epic Meepo wrote:

I've been more successful than most, yet I consistently fall short of the goals I've set for myself.

I blame the goals.

I don't know how old you are. Probably my age, maybe five years older... close enough. My life is devoid of the hallmarks of success. I am, by every proper American metric, a complete loser. I dropped out of high school, then I dropped out of college. Only one year of my life has been spent above the official poverty line (and it wasn't 2009). I lost my job to a budget crunch as of the new year, and for the moment I'd rather coast along on meager savings and on-call computer service than step up to a proper breadwinning position. And the job I had, despite bearing an impressive managerial title, was only part-time in the first place.

But, you know what? This is my life. This is what I have. From the inside, I know it's more than it looks like. I haven't stopped growing as a person, or even slowed. And as time goes on, I've proven to myself on various occasions that yes, I am capable of the things I'm not doing. I have worked 100-hour (paid) weeks. I have worn a suit and tie. I have produced finished, polished works entirely of my own volition, and I have done likewise at the behest of others. I have held a job I hated for years out of a sense of duty to others. Hell, I even turned a profit as a small-time rock star until the typical rock band drama explosion. And if I were to guess, I imagine you can check off most of the same accomplishments, or similar ones.

I can run the rat race. I've proven it. So now, sitting at home in my third week of unemployment, eating cereal and sandwiches to stretch the money out, I'm happy. I know that my position in life, here and now, is a choice that I have made. I could have made the other choice, and I could have succeeded at it. But I don't need a big house, I don't need fancy meals, I don't need to drive everywhere, and all my valuable time is mine. I can use it entirely at my own discretion, assigning only enough to the vaunted winning of bread to keep myself comfortable by my own standards.

This is all a very recent mindset for me. I've felt the uncertainty I see you describing. I know it intimately, and I've nailed the bastard down. It comes from unreasonable, impersonal goals. They're not your goals, they're the goals you have been assigned by popular culture. They loom, demanding answers. Why haven't you kept up with the Joneses? Well, the reason is simple. You didn't care to. You have other things to do, things you truly love, things you would miss if you gave them up far more than you currently lament the lack of a Lexus.

In short, we're special g*$!~!ned snowflakes. You have two options: melt into the spring flow, or learn to appreciate the cold. As grueling as door #2 might seem at times, if you've kept it up for this long, I think you're better off accepting that you won't be happy as a puddle of mud.

[Fergie]

"I'm a blindfold that compensates for your blindness with scent/blindsense/blindsight"
That's totally not my item... because... its darkvision AND blind... oh.
Oh well, I'm still glad I went through the process.

Meepo- I know just what you mean. 15 years of photoshop experience, and I spend my days now pounding nails and dry-walling. But while I'm doing that, I dream of being a game designer. What a time to be alive Moonpie! It sounds like writing is your passion, and perhaps you just haven't found the right place in the world yet. Who knows, you might just be ahead of your time!

[Curaigh]

Epic Meepo wrote:

Matthew Morris wrote:

Don't fall into that trap Eric...

I appreciate your show of support.

And I agree with Sean that, in general, people should keep submitting to Superstar if they don't make it in any given year. Having a few specific ideas get passed over in a few specific contests isn't really that big of a set-back.

But my own situation is a little bit different. (Existential angst and verbose introspection follow.)** spoiler omitted **...

Do you still find it fun? in my mind that is the first step to not make it a waste of time. How many gamers make money when they gather around the table with their friends every week? How many football fans pay the bills when they gather around the tube every monday night? How many ballet afficienados fill the fridge during the nutcracker?

One of the guys at work is a mostly competetive bowler. He makes just enough at a tournament to go to the next one and he said "as long as the hobby pays for itself, I consider myself ahead." That has become my goal.

I am not sure how the computer gaming industry works, but I imagine your portfolio would translate.

[Shinmizu]

Heathansson wrote:

Any tin intraurethral mercury-injecting syringes for cure disease: syphilis?

There's an app for that.

[Sektor]

Curaigh wrote:

I am not sure how the computer gaming industry works, but I imagine your portfolio would translate.

I myself quit the computer gaming industry last year to spend more time on writing, designing and other hobbies.

Making video games is fun -- in fact, it was one of my childhood dreams. But it's exhausting and time consuming like nothing I know. Being extremely passionate about it only multiplies that. So much so, in fact, that in my case my family, my health and my sanity started suffering from it. I had no other outlet, like playing roleplaying games, playing video games, or even playing an instrument; all my energy went into my job and there was not enough time to resupply.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's not always a good idea to try to make a profession of your hobbies. Most of the time, you're better off keeping a hobby as a hobby, and choosing a job that doesn't "grab" you so much (in other words, try to choose a job for which you have not as much passion as you have for your hobbies). Because a hobby you can put aside from time to time, but a job requires you to be there no matter what.

Besides, when you get confronted with all the bad stuff around your hobby (which you cannot choose to ignore if it's your job), you will lose interest for a while at best, or suffer permanent burnout at worst. That's something I would not like to see happen to my passion for roleplaying games.

[brock]

tejón wrote:

Epic Meepo wrote:

I've been more successful than most, yet I consistently fall short of the goals I've set for myself.

I blame the goals.

As a rule of thumb, it takes 10 years of practice to start to become recognised as good at what you do.

Look at the careers of some rockstars and the time it takes for someone out of college with a technical degree to stop breaking stuff.

tejón wrote:

But, you know what? This is my life. This is what I have.

I have severe envy of your state of mind. I wish I could accept the world that well.

[Mistwalker]

Epic Meepo wrote:

But my own situation is a little bit different. (Existential angst and verbose introspection follow.)** spoiler omitted **...

One question that I have for you, did you have fun doing all that and do you still have fun doing it?

If you are no longer having fun, it's time to take a look at why not and decide where you go from there.

Personally, I don't ever expect to make my living as a game designer/writer. I know the odds on that are not in my favor. I GM/design/write/play for personal enjoyment and wanting to share my enjoyment with others who may appreciate the same things as myself.

[Charles Evans 25]

(edited)
Eric Morton:
I think you might be partially a victim here of all the publicity and enthusiasm Clark and the others threw into promoting this contest to get more more of a buzz about it, to get more submissions in. It's not the end of the world if you didn't get into the top 32 of a contest which had even more entrants than last year. In fact if you've published your own ezine, I think you may already have achieved much more than a superstar cover credits could be regarded to indicate.

As to your comments on success... That depends on how you define success, I guess. I have had items tossed into the garbage now by the judges in two successive Superstar contests, and do you know what? (Apologies to the judges, but:) Sean is WRONG. People should not just keep on blindly submitting to Superstar, 'just because', when there are other ways they could contribute much more meaningfully. At this point I believe that I will never make the Round 1 'keepers' folder of the Superstar judges, but that doesn't matter because I can be useful providing objective feedback and criticism on the entries of contestants that are good enough to make it - and occasionally posting an outrageous elephant crimelord villain that might perhaps raise a smile somewhere in the world. I'm a total, absolute, unashamed failure if success is measured by 'being better in contests than x thousand other people', but I'm a winner several times over already if I tally success by people I've helped with feedback that I've given.

Look at what you have been doing, look at what you have achieved. Then shut you eyes, walk back a couple of steps shake your head to clear it, then open your eyes again to look at what you've actually been doing and have actually achieved from a slightly broader prospective. You should be feeling much better. Uhh, unless the view you now have is of some very fine geology whistling past your nose as you plummet downwards accelerating at approximately 9.8 metres/second in which case you just stepped off a cliff, and had better hope that there's some deep water at the bottom of it and that you can swim. ;)

[Sean K Reynolds]

Charles, just because you're feeling down about the results doesn't mean you should encourage people to give up THEIR goals for winning this contest.

Neil submitted an item in 2008's competition, and didn't get in. He wouldn't be the 2009 winner if he didn't try again.

I never said people should "blindly" submit to Superstar. People should review the Top 32 from the previous years and read the discussion about those items, as well as the things that get items disqualified. Learn how to improve... and actually improve. "Blindly" submitting each year is foolish, and none of us ever suggested that anyone do it.

If you try out for American Idol singing "Mary had a little lamb" and you don't progress, and you come back the next year and try out with "Mary had a little lamb" again, that's just dumb. But coming back the second year, after watching what the judges and voters responded to, and practicing, and taking voice lessons, and developing your own style, that's being a SMART competitor.

By deciding not to compete, you just make it that much easier for everyone who does submit an item next year.

Eric, keep working at it. Keep having fun. As long as you're having fun, it's worth it.

[Maurice de Mare]

So you didn't make top 32 this year, realistically this should not come as a surprise to you, you threw your d20 and you didn't roll a 20.

Just like in the game, 20's are not rolled every roll, unless your name is Matthew ;>

But what you SHOULD do is:

1) watch the competition;
2) learn;
3) try again next year;
4) QUERY.

There are still a lot of magazines and publishers in the world that are in need of articles, they have submission guidelines, read those, think of a good idea and query. That will increase your chances for next year.

[Robert N. Emerson]

I've submitted each time and, as of yet, I've not made it into the Top 32...such is life, and it doesn't mean I won't submit to next year's contest. Well, unless I manage to disqualify myself over the course of the next year.

When it comes to gauging our own success, we're often our own worst critics, too. By the gradient of some of the folks I know, I'm modestly successful since I've been published a few times, mostly via Open Calls or small press. Of course, by other gradients, I'm a rank and file amateur with no skill or ability.

Myself, I just enjoy what I do, even if the emotional paycheck (for now) is bigger than the materialistic one.

If you enjoy working on RPG materials and you wanna keep trying, then keep trying. Everyone had to start somewhere, at least from what I've seen since most folks don't just get handed a fortune and decide to start a gaming company with it. ;)

[Charles Evans 25]

Sean:
I'll be happy to take up this exchange by email, and indeed I hope you have email now.
I apologise that some of the sentences in my previous post here were not phrased better and concede that use of the word 'blindly' was an unfair exaggeration.

[Bill Dodds]

Questioning one's own destiny/ability is a never ending cycle. I came in as an alternate on this contest and am ecstatic, but my real passion is as an artist. I graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art over ten years ago with a BFA in Illustration, ready to move out to Seattle to break into the big leagues. I never ended up moving, having fallen for a hometown girl. Now am working as a manager in a small shipping store in east bufoo. Years and years I tried to get into the field with little success until recently.
You can't give up. Even if you are never able to have something wildly successful, you are still embracing your love and your passion. At least you tried. There is one thing more soul-scorching that regular failure: giving up.
Keep plugging. Consider this contest and these forums as opportunity and networking. Heck, you're having regular conversation with some of the most successful people in the business. Lead developers, gaming company owners, heck even the Editor in Chief of Pathfinder reads and responds regularly on these forums. Written intercourse like this may lead to a break down the road.

Don't give up, man.

(hur hur hur - he said intercourse)

Sorry. ;)

[Eric Hindley]

Just to add a very quick note, I entered both previous years, and submitted to the Flight of the Red Raven open call, had a few queries into Dungeon, and this is the first success I've had.

Just keep at it if you're interested and who knows what will happen...

[Vic Wertz]

Ray Bradbury, from a 2003 interview:

Q: Many writers are hardly "overnight success" stories. How long did it take for you to get where you are today? Any rejection-slip horror stories or inspirational anecdotes?

A: It took me roughly 30 years. It was a long, slow process with a thousand rejections. I'm still getting rejected this late in time. The important thing is to continue writing and continue being in love with books, authors, and libraries.

[Eric Morton]

lots of people wrote:

good advice and words of encouragement

Have I mentioned lately how great the Paizo community is? 'Cause it is. :)

[Dissinger]

Eric Morton wrote:

lots of people wrote:

good advice and words of encouragement

Have I mentioned lately how great the Paizo community is? 'Cause it is. :)

You expect any less?

We're gamers dude, we live breathe and sleep this community. We band together because for the longest time, no one could comprehend what we did, let alone figure out why it was desirable. Rejection is part of it, and if you think about it, its a way of growth.

Think of it like Darwinism in practice. Every rejection is steadily streamlining the process allowing us more and more data to figure out what the judges want. In my case, I failed on two fronts and I only learned of the second front recently.

I stupidly submitted a specific armor thinking it a wondrous item because I didn't actually know better. I've been playing 3.5 for over five years and didn't knwo that difference. Boy was my face red.

But that's only half the story. Lets say I made it an amulet. Let's say I put those mechanics and put them in play on a small amulet, clearly a wondrous item. It would still be boring as hell. In Superstar its 50% mechanics Do I knwo the system enough to bend it into something usable? The other half? Do I show enough creativity in that one item to impress the judges and make them want to see more of my ideas?

You've shown you are capable of both. You've shown this often enough to have your own magazine and atop this be a top 16 entrant to the spiritual successor of 3.5's competition for open design.

If anything Meepo, I should be asking for YOUR advice rather than giving you advice on how well you've succeeded.

[Eric Morton]

zylphryx - I almost forgot to answer your question...

Spoiler:

zylphryx wrote:

I would love to see some of your novels. Do you have them posted anywhere?

I don't have any of my novels posted online at the moment, and I'm not sure that I'll post them any time soon.

The first two efforts were just practice (and may not even exist anymore); the third and fifth are being regularly dissected and rewritten to help me hone my craft; and I haven't been inspired to revisit the fourth in quite some time.

I have been doing a bit of research for a potential sixth novel whose story can only be presented to full effect when posted online. But there's a lot that I need to learn before I can even begin that project.

[caith]

I reviewed every monster this year, and feel good about that. On the flip side, I will continue submitting a wondrous item every year, indefinitely. I will continue to put everything I've learned as a player, DM, and writer into every entry, and learn from my mistakes until I hit that 32. I will also continue to give all the honest feedback I can, in as direct and objective of a fashion as I can.

Specifically to Charles: I thing it's great that you go out there and throw down your critiques on every item and every monster you can. Keep on. But I think, with your tone and attitude, you do a disservice to this contest, the judges, the contestants who made it, and the contestants who didn't make it. It sounds like you are decrying the contest, using phrases like "tossed into the garbage", and calling out a judge for encouraging the spirit of competition. If you don't want to participate any longer, that's for you to decide, but to try something twice, fail, and basically come on here and make a big scene is unbecoming of you.

Back to the actual topic of discussion:
Hrm, for monsters this year, I noticed that almost half the entries started with the letter "C", there were multiple 'mouth' monsters, and a ton of monsters which used the idea of 'collective intelligence'. Tons of gross, but I think that could be attributed to the success of gross last year. I feel it was taken to it's limits this year.

[Lief Clennon]

Ouch... Caith, Charles's post above is a week old, and he's since been put through a bit of a wringer over his tone on the item posts. I think if you check out his posts this round, you'll find a lot less gloom and grump. No need to kick the man on his way IN the door!

[terraleon]

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

You don't try out for American Idol hoping to be a backup singer or part of a boy band, you try out for American Idol to become the next American idol. You don't compete in RPG Superstar to get an "Additional Design" credit, you compete to get a cover credit.

Does this mean I'm no longer allowed to compete? I'm curious...

thanks!

-Ben.

[Charles Evans 25]

(much edited, clarified)
Caith:
I, on the other hand, am an often depressed pessimist. My Superstar item entries always suck and when I refer in that post to them being tossed into the garbage, I (genuinely) consider that an appropriate action for the judges to take with them. In fact for the purposes of RPG Superstar my entries probably should be burned out of existence in the fires of a supernova, and any remaining evidence consigned to a handy black hole. Unfortunately even when correctly anticipated (and despite the correctness of it in the general scheme of things) failure of an RPGSuperstar entry by me still depresses me.
It makes perfect sense to me in that context (since I am wasting my own time, and more importantly the judges' more valuable time) to stop entering - if I do that then we (myself and the judges) all have more time to do other things, and I don't get depressed by rejection. Everybody wins! (And this does work. Submitting to PFS Open Calls was another nightmare and more anxiety and depression for me, but now I no longer respond to PFS Open Calls, I no longer get depressed by them!)

Advice 'have another go if you failed' (or words to that effect) seems crazy to me in that same context. Have another go means I waste my and the judges' time and end up depressed again. It's as inevitable as the seasons.
I have less problem with the advice if it is 'everybody but Charles Evans 25 have another go if you failed', although I am still worried that there might be someone else out there in similar circumstances to myself for whom it would also be bad advice.

I hope that this gives you some understanding of my perceptions and of where I am coming from (and was with the post to which you referred).

[Maurice de Mare]

Well thank you Caith!

Do you know how much work we put into having Charles enter RPG Superstar? And it is a lot of work because Charles, as he points out above, is a pessimist.

Rejection is hard, but it is also expected. When I query a publisher and he gives a go on the query that is a win. If the completed article is accepted then you've won. You really don't win all that often (get published)!

So Charles, everyone: I welcome your voice, I want to see your entry. Don't reject yourself, we've got judges to do that for you and there is a chance that they do select you!

Am I sounding like Clark now? I guess I do, but he is right. Take for example Watcher. He entered the first year, got rejected, got very mad about it and sat out Superstar #2 because of it. This year he entered, maybe we forced him to, but behold: Watcher made top 32!

Don't reject yourself, miracles happen and without exercise (writing, querying, submitting) you won't get better and make top 32, get a query accepted, an article published or whatever.

Arghh, I do sound like Clark!

[Mike Welham]

I've submitted something for every RPG Superstar and all but one PFS Open Call. I think I've improved every time I've submitted something and received feedback (I guess I'll find out for sure when Clark takes a look at my item from this year), but I've never gotten anything accepted by Paizo yet. However, it's allowed me to gain enough confidence to put more work out there, and I've been lucky to have Kobold Quarterly to accept a couple of drakes for their website.

Charles, I'm thinking if I can do it, anyone can. I've seen your analysis of the monsters, and you've definitely got a good design sense. I wish you would keep on trying, and, please, don't feel like you're wasting anyone's time. The judges keep encouraging people to submit items, and the publishers I've submitted queries and articles have been encouraging about submitting more, even as they're rejecting the queries and submissions.

If this is something you like doing, it will eventually get through to whomever is reading your work.

[Maurice de Mare]

Darkjoy wrote:

But what you SHOULD do is:

1) watch the competition;
2) learn;
3) try again next year;
4) QUERY.

I'd say that Charles is at stage 2: learning.

Stage 4 can be entered at any time!

[Russ Taylor]

Clark Peterson wrote:

Thanks for remembering.

Oh god, yeah this was the year of the "spy robot" item.

Hmm. Apparently I was ahead of the curve when I put an item like that in Seeker of Secrets - written before LAST year's Superstar! I disagree somewhat with Clark's criticism of it as a bad idea. It happened to fit the theme of a book for a society of explorers, and at some level wondrous items are about solving problems the game give you in creative ways. But interesting that exploring items turned up a lot, considering one was in a Paizo published book recently.