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Okay people, just over 24 hours remain until the top 32 get revealed. If it's anything like in previous years, here's what's going to happen:
Everyone who submitted will rush to see if they made it. In the vast majority of cases, the answer will be 'No'. Then they will look at the items that *did* make top 32. Most of these hopefuls will admire those selected, sigh in disappointment, and hopefully try to take away some lessons for next year.
Some people, however, will get angry. Very angry. They will treat the fact that *their* item wasn't picked as a personal insult, and go into full-on, Hulk-smash, rage mode. They will post on the boards ranting and raving about how the idiocy of the voters, the bias of the judges, and most of all, about how every single member of the top 32 is a steaming pile of hodag dung next to the shining brilliance of their own overlooked masterpiece.
Please, for the love of Cayden, don't be that person! If you're angry about not being picked, do yourself a favor and stay off the message boards until you've had a chance to cool down. The only thing that you'll accomplish by posting your rant is to make yourself look petty and childish. Keep your cool, let the top 32 have their moment in the sun, and don't be a jerk.
Thanks,
A
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Champion Voter Season 6, Champion Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Champion Voter Season 9
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There is no rush to check the website to see if you made it. They e-mail you if you are Top 32. So no need to spam the F5 key!
I saw 3 items I liked a lot (besides my own). And I am sure those three will make the 32.
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Not to mention if it's anything like last year, the website won't survive the rush of people checking. :)
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There is no rush to check the website to see if you made it. They e-mail you if you are Top 32. So no need to spam the F5 key!
But making the website break and scream in agony is one of those wonderful RPGSS traditions.
There's a chance I may be snowed in tomorrow...hitting F5 is all I have.
I have the opposite problem. Because of the snow, our deadline at work has been moved up an hour. Which means I may NOT be able to as obsessively check the website as I'd normally do on Superstar Day. :(
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There is no rush to check the website to see if you made it. They e-mail you if you are Top 32. So no need to spam the F5 key!
Ah, yes. The email notification. That would be the official notice I initially missed during my year. With the main RPG Superstar page refusing to load because the website was so busy, I wound up visiting the DMTools chatroom and finding out I made the Top 32 when Liz greeted me with a hearty congratulations. From there, they encouraged me to check my email and there it was. The official notice.
So, everyone save themselves some massive stress and do as Thomas suggests. Check your email at the time of the big reveal. That'll let you know you made the Top 32 faster than anything else. And, from there, you can eventually visit the main RPG Superstar page and check out the competition when the site activity slows down a bit.
There is no rush to check the website to see if you made it. They e-mail you if you are Top 32. So no need to spam the F5 key!
I saw 3 items I liked a lot (besides my own). And I am sure those three will make the 32.
Although - on the other hand - the e-mail may not be prompt in its arrival. Mine was about four hours late last year.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013 12:13:22 AM
This was my notification date and time of my RPG Superstarness......as you can see, I didn't get it exactly 11:00 PM my time, so F5 is the best way ;>
Anyway, I was up anyway at that exact point in time, RPG Superstarness is exciting!
Marathon Voter Season 7
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Please, for the love of Cayden, don't be that person! If you're angry about not being picked, do yourself a favor and stay off the message boards until you've had a chance to cool down. The only thing that you'll accomplish by posting your rant is to make yourself look petty and childish. Keep your cool, let the top 32 have their moment in the sun, and don't be a jerk.
Bah! The people don't know a good thing when they see it!
heh, j/k :)
Seriously, there are other paths to being published than Superstar and if you want to do it, and you have the ability, you just need to do the work to make it happen.
That being said, I still enter every year. Because, Paizo, you know. And .08 cents a word is sweet in this business. :)
I thought it was six cents a word.
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Okay people, just over 24 hours remain until the top 32 get revealed. If it's anything like in previous years, here's what's going to happen:
Everyone who submitted will rush to see if they made it. In the vast majority of cases, the answer will be 'No'. Then they will look at the items that *did* make top 32. Most of these hopefuls will admire those selected, sigh in disappointment, and hopefully try to take away some lessons for next year.
Some people, however, will get angry. Very angry. They will treat the fact that *their* item wasn't picked as a personal insult, and go into full-on, Hulk-smash, rage mode. They will post on the boards ranting and raving about how the idiocy of the voters, the bias of the judges, and most of all, about how every single member of the top 32 is a steaming pile of hodag dung next to the shining brilliance of their own overlooked masterpiece.
Please, for the love of Cayden, don't be that person! If you're angry about not being picked, do yourself a favor and stay off the message boards until you've had a chance to cool down. The only thing that you'll accomplish by posting your rant is to make yourself look petty and childish. Keep your cool, let the top 32 have their moment in the sun, and don't be a jerk.Thanks,
A
Here, here Loki_Thief. In lots of similar situations I like to tell my teams to check your egos at the door. No need to fume and holler. It's just wasted energy you can be putting towards something positive.
Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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Some people, however, will get angry. Very angry. They will treat the fact that *their* item wasn't picked as a personal insult, and go into full-on, Hulk-smash, rage mode. They will post on the boards ranting and raving about how the idiocy of the voters, the bias of the judges, and most of all, about how every single member of the top 32 is a steaming pile of hodag dung next to the shining brilliance of their own overlooked masterpiece.
I won't rage. That's not my style. I will get depressed though, and possibly pathetically drunk.
It's hard giving something your all, doing the very best that you can, and that still not being enough. I'm quite happy with my item this year. It's an order of magnitude better than anything else I've submitted. I'm not sure I could do better, even given the full year to think.
Being up against a thousand of the best and brightest in the community has to offer does reduce the sting... but not enough.
As the contest grows in prestige the odds of winning will become higher and higher as more and more people who want to break into the hobby, who have a burning passion for tabletop gaming, view it as a way to make their mark. You have to wonder if you're suddenly competing in a contest outside of your weight range.
It's hard giving something your all, doing the very best that you can, and that still not being enough. I'm quite happy with my item this year. It's an order of magnitude better than anything else I've submitted. I'm not sure I could do better, even given the full year to think.
I would encourage you (as much as the observation of a stranger can encourage) not to think of not getting to the top 32 as "not enough." The truth is, there is a large element of randomness in an initial first break-through. The signal-to-noise ratio is so high in public calls like this (for many, many reasons) that it seems very likely that many items which are outstanding simply might escape notice. Not making the top 32 (should that happen) may not necessarily be a consequence of your item (or ability or 'weight range') not being up to par. It is equally (if not more) likely that luck was not with you in this regard.
There is a tendency to attribute success to skill at a rate that far exceeds the actual relationship between success and skill.
Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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Please, for the love of Cayden, don't be that person!
No, not Cayden. If by some strange twist of fate I'm not in the Top 32, I'll just ask myself...What Would Calistria Do? And then I'll --
Or maybe that's not such a good idea. On second thought, let's go with What Shelyn Would Do.
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Marathon Voter Season 7
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It's hard giving something your all, doing the very best that you can, and that still not being enough. I'm quite happy with my item this year. It's an order of magnitude better than anything else I've submitted. I'm not sure I could do better, even given the full year to think.
I would encourage you (as much as the observation of a stranger can encourage) not to think of not getting to the top 32 as "not enough." The truth is, there is a large element of randomness in an initial first break-through. The signal-to-noise ratio is so high in public calls like this (for many, many reasons) that it seems very likely that many items which are outstanding simply might escape notice. Not making the top 32 (should that happen) may not necessarily be a consequence of your item (or ability or 'weight range') not being up to par. It is equally (if not more) likely that luck was not with you in this regard.
There is a tendency to attribute success to skill at a rate that far exceeds the actual relationship between success and skill.
This is true.
I have never made the top 32, but one of my items submitted was deemed good enough for inclusion into Ultimate Equipment. So not being chosen for advancement is not necessarily indicative of your talent or the quality of your entry (though being chosen does certainly look good on a resume I understand). As I have said for several years now, if you don't make the top 32, look for others entryways into the writing side of the business if thats what you want to do. (Of course this particular pep-talk really belongs to Wednesday's discussion.)
Yeah, it's natural to be upset if you don't make it in. That's human nature, and I'm fairly certain that the majority of entrants are in fact human. And, of course, everyone deals with that disappointment differently. I just hate every year seeing people flip their lids and embarrass themselves publicly over it. Even if your item actually was better than the top 32, and just got overlooked, I guarantee that insulting the judges and ripping your fellow contestants is *not* going to win you any sympathy points. And it may well hurt your chances of making any other inroads into the gaming business-- "Well, I would've hired this guy, until I remembered what he said about my mother on the messageboards after he didn't make it into the top 32 a couple years back". Deal with the rejection in whatever way works for you, just don't be a jerk about it.
A
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RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka CalebTGordan
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As for items being overlooked, there was a comment posted by one of the judges (I can't remember which one,) last year who said that he went pretty deep past the top 100 and didn't see any items there that he felt would be top 32 worthy. In fact, he said the cut off last year was at about item 80.
The public voting does a pretty great job at sorting the items out and putting the cream at the top. That said, I am not saying it is impossible that for some reason or another an item didn't make the top 100 that could have been picked by judges for the top 32, just highly improbable.
Voice, they send out an email at 5 p.m. (Eastern), but sometimes it takes a while before it's received. I want to say I got mine 15 minutes later, while Maurice earlier noted he got it an hour-plus later.
They'll post the Top 32 with names and items (and the alternates' names, IIRC) on the Superstar page at 5 p.m. as well. As long as the site doesn't crash, you can see them there.
It would be cool to be the first person to ever get in three years in a row. (My nerd cred would skyrocket!)
But I won't be upset if I don't get in. I've had my time in the limelight, and other people should have the chance to feel the same thrill. Besides, I think that while my entry would have been good enough to get in in previous years, I didn't give enough effort this year to keep my own personal trajectory of quality in step with the trajectory of the community as a whole.
It'd also be nice to sit back, relax, and read and vote on entries. Not be rushed. Just enjoy the show.
Either way, I win. And so does the community. ;)
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It would be cool to be the first person to ever get in three years in a row. (My nerd cred would skyrocket!)
I'm afraid Tom Phillips already holds that distinction (i.e., 2010-2012). Since he made Top 4 in his last run, however, his streak came to an end. He's gone on to work on a number of things for Paizo, and he's contributed to some products for Legendary Games, as well.
It would be cool to be the first person to ever get in three years in a row. (My nerd cred would skyrocket!)I'm afraid Tom Phillips already holds that distinction (i.e., 2010-2012). Since he made Top 4 in his last run, however, his streak came to an end. He's gone on to work on a number of things for Paizo, and he's contributed to some products for Legendary Games, as well.
Oh! I knew he'd done three, but I thought there was a gap in there somewhere. I'll have to get this year AND next, in that case. ;)
EDIT: In any case, I would consider it a great honor to even be considered in the same league as Tom. I don't think I'm quite there yet.
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I must have been looking in the wrong places last year. I saw very little negativity after the Top 32 were revealed. And when it was deemed appropriate, I saw a lot of constructive criticism all around, my item included.
That being said, I found the best way to handle my own disappointment was to go find the Top 32 item that I loved the most and make sure to tell that person how awesome it was.
If you can't push for your own item (and contestant) anymore, find one you love and get behind them. I know it helped me get over my disappointment.
True. Most people are good about it. There's just a few bad apples every year it seems. (And it helps that the mods keep a close eye on things-- posts that get too nasty disappear faster than a pickle in a goblin village.)
Dedicated Voter Season 7
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You mean you don't?Nerd cred...
This is something you work on??
I try to a limited degree, but ultimately it's a nature vs. nurture thing...
The natural nerds far-outperform those of us who just try their best...
I'm one of those hybrid cool nerds - can't quite get past the point of no return...
And I'm good with that :-]
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I have no problems with your call to be calm, collected, and civil.
There absolutely no chance, however, of many of us Paizoians coming down with a case of sanity. Several of us just got our annual booster inoculation against it. Slaadi are naturally immune.
Edit: I should probably get my nerdichlorians level tested.
If I get an email alerting me that I made the Top 32 I'll know something is wrong.
Not submitting an item is a sovereign remedy against insanity. Luckily my sanity was lost long ago...
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RPG Superstar 2010 Top 32
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Ah, yes. The email notification. That would be the official notice I initially missed during my year. With the main RPG Superstar page refusing to load because the website was so busy, I wound up visiting the DMTools chatroom and finding out I made the Top 32 when Liz greeted me with a hearty congratulations. From there, they encouraged me to check my email and there it was. The official notice.
My experience was kind of the opposite. I submitted and kind of forgot about it, thinking I didn't really have a chance. So I was very pleasantly surprised when I got a random email saying I made it in the top 32.
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There absolutely no chance, however, of many of us Paizoians coming down with a case of sanity. Several of us just got our annual booster inoculation against it.
Touche. I said myself recently that I worry less about whether I'm insane, and more about whether I'm insane *enough*. So I can relate. :-)
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There is no rush to check the website to see if you made it. They e-mail you if you are Top 32. So no need to spam the F5 key!
I saw 3 items I liked a lot (besides my own). And I am sure those three will make the 32.
TIL that F5 will refresh your browser tab. :)
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My monster is about done. I survived the cull. Anything else is a bonus.
I am now thinking about how I will do my Template Fu reviews this year. The ONLY escape from one of these is my getting a Top 32/alternate slot!
:D
Even then you wouldn't be safe as I would likely return and do them anyway after the whole competition is over. ;)
My monster is about done. I survived the cull. Anything else is a bonus.
I am now thinking about how I will do my Template Fu reviews this year. The ONLY escape from one of these is my getting a Top 32/alternate slot!
:D
Even then you wouldn't be safe as I would likely return and do them anyway after the whole competition is over. ;)
My monster is nearly done, too, and I agree that advancing would be a bonus. It's been great fun so far, regardless of the outcome of my own entry.
I look forward to your Template Fu review—I hope I see it in the top 32 thread. You may recall that I already posted my prediction for your review...
Deal with the rejection in whatever way works for you
*STING CHORD*
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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Last year, I didn't get an email, then I went to the site. There were several entries that happened to be in alphabetical order, maybe just in the order they were posted on and a total coincidence. After having not seen my name and not gotten email for more than ten minutes, I slumped back and thought "Really? I really like my cloak!"...and then found my name at the bottom of the list.
So be patient, and good luck to everyone!
I made it through the cull on my first year entering. I am already content. Of course, I still want to win...
Anyway there's already next year, and I think I've already come up with a better entry.
I'd forgotten I had a similar experience, Steven. I saw the other Jacobs, got excited, and then bummed because they had different last names. My item was on the bottom left column and I didn't even realize I'd made it in until I started opening all 32 items to see what had made it in.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8
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In 2011 I got my "you are an alternate" e-mail promptly at 2:00, but last year my Top 32 e-mail was a bit late, if I recall correctly. I found out when my wife instant-messaged me; I wasn't able to load the site, but she was.
Today I probably won't find out until I'm done teaching class at 3:05.
Good luck to everyone, and I second Loki Thief's sentiments. If you didn't make it in this year, don't be upset. Take it as a learning experience and try again next year!
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Back in 2012, I had just finished watching a couple of old How I Met Your Mother episodes with my wife. She goes upstairs to get ready for bed, and I open up paizo.com in one browser tab and and gmail in another and wait for the computer clock to pass 23:00 (announcement time here in Denmark).
Because I know that the paizo site can be a bit hard to load due to all the interest around the announcement, this year I'm mostly refreshing my gmail and not paizo.com
23:00 - No new e-mail. Nothing yet on Paizo.
23:04 - Still no e-mail. Not even bothering to check paizo. Slowly bracing my mind for another defeat, comforted by a feeling that my submission this year has been the strongest yet of the thee times I have entered. I switch to the paizo tab and click on the Superstar icon to have a look at the list.
23:06 - E-MAIL!!! My gmail tab shows 1 new mail. My heart stops as i franticly switch to gmail, to find......"LinkedIn Network Updates, Jan 17 - Jan 24". Noooooo!
23:07 - Convinced I'm not in the Top 32, I swtich to the paizo tab and let my eyes run down the list of entries....right down to "Jacob Trier - Sunrise Shawl". I make a guttural hollar that prompts my wife to as from upstairs "Was that a good sound or a bad sound, honey?". My reply, realizing that I have three days to turn in a submission, that we have guests over for dinner Wednsday night and that I'm going on a field trip with work for most of Friday: "To be honest, right I'm not quite sure.....but...I'm IN!" Wife: "Congratulations, baby...are you coming to bed?" Me, struggling to focus on the text in front of me and click the link to see the judges comments:"In a minute or two, honey..."
01:46 - I finally make it to bed. Falling asleep is...tricky.
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That linked in mail line made me laugh so hard, i lost half my cup of tea! ;)
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Not sure my wife would care one way or another. This is that part of her husbands "hobbies" she tends to ignores/badger. If I played Golf/Bowling/Sports with my friends- I'm fine but hang out with the guys to play D&D/Pathfinder.. I get the same speech, "Did you have fun playing your game with your little friends?" egads.. "they are 40+ woman! They arn't little any more!" she gives me that wicked grin.. ROFL.. (I say this all in good fun of course)
Anyways.. glad to know some females understand this and are supportive about it.
Also thank you for sharing that part of your life with us JT. Hearing about that moment is exciting and I too long for that magicial moment.
I think the worst for me is that I'll most likely be leaving for work before the announcement is made, and will have to wait until around 11pm to find out. It's going to be a long night.
I got an email titled 'sorry' from a friend right about the time announcement was supposed to be. Before I opened his email another one came--from Paizo. After much glee I had to write my friend back and say 'read the small print! I'm an alternate, alternates are in the small print. Last year almost all the alternates got in!
:)
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Hitler's rant on not being selected was the best. Do not remember where to find the link though :-(
Edit : found it :-)))
Huh...believe it or not, I had completely forgotten this was today until I saw a bunch of new posts in this thread.
While it would be cool to make the top 32, odds are not in my favor. This is my third time entering, and I've looked at the winners every year, and last year reached the inescapable conclusion that I just don't "get" what makes an item Superstar.
*shrug*
It is still fun to enter and vote. Congrats to those that make it. :)