Regarding the "Submissions become property of Paizo" thing


RPG Superstar™ 2011 General Discussion

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Do only top 32 submissions become property of paizo? or all of them?

Dark Archive

Demonskunk wrote:
Do only top 32 submissions become property of paizo? or all of them?

the latter.


joela wrote:
Demonskunk wrote:
Do only top 32 submissions become property of paizo? or all of them?
the latter.

well that's pretty lamesauce :<

Silver Crusade

Demonskunk wrote:
joela wrote:
Demonskunk wrote:
Do only top 32 submissions become property of paizo? or all of them?
the latter.
well that's pretty lamesauce :<

It saves against lawsuits in the event that they release a completely unrelated item later that happens to be fairly close to the item you submitted.

Otherwise, you could just sue them claiming they stole your intellectual property even if it was a completely independent development process that came up with it from scratch. This way, if they do happen to come up with something similar, they own the rights to the thing you submitted so you can't sue them for coming up with a similar idea.

It's the same reason that many novel writers don't read any of the fan fiction about their universe. That way they have plausible deniability if they come up with a similar storyline on their own that happens to be similar to something a fan wrote. Because some storylines are fairly obvious as far as where things will end up a book or two later.


I think that would be perfectly awesome if my item doesn't make the top 32 but does appear in some form or other in a future product by Paizo. To my friends at least I could point at it and say, "they got the idea for this from me!"


Dark Sasha wrote:
I think that would be perfectly awesome if my item doesn't make the top 32 but does appear in some form or other in a future product by Paizo. To my friends at least I could point at it and say, "they got the idea for this from me!"

Ya, but without something from them saying it was inspired by yours or having a written copy of your item time stamped and notarized way before the "newly created" item first went to print, you will just get the "ya right" comments and looks...lol

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

I don't think any Pathfinder authors will purposefully wade through thousands of non-winning entries just so they don't have to come up with a wondrous item. They're all more than capable of designing great items themselves, since most of them are veteran game designers or even RPG Superstar finalists who already showed they can design cool items and more.

Like Gregg Reese said, it's to avoid lawsuits when a designer independently has a similar idea to one of the many item submissions over the years. If for some reason Paizo were to use a submitted item entry in a publication, I'm sure they'd want to credit the original author.

Contributor , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

First paragraph of the official rules:

Da Rules wrote:
All entries become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Paizo Publishing is not responsible for lost entries.

Contributor

It's true--we have to protect ourselves legally. In addition to what folks said about authors not reading fanfic set in their worlds, many authors won't even look at *original* manuscripts from other authors they don't already know really well, on the grounds that frivolous and baseless lawsuits from some crazy amateurs still take up a ton of time and energy, even if they're easily defeated. (Though it sounds nuts, think about the number or people who deny the moon landing or the Holocaust--for every one of those, there are probably five incrementally saner people willing to believe that J. K. Rowling is listening at their windows and stealing their million-dollar ideas.)

Better to just cover your bases.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

Liz Courts wrote:

First paragraph of the official rules:

Da Rules wrote:
All entries become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Paizo Publishing is not responsible for lost entries.

No way! I personally hold Paizo responsible for every single lost entry.

I bet they 'lose' them so they can pull them out for the next Adventure Path and call them their own idea. Yeah, that's the ticket. Them and ... the Queen of England. They're all in cahoots!


gbonehead wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:

First paragraph of the official rules:

Da Rules wrote:
All entries become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Paizo Publishing is not responsible for lost entries.

No way! I personally hold Paizo responsible for every single lost entry.

I bet they 'lose' them so they can pull them out for the next Adventure Path and call them their own idea. Yeah, that's the ticket. Them and ... the Queen of England. They're all in cahoots!

I say, old chap, what the Dickens do you mean impugning the honour of Her Imperial Majesty? Recant your vile slurs, or I shall be forced to defend my sovereign's unimpeechable honour (note the spelling you Yankee cur). I shall be a gentleman and give you to the count of three before demanding satisfaction on the field of honour.


James Sutter wrote:

It's true--we have to protect ourselves legally. In addition to what folks said about authors not reading fanfic set in their worlds, many authors won't even look at *original* manuscripts from other authors they don't already know really well, on the grounds that frivolous and baseless lawsuits from some crazy amateurs still take up a ton of time and energy, even if they're easily defeated. (Though it sounds nuts, think about the number or people who deny the moon landing or the Holocaust--for every one of those, there are probably five incrementally saner people willing to believe that J. K. Rowling is listening at their windows and stealing their million-dollar ideas.)

Better to just cover your bases.

Are you kidding me? I KNOW that WOTC has had my home bugged and my computer hacked for years. 3E is total proof that they've been stealing my ideas since I was in college!!! They're a faction of the MIB who have been given the duty of infiltrating and destroying the foundation of fantasy gamers now and for all future generations. Already many great games have been devolved into mechanical nightmares where game mechanics overrule the power of the Game Master to influence the imagination of the players. Soon ALL RPGs will be converted to the computer generated pre-programmed RPG world, and then finally those systems will be turned into mind washing government propoganda tools!!! THE END IS NIGH!!! JOIN THE REBELLION MAN, BEFORE "THE MAN" IS THE ONLY GAME MASTER YOU KNOW!!!!!

...er...

Sorry....I got carried away.

Shadow Lodge

Kenneth.T.Cole wrote:


Are you kidding me? I KNOW that WOTC has had my home bugged and my computer hacked for years. 3E is total proof that they've been stealing my ideas since I was in college!!! They're a faction of the MIB who have been given the duty of infiltrating and destroying the foundation of fantasy gamers now and for all future generations. Already many great games have been devolved into mechanical nightmares where game mechanics overrule the power of the Game Master to influence the imagination of the players. Soon ALL RPGs will be converted to the computer generated pre-programmed RPG world, and then finally those systems will be turned into mind washing government propoganda tools!!! THE END IS NIGH!!! JOIN THE REBELLION MAN, BEFORE "THE MAN" IS THE ONLY GAME MASTER YOU KNOW!!!!!

...er...

Sorry....I got carried away.

Wow. Someone needs decaf. :P

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Liz Courts wrote:

First paragraph of the official rules:

Da Rules wrote:
All entries become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Paizo Publishing is not responsible for lost entries.

Elaborated on in the FAQ:

FAQ wrote:

Who owns my entries in the contest?

All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Paizo Publishing. If published, reasonable effort will be made to credit the original author.

Shadow Lodge Marathon Voter Season 6

Demonskunk wrote:
joela wrote:
Demonskunk wrote:
Do only top 32 submissions become property of paizo? or all of them?
the latter.
well that's pretty lamesauce :<

Lamesauce?... seriously what has been invested but 300 words or less on a wondrous item that didn't make top 32. In dollar terms what do you think that writing is going to be worth? Write a 200,000 word book and I understand but getting possessive over a rejected 300 word wondrous item is just not in the spirit of the competition. Take RPG Superstar seriously by all means but don't forget about enjoying the experience too.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32 aka Hydro

Only slightly related, but did the round 1 and 2 entries for last year's alternates ever see the light of day? Perhaps in Clark's feedback thread (which I've still only read a fraction of)?


I remember seeing at least 2 of them there. And there might have been a alternate round 2 in the "if I was..." thread.
Not sure though.

Scarab Sages Marathon Voter Season 7

"Herremann the Wise wrote:
...seriously what has been invested but 300 words or less on a wondrous item that didn't make top 32. In dollar terms what do you think that writing is going to be worth?

I would hope somewhere between 3 and 9 dollars.

Which I don't mind giving away for a chance at writing a Paizo module. :)

RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32 aka Hydro

Azmahel wrote:

I remember seeing at least 2 of them there. And there might have been a alternate round 2 in the "if I was..." thread.

Not sure though.

Thanks!

Dark Archive Bella Sara Charter Superscriber

Vic Wertz wrote:

Elaborated on in the FAQ:

FAQ wrote:

Who owns my entries in the contest?

All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Paizo Publishing. If published, reasonable effort will be made to credit the original author.

Only reasonable effort? How about reasonable best effort?

This is a negotiable legal document, right?

;-)

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Sebastian wrote:
Vic Wertz wrote:

Elaborated on in the FAQ:

FAQ wrote:

Who owns my entries in the contest?

All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Paizo Publishing. If published, reasonable effort will be made to credit the original author.

Only reasonable effort? How about reasonable best effort?

This is a negotiable legal document, right?

;-)

Frikkin' legal ponies.

Liberty's Edge Dedicated Voter Season 6

Wicht wrote:
"Herremann the Wise wrote:
...seriously what has been invested but 300 words or less on a wondrous item that didn't make top 32. In dollar terms what do you think that writing is going to be worth?

I would hope somewhere between 3 and 9 dollars.

Which I don't mind giving away for a chance at writing a Paizo module. :)

Um, not sure what Paizo pays for freelancers, but I know what Fantasy Flight used to pay when I did some writing for them.

$.03 a word. At 300 words that is $9.00. However, I'm not sure you get standard per word payment for snippets... though its been awhile, so not sure.


Captain Brittannica wrote:
I say, old chap, what the Dickens do you mean impugning the honour of Her Imperial Majesty? Recant your vile slurs, or I shall be forced to defend my sovereign's unimpeechable honour (note the spelling you Yankee cur). I shall be a gentleman and give you to the count of three before demanding satisfaction on the field of honour.

Wait a minute, demand satisfaction, did you people across the pond try that once already, and ya lost. Now I say instead of demanding satisfaction, how about you just come over hear and demand they all go back to the land their ancestors came from. No wait that wont work either, my people tried that one and failed. Rrrrrr white men are evil I tell you.....lol

Scarab Sages Marathon Voter Season 7

Andrew Christian wrote:
Wicht wrote:
"Herremann the Wise wrote:
...seriously what has been invested but 300 words or less on a wondrous item that didn't make top 32. In dollar terms what do you think that writing is going to be worth?

I would hope somewhere between 3 and 9 dollars.

Which I don't mind giving away for a chance at writing a Paizo module. :)

Um, not sure what Paizo pays for freelancers, but I know what Fantasy Flight used to pay when I did some writing for them.

$.03 a word. At 300 words that is $9.00. However, I'm not sure you get standard per word payment for snippets... though its been awhile, so not sure.

I'm not sure if you are quibbling with me or not but I think $9 was right in the range of what I thought my item was worth. :)

3 cents is about what I would expect, at least if I'm getting per word, though depending on who and what for it can be as low as 1-2 cents per word. My item was less than 300 words though so it would be less than $9 by itself (though I would, if using it in a project, add other items to meet whatever word count I was aiming for.)

For what it is worth, I have my other items I brainstormed for the contest on file for use in other projects as appropriate because words do, in fact, have value. Again, not that I begrudge using an item for this contest. ^_^


Captain Brittannica wrote:
unimpeechable honour (note the spelling you Yankee cur).

You Brits spell both unimpeachable AND honor wrong? :D

Liberty's Edge Dedicated Voter Season 6

Wicht wrote:


I'm not sure if you are quibbling with me or not but I think $9 was right in the range of what I thought my item was worth. :)

3 cents is about what I would expect, at least if I'm getting per word,

Well I was gonna start by quibbling, but the math supported your claim of $3 to $9.

Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9

Vic Wertz wrote:
Sebastian wrote:

...This is a negotiable legal document, right?

;-)

Frikkin' legal ponies.

{hobbles in on crutches} Be thankful you didn't have to deal with his brother-in-law in collections!

Dark Archive

James Sutter wrote:

It's true--we have to protect ourselves legally. In addition to what folks said about authors not reading fanfic set in their worlds, many authors won't even look at *original* manuscripts from other authors they don't already know really well, on the grounds that frivolous and baseless lawsuits from some crazy amateurs still take up a ton of time and energy, even if they're easily defeated. (Though it sounds nuts, think about the number or people who deny the moon landing or the Holocaust--for every one of those, there are probably five incrementally saner people willing to believe that J. K. Rowling is listening at their windows and stealing their million-dollar ideas.)

Better to just cover your bases.

+1.

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7 aka Standback

Herremann the Wise wrote:

seriously what has been invested but 300 words or less on a wondrous item that didn't make top 32. In dollar terms what do you think that writing is going to be worth? Write a 200,000 word book and I understand but getting possessive over a rejected 300 word wondrous item is just not in the spirit of the competition. Take RPG Superstar seriously by all means but don't forget about enjoying the experience too.

While I fully understand and support this clause of the rules, Demonskunk's complaint probably has little to do with monetary value.

Assume, for the sake of the argument, that Demonskunk has just spent an entire month writing the most awesome, amazing, fantasmagorical wondrous item EVAR. And, since everybody else has been doing likewise, he doesn't make top 32. OK, fine; but he's still got a new awesome, amazing, fantasmagorical wondrous item, and it'd be a shame to let it go to waste. He wants to post it on his blog for his readers to coo over. He wants to send it off to an online RPG original-content archive. He wants to send it off to be published in a nonpaying, small-press product. He wants to write a whole campaign surrounding this item, and get it published when he's a Rich and Famous Game Designer. Because it's his most amazing item EVAR!

Technically, he can't really do any of that. And while it's quite true that a 300-word item is realistically unlikely to win anybody great fortune or even fame, I can understand the disappointment of somebody who works hard on something, and then isn't able to share it with the world.

Of course, if he'd have written that instead of name-calling, maybe we'd all understand him even better :)

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Bear in mind that the winner of this, as well as the three runners-up, will be writing at least one document "for hire" for Paizo. Those are words they write (that we hope are the most amazing words EVAR!) that they won't own. If someone can't deal with losing ownership of a fraction of one percent of the words they'd be writing for us if they won, then I'm not sure writing for hire is a career path for that person to pursue.

Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut

I'll ditto Mark's statement. And, in all honesty, if it's the best item EVAR...does that mean this designer has nothing left? A Superstar should pretty much be able to crank out material from the word "go"...not dwell on what he wrote previously that never got to see the light of day. Because I can tell you, even when you win RPG Superstar and go to work on a paid project for Paizo, there'll be stuff that you write that doesn't make it into the finished product. And, while you can certainly salvage some of that stuff and re-use it on a future Paizo product, there's still a bit of disappointment when you don't see it used how you originally intended it (i.e., in the product based off your original manuscript). Professional freelancers learn to deal with that and move on.

Or, in the words of Dory from Finding Nemo...

"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim, swim....are you my conscience?"

Yes. Yes I am.

;-)

My two cents,
--Neil

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7 aka Standback

Mark Moreland wrote:
Bear in mind that the winner of this, as well as the three runners-up, will be writing at least one document "for hire" for Paizo. Those are words they write (that we hope are the most amazing words EVAR!) that they won't own. If someone can't deal with losing ownership of a fraction of one percent of the words they'd be writing for us if they won, then I'm not sure writing for hire is a career path for that person to pursue.

Oh, I'm not disagreeing. :)

Though even here, the difference is - the contest finalists get published. Their work goes somewhere; that's practically the opposite of "we own this idea; never mention it in public again!".

Of course, our gentle dissenter may have little idea how much of a writer/designer's work is condemned to the cutting floor...

Contributor

If your item is really the best ever, you should use it to win the competition.

If you aren't willing to risk giving up rights to your best-ever magic item, you shouldn't submit it to RPG Superstar, you should sell it to someone who'll publish it or self-publish it.

- Sean (a guy who's given away entire books of game content for free)

Dark Archive

Sean K Reynolds wrote:


- Sean (a guy who's given away entire books of game content for free)

- which then tempts us to buy your stuff....

Liberty's Edge

gbonehead wrote:
Liz Courts wrote:

First paragraph of the official rules:

Da Rules wrote:
All entries become the property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. Paizo Publishing is not responsible for lost entries.

No way! I personally hold Paizo responsible for every single lost entry.

I bet they 'lose' them so they can pull them out for the next Adventure Path and call them their own idea. Yeah, that's the ticket. Them and ... the Queen of England. They're all in cahoots!

Hmmm, how did you get the preview of the next Wikileak???

RPG Superstar 2011 Top 4 aka Scipion del Ferro

Well I can't wait to see how they react to the amazing content I've given to them.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

There was a typo in your quote.

Vic Wertz wrote:

Elaborated on in the FAQ:

FAQ wrote:

Who owns my entries in the contest?

All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Vic Wertz, who, in cahoots with Sean K Reynolds will abscond with your intellectual property, make a gazillion dollars, and then buy Paizo and turn it into a company that publishes nothing but CCGs based on collectible fuzzy ponies.

Fixed that for you. Darn people misquoting the FAQ.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8 , Star Voter Season 6

Feh,

It's SOP. Hells, I'm impressed that if KQ rejects your article, it's still yours. It's part of the reason I feel weird talking about 'my' tankard. It's not really mine anymore.

As to the 'in my brain' jokes.

Spoiler:
I was developing characters for a bit of Eberron fanwank, then found most of them in Matt Foebeck's Mark of Death series, up to and including the changeling rogue/psion. Exchanged e-mails with him about it, making it clear I found the parallel funny, and wasn't trying to be accusatory. We both laughed and he said I must have tapped into the collective unconscious.

Scarab Sages Marathon Voter Season 7

Standback wrote:
Technically, he can't really do any of that. And while it's quite true that a 300-word item is realistically unlikely to win anybody great fortune or even fame, I can understand the disappointment of somebody who works hard on something, and then isn't able to share it with the world.

Keep in mind Paizo lets you post your losing item to their forums so you can share its awesomeness with the world.

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

gbonehead wrote:
All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of [b]Vic Wertz, who, in cahoots with Sean K Reynolds will abscond with your intellectual property, make a gazillion dollars, and then buy Paizo and turn it into a company that publishes nothing but CCGs based on collectible fuzzy ponies

Wait, Vic needs to do something more to become part-owner of Paizo?! Has anyone told him this yet?

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2013 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Steven T. Helt

Demonskunk wrote:
joela wrote:
Demonskunk wrote:
Do only top 32 submissions become property of paizo? or all of them?
the latter.
well that's pretty lamesauce :<

I am amazed there are people who still struggle with this. You're being given a free shot at consistent design work. Even if you don't win the contest, advancement is recognition. You're not even submitting totally original ideas - every round has some of the same requirements a publisher gives me to begin development, so part of the concept Paizo already has a hand in, just like if they were to tap you for a job outside the contest. Finally, are they gonna choose not to won the entries like every other contest in every promotion from any market anywhere else in the world?

I say less focus on your right to your one wondrous item and more focus on then item itself and maybe round two.

Owner - House of Books and Games LLC , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

Mark Moreland wrote:
gbonehead wrote:
All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Vic Wertz, who, in cahoots with Sean K Reynolds will abscond with your intellectual property, make a gazillion dollars, and then buy Paizo and turn it into a company that publishes nothing but CCGs based on collectible fuzzy ponies
Wait, Vic needs to do something more to become part-owner of Paizo?! Has anyone told him this yet?

Well, duh! Fuzzy ponies! Hello!!

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

Also, the comments and feedback alone are more than well worth the "price" of admission. All the free advice and tips on crafting items, monsters, villains, and encounters -- not to mention the exhaustive "critique my item" threads -- given away for free to anyone who enters or just browses these forums. . . well, it's astounding.

The judges and the people at Paizo are very generous, not only to hold this contest, but also to volunteer tons of time and talent just because they love this game.

Even if you have the most amazing wondrous item in the history of wondrous items it's well worth the trade for the sheer amount of expert rpg design advice given away for free here.


Standback wrote:
Herremann the Wise wrote:

seriously what has been invested but 300 words or less on a wondrous item that didn't make top 32. In dollar terms what do you think that writing is going to be worth? Write a 200,000 word book and I understand but getting possessive over a rejected 300 word wondrous item is just not in the spirit of the competition. Take RPG Superstar seriously by all means but don't forget about enjoying the experience too.

While I fully understand and support this clause of the rules, Demonskunk's complaint probably has little to do with monetary value.

Assume, for the sake of the argument, that Demonskunk has just spent an entire month writing the most awesome, amazing, fantasmagorical wondrous item EVAR. And, since everybody else has been doing likewise, he doesn't make top 32. OK, fine; but he's still got a new awesome, amazing, fantasmagorical wondrous item, and it'd be a shame to let it go to waste. He wants to post it on his blog for his readers to coo over. He wants to send it off to an online RPG original-content archive. He wants to send it off to be published in a nonpaying, small-press product. He wants to write a whole campaign surrounding this item, and get it published when he's a Rich and Famous Game Designer. Because it's his most amazing item EVAR!

Technically, he can't really do any of that. And while it's quite true that a 300-word item is realistically unlikely to win anybody great fortune or even fame, I can understand the disappointment of somebody who works hard on something, and then isn't able to share it with the world.

Of course, if he'd have written that instead of name-calling, maybe we'd all understand him even better :)

this ^ is my concern. the item i'm thinking of using is also a component to a larger scheme. i have several ideas including items, villains, race etc...the item is the basis for the whole story. its unique and i have been working out the kinks for the story. its not fully realized as an "in-game" thing yet but that shouldn't be hard. so if i submit i couldn't write the novel or do anything else with it....right? so what exactly does winning this contest pay? also the clause that says something about " no misspelling....must meet all criteria" is that an out for paizo to renig and not pay for the work if one word is misspelled. what is the pay scale for the winning contestants writing? i.e. how much does it cost to sell my soul to them?


I am sorry but am I reading all this correctly? I mean come on guys and gals, this is the first year I can recall I have heard such complaints. Piazo isn't forcing you to compete and what they are asking in exchange for competing is not unusual for a contest of this type.

So with that in mind you can get in the game and compete or you can keep said idea to yourself and not compete. Simple enough. If you really like your idea and don't want to lose it but want to compete then great create another wondrous item concept and enter but don't complain about an opportunity that Piazo doesn't have to offer at all.

Personally win or lose I am grateful to have this wonderful chance and would personally hate to see Piazo make this the final year due to the few who don't like the rules when they didn't even have to compete to start with.

So now that my ranting has been written and I got that out there lets all just thank Piazo for taking time out of their busy schedule to set this whole thing up. Which I for one haven't seen much mention of...

Shadow Lodge

zynmaster wrote:


this ^ is my concern. the item i'm thinking of using is also a component to a larger scheme. i have several ideas including items, villains, race etc...the item is the basis for the whole story. its unique and i have been working out the kinks for the story. its not fully realized as an...

Well, obviously if you feel your item is the foundation for valuable intellectual property/properties, then don't submit it. Your call.

And if you feel submitting a 300 word wondrous item is "selling your soul" you probably wouldn't be happy in the freelance RPG design business anyway. If that's the case then maybe you should look into self-publication of some sort...

Just my 2 cp.

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32

Noteleks wrote:
. . . you can get in the game and compete or you can keep said idea to yourself and not compete. Simple enough. If you really like your idea and don't want to lose it but want to compete then great create another wondrous item concept and enter but don't complain about an opportunity that Piazo doesn't have to offer at all.

This.

If you want to self-publish your great idea, then don't submit that one. Come up with another idea.

If you think you have what it takes to be an RPG Superstar, then you really shouldn't have just one good idea.

I personally think you should submit your best idea, but if you have other plans then fine. Don't submit it and instead submit your second best idea. And self-publish your best one.

Just be reasonable and see Paizo's position. No one is forcing you to compete. Paizo has been very generous with this contest, and if you don't feel it's in your best interest to submit an item you have other plans for, then fine. Submit something else. But don't complain about them laying down ground rules.

Edit: And just to make it clear I'm not ripping on anyone, working through some ideas of my own has prompted me to come up with a set of items I won't be submitting to RPG Superstar. For a few different reasons I don't think they're right for round 1, but I plan to submit a proposal to another publisher about them. if I'm lucky, they might even be a good fit for a certain reptile-flavored magazine.

And that's ok. If you have other plans for something you designed, then go for it. But submit your other cool idea to RPG Superstar. And don't blame Paizo since they are bending over backwards to give entry-level designers a really awesome chance to start a career in the industry.

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

zynmaster wrote:
this ^ is my concern. the item i'm thinking of using is also a component to a larger scheme. i have several ideas including items, villains, race etc...the item is the basis for the whole story. its unique and i have been working out the kinks for the story. its not fully realized as an "in-game" thing yet but that shouldn't be hard. so if i submit i couldn't write the novel or do anything else with it....right? so what exactly does winning this contest pay? also the clause that says something about " no misspelling....must meet all criteria" is that an out for paizo to renig and not pay for the work if one word is misspelled. what is the pay scale for the winning contestants writing? i.e. how much does it cost to sell my soul to them?

if you plan to use your item or anything relating to it in a future product of your own, do not submit it. Give us something not tied to your own potential intellectual property.

As for what we pay, we don't publicly discuss our rates or the contents of our freelancer contracts. But I can say that, should you win, you will have a chance to review the contract before signing it. This would allow you to look over exactly what criteria we require of our freelancers.

Regarding the cost of your soul, we're not in the interest of purchasing unsolicited souls, but will make you a very fair offer should we decide yours is worth adding to our collection. Our rates for soul procurement are competitive and are very rarely refused.

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Battles Case Subscriber; Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Mark Moreland wrote:


Regarding the cost of your soul, we're not in the interest of purchasing unsolicited souls, but will make you a very fair offer should we decide yours is worth adding to our collection. Our rates for soul procurement are competitive and are very rarely refused.

Isn't that how they got you?...;)


Dragnmoon wrote:
Mark Moreland wrote:


Regarding the cost of your soul, we're not in the interest of purchasing unsolicited souls, but will make you a very fair offer should we decide yours is worth adding to our collection. Our rates for soul procurement are competitive and are very rarely refused.
Isn't that how they got you?...;)

That and a steady paycheck. :P

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Community / Forums / Archive / Paizo / RPG Superstar™ / Previous Contests / RPG Superstar™ 2011 / General Discussion / Regarding the "Submissions become property of Paizo" thing All Messageboards

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