My Thanks


RPG Superstar™ General Discussion

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Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

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As we near the last 24 hours of the submissions process (ending TOMORROW, 2pm PST)I want to reach out to contestants and people preparing to be contestants for a moment, and say: thanks.

Thanks for coming onto the boards and creating a helpful, encouraging community for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
Thanks for applying your creativity to the benefit of this game I love.
Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep for invalidating the wondrous item you had ready-to-go. :)

And, most of all, thanks for having the courage to release your creation into the wild to see if it survives. Although I've never been eligible for Superstar, I know what it's like to put your favorite ideas up for scrutiny. It's not easy. It takes courage and conviction, and I'm constantly impressed by how professionally Paizo fans treat this event.

As a gamer and a fellow creative, and as the Host:
Seriously. Thanks.

Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

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Respectful hosts breed respectful designers. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, especially as we begin to approach "critical mass" for Pathfinder—as it enters the realm of having even more content created for it than 3.5e.

RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka Ixxix

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:


Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep for invalidating the wondrous item you had ready-to-go. :)

I feel like this might need a "yet" at the end. Luckily, I didn't do any prep this year to make it harder on myself. but I bet some people are super happy with you ;)

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

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Clay Clouser wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:


Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep for invalidating the wondrous item you had ready-to-go. :)
I feel like this might need a "yet" at the end. Luckily, I didn't do any prep this year to make it harder on myself. but I bet some people are super happy with you ;)

I have received a few of the most amazingly polite hate mail. :D


I have been watching from the sidelines since this contest began. By the time it occurred to me to give it a try, I was working for...well, one of those other game companies in a non-creative field (community management) and thus couldn't enter.

So, I annoyed, pestered, and encouraged my wife to enter RPG Superstar 2011 and she made it to Top 16 and has been working as a freelancer ever since for companies like Rite Publishing and Jon Brazer Enterprises.

And now, finally, its my turn. I hope to match her success. :)

So, thank you to Paizo for this amazing opportunity that does nothing less than open doors and create opportunities.

Paizo Employee Developer , Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

Well said, Owen!

RPG Superstar 2014 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka Ixxix

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Well, I'm sorry you've been receiving hate mail. I wonder if the people upset about having to write 300 words in a week on the fly realize that if they make it to top 4 they would have to write 300 words a day (assuming a 3000 word max like last year)...

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka GM_Solspiral

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Speaking as someone who has been inspired by this contest and has benefited by getting 3PP work and has even started a 3PP, let me say Thank You.

This contest is the best place to meet fellow designers and talent. To learn more about the craft of game design, and to get direct feedback from the consumers that you are likely selling products to.

Thanks Owen for hosting and Paizo for being awesome.


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Dear Owen,

I hate you.
You talked me into this by turning it on its head this year.
You convinced me I have a chance. So, I'm taking it.

And since I entered, I guess I really DO have more of a chance than I had before entering.

I still hate you. Kinda. Have a cookie.
Sincerely,
Me

(WHEW!! Realized I'd failed to send you hate-mail yet!! Had to fix that!)

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

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Yay, hate cookies!
MMmmmmm. Dark Side Chocolate. :P

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

Care to share any of the hate-mail you've gotten, Owen? (With anonymity, of course.) Could be fun to look at!


::makes note for PaizoCon 2015::

:D

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

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As a policy, I do not share private email, even with names redacted. I know a lot of VERY smart people, and some folks have distinctive writing patterns. The best way for me to make sure I never expose communication intended to be private. I actually take that sort of thing very seriously.

I can ask if anyone who sent me some feels like having it anonymously shared, in which case I'd be fine with it. I've been surprised what people were willing for me to post in the past. :)

That said, Doc_Outlands is not too far off the mark of many of them.

Designer , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

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Jacob Kellogg wrote:
Care to share any of the hate-mail you've gotten, Owen? (With anonymity, of course.) Could be fun to look at!

Here's one:

"Dear Owen,

Your devilishly clever twist will surely throw the Superstar world into turmoil and excitement, quickly winnowing down the pool to those who can handle the extreme challenges of the later rounds. If only you were as incredibly handsome and wonderful in every way as the previous host, it would have been a perfect masterstroke, but alas, few can truly claim to reach such perfection.

Sincerely yours,
An anonymous Indianan"

Not actually a real e-mail.

RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8

You're welcome, Owen, and a big thank you in return.

Even before the contest has really gotten off the ground, it's obvious that Sean and the rest of the old crew of judges left it in some very capable hands, bot in respect to the host and the judges.

I'm very much looking forward to what lies ahead.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

As a policy, I do not share private email, even with names redacted. I know a lot of VERY smart people, and some folks have distinctive writing patterns. The best way for me to make sure I never expose communication intended to be private. I actually take that sort of thing very seriously.

I can ask if anyone who sent me some feels like having it anonymously shared, in which case I'd be fine with it. I've been surprised what people were willing for me to post in the past. :)

That said, Doc_Outlands is not too far off the mark of many of them.

I was actually meaning something more along the lines of "So far I've gotten 3 references to my parentage, 2 estimations of my intelligence, 7 suggestions for things I should go do..."

I personally would find that entertaining. But maybe that's just so I can distract myself for a little bit more of that choking time-void between submission and voting. ;)


Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Yay, hate cookies!

MMmmmmm. Dark Side Chocolate. :P

Giggle. It ate them!

1 dark side point per chew, 4 per cookie.

It's in our control now, know this, it does not!

What shall be our first command my fellow sith contestants, shall we make him sing the 12 days of superstar on utube?

Grin.

Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

Mark Seifter wrote:

Sincerely yours,

An anonymous Indianan"

Not actually a real e-mail.

Clearly not, or else the writer would have correctly identified themselves as a Hoosier. :D

Designer , Marathon Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7

Cthulhudrew wrote:
Mark Seifter wrote:

Sincerely yours,

An anonymous Indianan"

Not actually a real e-mail.

Clearly not, or else the writer would have correctly identified themselves as a Hoosier. :D

Perhaps the fictitious sender recently moved there? :D


Mark Seifter wrote:
Cthulhudrew wrote:
Mark Seifter wrote:

Sincerely yours,

An anonymous Indianan"

Not actually a real e-mail.

Clearly not, or else the writer would have correctly identified themselves as a Hoosier. :D
Perhaps the fictitious sender recently moved there? :D

Yes, a fictitious someone that has no prior attachment to RPG Superstar whatsoever...

Shadow Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka mamaursula

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Clay Clouser wrote:
Well, I'm sorry you've been receiving hate mail. I wonder if the people upset about having to write 300 words in a week on the fly realize that if they make it to top 4 they would have to write 300 words a day (assuming a 3000 word max like last year)...

Oh no, my hate mail consisted of -

"I am so mad at you right now. I swore I would NEVER enter RPGSS because I didn't want to write up a wondrous item. How DARE you change it to something else and tempt me to write up an eligible item? I will get you Owen Stephens!

Love,
Me"

So, yeah, it never occurred to me I might have to write up an adventure proposal until after I hit "Submit."

In all seriousness, I love Owen and I'm glad that the powers that be at Paizo agreed to the change. I am excited to see what this year's match ups look like.

Star Voter Season 6

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I seriously love this community and this contest. Life's crazy right now, but I couldn't resist submitting an item, and I love seeing so many familiar forum friends. Peace and joy to all, and thanks, Paizo peeps, for the fun! :)


Nice folks on this board. I can't believe there is a message board on the internet with seemingly no trolls.


JJ Jordan wrote:
Nice folks on this board. I can't believe there is a message board on the internet with seemingly no trolls.

You're right to be skeptical. There are trolls here. It's just hard to see them sometimes because they all have levels of ninja. (But yes, these forums are much kindler and gentler than most regions of the Internet, by far.)

Silver Crusade RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka mechaPoet

Jeff Lee wrote:
JJ Jordan wrote:
Nice folks on this board. I can't believe there is a message board on the internet with seemingly no trolls.
You're right to be skeptical. There are trolls here. It's just hard to see them sometimes because they all have levels of ninja. (But yes, these forums are much kindler and gentler than most regions of the Internet, by far.)

It really depends on the thread and the subforum... But the Superstar forums have quite lovely, for the most part!

Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

mechaPoet wrote:
Jeff Lee wrote:
JJ Jordan wrote:
Nice folks on this board. I can't believe there is a message board on the internet with seemingly no trolls.
You're right to be skeptical. There are trolls here. It's just hard to see them sometimes because they all have levels of ninja. (But yes, these forums are much kindler and gentler than most regions of the Internet, by far.)
It really depends on the thread and the subforum... But the Superstar forums have quite lovely, for the most part!

I'm a little anxious to leave this board. Now that I've seen how elysian the RPGSS board is, I fear that I've been spoiled for the rest of the Paizo forum.

Sovereign Court

You're welcome, Owen! \(^o^)/

Ultimately, I was very glad about the "Shake up"; the surprise in the round one announcement. It took a lot of stress off of me seeing as Creating a Magic item is like taking a the concept of a sandwich and going to town with it. Sure, it's something new, but it's still a sandwich.

Crafting a wondrous item, however, is like having access to a gigantic mountain of legos and no idea what brick to start with. Don't get me wrong, I love legos. But I just felt more comfortable doing something that at least had SOME base to work with. (Armor, Weapon, Staff, Ring, etc.)

It's also a good thing, because after re-re-re-reading the wondrous item I was planning to submit, I probably would have gotten panned in the voting. At least now, I feel like I have a pretty good chance. I'm nervous, but still confident.

Enough blathering from me. You've done a great job putting this together, and I very much look forward to the remaining four rounds...

...whether or not I'm participating in them, of course.

Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9

Thanks to you Owen, and to everyone both staff and participant that makes superstar possible. It is a bright point in my year and has allowed me to move forward with my own creative works.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka GM_Solspiral

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It is really nice to see forum posters I haven't seen on the boards all year back

RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Phloid

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep for invalidating the wondrous item you had ready-to-go. :)

Oh, well you are certainly welcome, Owen. Certainly... Welcome.

I'm going to go take those explosives off your car now, ok? Ok.

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka MythrilDragon

THANK YOU OWEN for continuing the tradition of open engagement between the judges, Paizo, contestants, and fans. One of the reasons I keep following this contest and the company is because of the way this has and continues to be done.

Now go vote for me :)

Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

Nickolas Floyd wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Thanks for not murdering me in my sleep for invalidating the wondrous item you had ready-to-go. :)

Oh, well you are certainly welcome, Owen. Certainly... Welcome.

I'm going to go take those explosives off your car now, ok? Ok.

Wait he sleeps in his car? Somebody needs to ask for a raise I think... I mean I know the east side is expensive, but that's ridiculous... :P

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

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cwslyclgh wrote:
Wait he sleeps in his car?

Not at night, but during my commute? Different question.


That is a loooong commute Owen. Unless you microsleep. (Wait, you meant relocation?)

Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

If he has to drive through Bellevue it probably feels like he is relocating on a daily basis... the 520 bridge (which will avoid some of the Bellevue traffic if he is coming from Seattle) has commute problems of its own. When I lived in Renton and was attending classes at the UW, I took the bus over the bridge and through Bellevue every day, so I got to experience both sets of commute problems. I got a lot of reading done on the bus rides though.

Scarab Sages

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You think you got polite hate mail this time?

Wait till you reveal the next round task is to 'describe your map, via the medium of interpretive dance'.

Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9

Snorter wrote:

You think you got polite hate mail this time?

Wait till you reveal the next round task is to 'describe your map, via the medium of interpretive dance'.

Ugh, just thinking about the 520 bridge makes my skin crawl.

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

I'm actually living in Kent, not far from the AFK Eatery and Elixirs, so I don't have to cross the bridge to get to Redmond. It IS, however, a 45-55 minute commute most days, and 90 minutes on a bad day.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 8 aka Angry Wiggles

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
I'm actually living in Kent, not far from the AFK Eatery and Elixirs, so I don't have to cross the bridge to get to Redmond. It IS, however, a 45-55 minute commute most days, and 90 minutes on a bad day.

A long commute is good for the soul, provided enough books on tape are available and the traffic isn't very aggressive. I am at least lucky enough that my 50ish minute commute takes place primarily on country roads. I'm guessing that Paizo's location sort of rules that out, though.


But there's the AFK E&E to soothe the commute home...

Grand Lodge Marathon Voter Season 9

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JJ Jordan wrote:
Nice folks on this board. I can't believe there is a message board on the internet with seemingly no trolls.

I used to make mods for Skyrim, and Bethesda's official Creation Kit forums were CRAZY polite. Like, elderly English noblewoman level polite. I think one reason this sub-forum is a similar exemplar of civility (Prestige Class?) is that it shares a creative focus. Creative people are excited to put out work, to have it work-shopped, and basically just be involved in an ongoing creative process.

Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

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Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
I'm actually living in Kent, not far from the AFK Eatery and Elixirs, so I don't have to cross the bridge to get to Redmond. It IS, however, a 45-55 minute commute most days, and 90 minutes on a bad day.

I saw Kent,

Got excited,

I was born in Kent, ...

The County of Kent -

Kent, England

>.< -

So glad they aren't the same Kent because that would be a heck of a commute! :D

Paizo Employee RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

I also live in Kent! Mostly because I work in Kent. So my commute is mercifully short.

Makes up for last year when I was on the bus for 3 hours a day. Not sure how I managed to get through Superstar with that commute! Lots of time brainstorming on the bus, I suppose.

Paizo Employee RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

Also: Owen, we have you to thank for continuing the RPG Superstar tradition! Thank you for hosting such an awesome contest and for helping Paizo to be the awesome company and community that it is.

Shadow Lodge Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
Angry Wiggles wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
I'm actually living in Kent, not far from the AFK Eatery and Elixirs, so I don't have to cross the bridge to get to Redmond. It IS, however, a 45-55 minute commute most days, and 90 minutes on a bad day.
A long commute is good for the soul, provided enough books on tape are available and the traffic isn't very aggressive. I am at least lucky enough that my 50ish minute commute takes place primarily on country roads. I'm guessing that Paizo's location sort of rules that out, though.

Strange as it may sound, my bus commute (30 minutes each way) is one of the things I still miss from my time in Seattle. That's 5 hours a week of writing time I lost.

Shadow Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka mamaursula

Snorter wrote:

You think you got polite hate mail this time?

Wait till you reveal the next round task is to 'describe your map, via the medium of interpretive dance'.

I could totally do that round!

Shadow Lodge Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
mamaursula wrote:
Snorter wrote:

You think you got polite hate mail this time?

Wait till you reveal the next round task is to 'describe your map, via the medium of interpretive dance'.

I could totally do that round!

Dancing about cartography is like writing about music.

Scarab Sages

Snorter wrote:
Wait till you reveal the next round task is to 'describe your map, via the medium of interpretive dance'.
mamaursula wrote:
I could totally do that round!

Pictures required for claim verification!

Scarab Sages

Also waiting for the round where we have to

'Describe the background plot of your scenario submission, Rashomon-style, via the conflicting accounts of biased NPC witnesses.'

Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Snorter wrote:

Also waiting for the round where we have to

'Describe the background plot of your scenario submission, Rashomon-style, via the conflicting accounts of biased NPC witnesses.'

Dang, so plot

"Point adventurers at cave. They go in. Monsters kill them."

isn't good enough?

:P

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