Hi!
I've got a (hopefully) easy question for Mr. Reynolds (or whomever it may concern) about the eligibility rules.
My name is Daron, and in previous years I've always participated in the RPG Superstar competition. Earlier this year, though, I began releasing PFRPG-compatible PDFs under the name Abandoned Arts. My question is in regards to my own eligibility. The contest rules state:
1. The contest is open to the general public, with the following exceptions: Employees of Paizo Publishing, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Designers who have cover credits on print editions of Paizo's Pathfinder products are ineligible. The top eight finalists of all previous RPG Superstar contests are ineligible. Contestants must provide their real names on their paizo.com accounts. Legal identification must be produced on request.
Emphasis mine.
Although I will likely register Abandoned Arts as a small business in the not-too-distant future, Abandoned Arts is, at present, an entirely unincorporated, non-LLC trade name - simply a name under which I produce and sell PDFs. It is in no formal or legal way a "company" as of the time of this writing. Furthermore, if it were, I would not - strictly and literally speaking - be "employed" by Abandoned Arts. My question, then, as you have no doubt guessed, is: "am I eligible?"
It seems that I am, but if the spirit of the rule is intended to keep "established" designers ineligible, I'd understand.
Thanks in advance!
Daron Woodson
Abandoned Arts
As someone in a similar position last year, you're probably fine.
The ruling exists to keep people who run game companies or are employed by them from trying to jump in where amateurs should get the spotlight. So, if you were to sit down at a desk and try to make a business out of Abandoned Arts for 8 hours a day, then you'd be out of luck. But right now you're probably a guy who works another job full time, and 'runs' Abandoned Arts part time.
If I recall correctly, I think Daron does try to make it a full time business, so I believe he will be ineligible. :(
Contributor
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I've got a question too! Ooh! Ooh! Me! My turn!
I've contributed to Paizo's output in only a small way so far - a couple of monsters in APs and some pages in the upcoming People of the North and Champions of Purity. The former don't have my name on the cover and the latter two haven't been published yet, so I don't know whether I count as having a "cover credit" for those or whether just having my name inside rules me out.
THANKS!
:-D
...right now you're probably a guy who works another job full time, and 'runs' Abandoned Arts part time.
As much as I'd love to be a full-time game designer, Abandoned Arts - while more successful than I ever held out hope for - doesn't even come terribly close to paying the bills as of yet. I work full-time for a large "negative expense" facilities maintenance company, riding a desk from 9-5. So! If your situation was much the same last year, then hopefully I'm in the clear. : )
Daron Woodson
Abandoned Arts
I've got a question too! Ooh! Ooh! Me! My turn!
I've contributed to Paizo's output in only a small way so far - a couple of monsters in APs and some pages in the upcoming People of the North and Champions of Purity. The former don't have my name on the cover and the latter two haven't been published yet, so I don't know whether I count as having a "cover credit" for those or whether just having my name inside rules me out.
THANKS!
:-D
The rules do rather specifically say "cover credit," so I'd imagine you're in the clear. If you're expecting cover credit on People of the North or Champions of Purity, this might be your last RPG Superstar competition, though, so the very best of luck to you! : )
Guess I was wrong!
If you don't get an "official" answer, I would recommend entering anyway - better to enter and find you are ineligible than don't enter and find you are and it's too late...
Also as it's open voting in round 1, you are likely to get a lot of useful feedback into the bargain. So what have you to lose apart from some time and effort?
:)
It happens to the best of us, Cheapy.
And - oh! - good point, Anthony. Open voting means a lot of open discussion. This is going to be the most interesting first round in RPG Superstar history, isn't it. I'm not sure I'd thought of that.
Daron:
I think we need Vic to make a call on this one.
Shaun Hocking:
We changed the eligibility this year so anyone who's already doing design work for Paizo isn't eligible; unfortunately the main rules and the FAQ don't use the same wording:
Main Rules: Designers who have cover credits on print editions of Paizo's Pathfinder products are ineligible.
FAQ: If you have a design credit on a print edition of a Paizo product, you are not eligible.
Both should say "design credit." I'm going to notify the staff of the change.
Why make the change? Because we put designer names on the APs, modules, on the Campaign Setting line, and (I think) the Player Companion line, but not on the hardcover rulebooks. And we only list up to 3 designers on a CS book, and only 1 on an AP, which means it's possible for someone who's written for 10 or more Paizo books (including the hardcovers like Ultimate Combat or NPC Codex) to still be eligible to enter, which goes against the idea of the "RPG Superstar exists so we can discover new talent." If you're writing monsters for the APs, you've already been discovered.
Now, specifically for you, if the books you worked on aren't available yet, that's a gray area as to whether or not you're eligible—you are at the start of the competition, but probably won't be by the time the competition ends. I'll ask Vic to weigh in on this one as well.
Daron:
I think we need Vic to make a call on this one.
Thanks, Sean. Let me know!
Chief Technical Officer
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Hi!
I've got a (hopefully) easy question for Mr. Reynolds (or whomever it may concern) about the eligibility rules.
My name is Daron, and in previous years I've always participated in the RPG Superstar competition. Earlier this year, though, I began releasing PFRPG-compatible PDFs under the name Abandoned Arts. My question is in regards to my own eligibility. The contest rules state:
1. The contest is open to the general public, with the following exceptions: Employees of Paizo Publishing, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Designers who have cover credits on print editions of Paizo's Pathfinder products are ineligible. The top eight finalists of all previous RPG Superstar contests are ineligible. Contestants must provide their real names on their paizo.com accounts. Legal identification must be produced on request.Emphasis mine.
Although I will likely register Abandoned Arts as a small business in the not-too-distant future, Abandoned Arts is, at present, an entirely unincorporated, non-LLC trade name - simply a name under which I produce and sell PDFs. It is in no formal or legal way a "company" as of the time of this writing. Furthermore, if it were, I would not - strictly and literally speaking - be "employed" by Abandoned Arts. My question, then, as you have no doubt guessed, is: "am I eligible?"
It seems that I am, but if the spirit of the rule is intended to keep "established" designers ineligible, I'd understand.
Thanks in advance!
Daron Woodson
Abandoned Arts
Daron,
Regardless of the exact legal status of your company, I think most people would say that you "work for a game company." (I certainly would.) However, the restriction specifies *full-time* designers, and it sounds as though that is not (yet) your case, so you're in the clear.
RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Boxhead
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I'm a bit of a corner case too, I guess. In theory, the Shdow Falconer's Glove appears in Ultimate Equipment, and my name appears in the credits in a convoluted sort of way. It was included as part of the previous Superstar entries section.
Am I still eligible (I hope so)?
I'm a bit of a corner case too, I guess. In theory, the Shdow Falconer's Glove appears in Ultimate Equipment, and my name appears in the credits in a convoluted sort of way. It was included as part of the previous Superstar entries section.
Am I still eligible (I hope so)?
Holy Smokes! I didn't even think of that. And...and...Yeah. :o
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Contributor
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Shaun Hocking:
We changed the eligibility this year so anyone who's already doing design work for Paizo isn't eligible; unfortunately the main rules and the FAQ don't use the same wording:Main Rules: Designers who have cover credits on print editions of Paizo's Pathfinder products are ineligible.
FAQ: If you have a design credit on a print edition of a Paizo product, you are not eligible.
Both should say "design credit." I'm going to notify the staff of the change.
Why make the change? Because we put designer names on the APs, modules, on the Campaign Setting line, and (I think) the Player Companion line, but not on the hardcover rulebooks. And we only list up to 3 designers on a CS book, and only 1 on an AP, which means it's possible for someone who's written for 10 or more Paizo books (including the hardcovers like Ultimate Combat or NPC Codex) to still be eligible to enter, which goes against the idea of the "RPG Superstar exists so we can discover new talent." If you're writing monsters for the APs, you've already been discovered.
Now, specifically for you, if the books you worked on aren't available yet, that's a gray area as to whether or not you're eligible—you are at the start of the competition, but probably won't be by the time the competition ends. I'll ask Vic to weigh in on this one as well.
OK. Thanks Sean. Since one of the monsters I designed has appeared in AP63 a couple months back, I guess that rules me out.
Good luck everyone!
:p
Daron,
Regardless of the exact legal status of your company, I think most people would say that you "work for a game company." (I certainly would.) However, the restriction specifies *full-time* designers, and it sounds as though that is not (yet) your case, so you're in the clear.
Great,
Thanks, Vic!
If I didn't have credit on a White Wolf RPG product, I would have been eligible. Drat!
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
aka primemover003
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I'm pretty sure even with an item in Ultimate Equipment, Superstar contestants that didn't make the Top 8 are still eligible. It's not like Paizo asked us to make the item for the book specifically... it was just a bonus for making superstar caliber items in the contest. I'd say it was more of an incentive for people to enter!
I know I'll be submitting again!
--Vrock the House!
I agree - there's a difference between a Paizo product and a Pathfinder product.
Fortunately for me, all my credits are third party and softcover. So, for now, I remain in the clear.
One day, however, I endeavor to no longer eligible. It's a strange goal, true, but it's a measure of success.
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Chief Technical Officer
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We have amended the restriction regarding previous Paizo Pathfinder credits.
Please see this post for details.
Eric,
I'm pretty positive you're 100% fine. Paizo may have published one of your items (I was very excited for you when I noticed, by the way, congratulations!), but that is in no way similar to being employed by Paizo or any other gaming company. No contract, no pay, no problem.
That's what I think anyway. Leave it up to the big boys to say for sure.
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RC,
Haha, that's great! I think my goal is the opposite — to just get to the Top 16 every year and stay eligible for all eternity without actually winning. :p
(Ahem, or, erhm, to actually win. That would be cool too.)