Although a lot of people didn't think my item from last year was Superstar, the judges liked it very much. It wasn't the technical aspect of my item that impressed them. In fact I screwed up some of the technical which is why one judge downvoted it.
I think the flavor and the different mechanics is what made it standout to the judges. In the end all my item did was give some skill bonuses for social encounters and allow a party to plant rumors.
It was the manner in which the power was applied, decribed and explained that made it Superstar.
Something the judges can do better than many (most) of us, is look past the item and see the designer. I was one of the people who didn't care for James' item last year (sorry James, glad the judges had a better mojo meter than I do), but that probably comes from being personally unable to envision my character spending the money on such a thing (but then I have a lot of trouble envisioning any character of mine buying 90% of the top 32 items).
As for what made the snapleaf "Superstar" , if I had to guess it was the idea of combining two unrelated spell effects to go off with one consumable item, but linking both into a theme (leaves fall slowly, snapping the leaf makes it "gone", snapping the item is a nifty way to activate a magic item, the name is unusual and interesting, while tying perfectly in with the items appearance and function, and it was all presented without unnecessary muss or fuss. In addition, the item evoked images of its use: Druids ambushers leaping from a high branch on the party, PCs using them to gain entrance into a fortified enclosure...
To show some serious design MOJO with a camping item is very difficult and I don't think there has ever been one that has had enough MOJO to break through....My Top 32 item from 2009 was a camping item.
That if done now would probably be accused of being a spell in a can.
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Judging from Nazard's description of Snapleaf, I think I may be able to provide a perspective on what Superstar could be. It doesn't come from a place of experience (as can be seen by my tags), but from a degree in game design.
It could be argued that one of the most important things in game design are player choices. If the choices are too obvious and easy, or too limited and repetitive, the games stops being fun. They become a grind.
As a result, I suspect the Superstar items will probably ones that give the player an option they didn't have before, without replacing or deprecating other choices.
The challenge and nuance that will separate Top 32 from Top 100 will be in how they handle the nuance of 'don't replace or deprecate other choices'. Like, if an item enhances a specific combat maneuver beyond a certain point, there's a chance the player would be foolish to do anything but that combat maneuver. Then, the designer has actually reduced player choice and made the game less fun as a result. I see a lot of items that figuratively double up what a character can do in a round if they select a specific action. Those items will make encounters repetitive and un-interesting. I have doubts we'll see any in the Top 32.
But, player choice isn't the only perspective to take when considering choice. The DM has choices to make, and they need to have fun too. If an item simply negates the DMs actions and throws them back in their face, it's reducing the DM's choices. If they know there's no feasible way to (for example) melee attack your character, then they have to pull all the melee beasts and traps from their design roster. Encounters become less diverse and more repetitive feeling. That hits both the DM's and Player's total level of fun.
TL;DR - The Superstar items are probably going to open up new spaces to play in or new sights to see rather than let players and DMs run existing paths more quickly or safely. Game Expanders > Game Enhancers.
RPG Superstar 2015
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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That said you are voting on what items you think is better. You are free to use any criteria you want to determine which item you think is better.Staff that I despise, why do you haunt me so ?
I end up favoring even subpar items over you.
Then you need to take a break, because the whole point is to pick the better item, regardless of your personal opinion of said item. I've voted for a lot of bloody, gross, and offensive items because they were still better than the wondrous items or other incomplete entries that they were up against.
In the end, only 32 go on, but if you're going to volunteer to vote, you should do it correctly.
Nope he said he was voting for subpar items. That is not "better."
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RPG Superstar 2015
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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Judging from Nazard's description of Snapleaf, I think I may be able to provide a perspective on what Superstar could be. It doesn't come from a place of experience (as can be seen by my tags), but from a degree in game design.
It could be argued that one of the most important things in game design are player choices. If the choices are too obvious and easy, or too limited and repetitive, the games stops being fun. They become a grind.
As a result, I suspect the Superstar items will probably ones that give the player an option they didn't have before, without replacing or deprecating other choices.
The challenge and nuance that will separate Top 32 from Top 100 will be in how they handle the nuance of 'don't replace or deprecate other choices'. Like, if an item enhances a specific combat maneuver beyond a certain point, there's a chance the player would be foolish to do anything but that combat maneuver. Then, the designer has actually reduced player choice and made the game less fun as a result. I see a lot of items that figuratively double up what a character can do in a round if they select a specific action. Those items will make encounters repetitive and un-interesting. I have doubts we'll see any in the Top 32.
But, player choice isn't the only perspective to take when considering choice. The DM has choices to make, and they need to have fun too. If an item simply negates the DMs actions and throws them back in their face, it's reducing the DM's choices. If they know there's no feasible way to (for example) melee attack your character, then they have to pull all the melee beasts and traps from their design roster. Encounters become less diverse and more repetitive feeling. That hits both the DM's and Player's total level of fun.
TL;DR - The Superstar items are probably going to open up new spaces to play in or new sights to see rather than let players and DMs run existing paths more quickly or safely. Game Expanders > Game Enhancers.
Yes, they are the items that come closest to do this and show that the designer in question is thinking about how to expand upon the rules without breaking all the other rules, keeping balance and yet doing something new and interesting. I'm so glad you're here this year, I love seeing people get it. Welcome home :-)
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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To show some serious design MOJO with a camping item is very difficult and I don't think there has ever been one that has had enough MOJO to break through....My Top 32 item from 2009 was a camping item.
Which brings us back to the last of Sean K Reynolds "rules." (paraphrasing) If you make a sufficiently cool item you can break any of the previous rules.
One of my favorite items of the entire run of this competition was basically a SIAC with amazing new visuals.
**edit**
By entire run I mean all the years of the competition.
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Nope he said he was voting for subpar items. That is not "better."That said you are voting on what items you think is better. You are free to use any criteria you want to determine which item you think is better.Staff that I despise, why do you haunt me so ?
I end up favoring even subpar items over you.
Then you need to take a break, because the whole point is to pick the better item, regardless of your personal opinion of said item. I've voted for a lot of bloody, gross, and offensive items because they were still better than the wondrous items or other incomplete entries that they were up against.
In the end, only 32 go on, but if you're going to volunteer to vote, you should do it correctly.
Alas, sometimes subpar can actually be better than the other item :-(
I always upvote one item, even when it is blindingly clear that it will never go anywhere near the top 32. And I always upvote the one I think is better (or not as bad as the other one in such a case).
I admit readily that my criteria for deciding which is which can be different from that of any other voter :-)
Two staffs in a row that are great examples of new was to use staffs.
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Staff that I despise, why do you haunt me so ?
I end up favoring even subpar items over you.
Alas, sometimes subpar can actually be better than the other item :-(
I always upvote one item, even when it is blindingly clear that it will never go anywhere near the top 32. And I always upvote the one I think is better (or not as bad as the other one in such a case).
I admit readily that my criteria for deciding which is which can be different from that of any other voter :-)
I am voting for a lot of "subpar" items, like I do every year. BUT I always vote for the "better" item of the two items before me. If you are not voting for the "better" item, then take a break. The point is to vote for the "better" item and if you're having a problem seeing that an item you dislike is potentially better, then walk it off. That's all I'm saying.
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My voting criteria definitely change over both the years and over the length of a round.
I find myself being less picky about small errors, (a single misspelling, one misplaced comma, a single capitalization or italics uses/not used), and more picky about large errors or complete template fails.
I find that I become less and less forgiving about items that insist on a specific back-story or worse current story for items.
I become almost completely unforgiving for "Hidden" cursed items or singular items that should really be artifacts.
In short I find myself looking more and more at writing style + mechanics to decide.
I have found that in all honesty very few items had good writing and good mechanics + bad template use.
Just some of my musings.
P.S. So many gravity items this year!
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P.S. So many gravity items this year!
They do add a certain weight to the competition. :)
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My voting criteria definitely change over both the years and over the length of a round.
...
I find myself being less picky about small errors, (a single misspelling, one misplaced comma, a single capitalization or italics uses/not used), and more picky about large errors or complete template fails....
This is the reason I never feel guilty for not voting for an item lacking some or all of the template.
Corn!
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Oh, ring of endless game-breaking, I will never, ever vote for you. You are simply a GM's nightmare.
I'm so glad you're here this year, I love seeing people get it. Welcome home :-)
Thank you! :D
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How about theses two, bow of ashes or devil's key.
I appreciate the perspective. Here's mine--tell me what I'm missing:
To me, the bow is just a bow of infinite ammo that shoots through smoke/fog/etc. without penalty. It has cool visuals, but it's not really very useful or effective for its price.
For one, durable arrows are cheap, and using real arrows lets you bypass DR much more easily. My archers always have endless quivers full of different material durable arrows. It's also not actually that common to stand near so much fire--every party I've ever seen ditched torches by level 2 or 3. Ioun Torches cost almost nothing for how convenient it is, and most spellcasters have light anyway.
Ignoring the concealment chance for fog/ash/dust/etc. is cool, but it only stops the miss chance, it doesn't let the wielder actually see through that stuff. The vast majority of those effects are going to be magical in nature and they will be blocking vision unless you are ridiculously close to your foes.
I'd never want to buy this bow--I'd rather just a generic +1 Adaptive Bow with an Endless Quiver full of durable arrows of different types and us the rest of my money on actually seeing through that stuff instead of just ignoring the penalties, like a Goz Mask.
The Devil's Key has, again, cool visuals, but not only does it costs a crazy amount of gold, it's dangerous to use, it isn't especially clear on how it works, and its backstory doesn't mesh well with its construction requirements.
66k can get you a +5 weapon and then some. The "prize" then, is fighting a monster you need to permanently kill so badly that you want to take it to its home plane to do so by yourself, with a +2 vanilla longsword, and nothing about the sword protects you from the creature's native plane, which might be totally inhospitable. That sounds kind of suicidal, to me.
Also, how exactly does the return trip thing work? The sword activates Plane Shift as an immediate action--does the sword itself suddenly acquire actions? No, the PC probably has to do it, but then what happens if the PC used their immediate action already? Does it wait and plane shift you later or did you lose your opportunity?
Finally, it's supposedly a redeemed unholy sword, but its creation requirements are holy spells. Can you only make it using an unholy sword as a base, or is that basically irrelevant and now you can craft versions of the weapon that were never unholy?
So, I probably wouldn't put those on MY keeper list, that's for sure. Am I just being too nitpicky? Am I asking too much? Does it really not matter if people wouldn't actually want to use your item?
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How about theses two, bow of ashes or devil's key.I appreciate the perspective. Here's mine--tell me what I'm missing:
I agree, those items are not Superstar, but then again it has been put out by that some designers would not make it in the competition.
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How about theses two, bow of ashes or devil's key.I appreciate the perspective. Here's mine--tell me what I'm missing:
....
Read Moik's post because I REALLY think he/she gets it. The purpose of designing a superstar item isn't to circumvent the rules, create something that makes existing spells, items, or rules obsolete or even to create something that every character wants.
The first round in particular is to figure out who can create something that catches the eye either by its uniqueness, creativity, MOJO, or an undefinable quality. The subsequent rounds of the competition require a better knowledge of the rules and mechanics and those rounds rely much more on them. I think the predominant thing that is looked for in the first round is creativity. Even if an item violates rules or seems useless, if the creativity behind its creation is inspired, that is what the judges as well as many voters are looking for.
Think about some of the iconic items from D&D's history. The Hand and Eye of Vecna for instance. No one in their right mind would use those items or pay for them. Yes they are artifacts and yes they are more GM tools, BUT they have MOJO. There is something about them that catches the interest of a player. Look at last year's monster round and see if you think any of those are superstar worthy. If so, figure out what qualities of that monster make t superstar in your mind and see if they are applicable to items/weapons/etc.
Damn it, magic items, stop trying to turn my character into something he's not! It's his life; let him be himself!
(I kid, I kid. Some of these transformative items are pretty cool.)
Okay, I'm at least familiar with the idea that some countries use periods rather than commas for numbers. However, I saw one using apostrophes rather than commas. Where does that come from?
Interesting, I voted for an item out of pair, got them again immediately with reversed places - but the time count was only about 20 seconds.
Okay, I'm at least familiar with the idea that some countries use periods rather than commas for numbers. However, I saw one using apostrophes rather than commas. Where does that come from?
You mean thousands separator? Some old calculators used apostrophes for those... Probably it's just a matter of not knowing proper notation of either Anglo-Saxon+China and India system (comma for thousands separator, point for decimal fraction) or mostly-the-rest-of the-world-system (comma for decimals, point for thousands), though.
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Okay, I'm at least familiar with the idea that some countries use periods rather than commas for numbers. However, I saw one using apostrophes rather than commas. Where does that come from?
Decimal Mark - Examples of Use - Wikipedia
So, Switzerland? Though it is used in other cases as well. I often have to sit down with exchange students in my math classes to make sure we're on the same page, which meant one from Kazakhstan was gleeful in her use of non-period decimals.
How about theses two, bow of ashes or devil's key.I appreciate the perspective. Here's mine--tell me what I'm missing:
Both LeBlanc and Casey have good points in their answers, but I must admit that I get your point as well. I tend to go for a certain coolness factor while voting. And by that I don't necessarily mean uber-powerful or OP items - I have consistently downvoted pretty much all of the paladin swords we have seen this year. Rather I ask myself whether or not a player would be excited to find, buy or craft such an item. If it is just plain boring, extremely situational or lacking in awe-factor, then it's not Superstar. Then again, if it's a complete gamebreaker, then again, it's not Superstar.
A good item needs to be both eye-catching as well as balanced/functional. But if I had to choose between those two qualities in two items that are overall close to one another, I'd go for the eye-catching because of the fun it'd bring to the game table.
Seriously, who doesn't love catapults? Unless you are a rogue, who prefers ballistas for backstabbing...
Hey, rogues love ballistas, how else do you expect us to get the height and velocity needed for when we backstab a massive giant?
Unimpressive ring versus obnoxious ring. *sigh*
Seriously, who doesn't love catapults? Unless you are a rogue, who prefers ballistas for backstabbing...Hey, rogues love ballistas, how else do you expect us to get the height and velocity needed for when we backstab a massive giant?
Beware of fighter aiming the balista too low, though...
Two "tether" items against each other.
How often would these marriage items come up in game?
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RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16
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Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8
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Thinking back on the comments from before regarding "What makes an item Superstar?" I tried to see it from the original poster's POV and I totally understand the point that was made.
In the end I believe the choice of whether or not an item is Superstar is entirely subjective. There are common denominators such as coolness or flavor, but really I saw items that did indeed have those qualities and I down-voted them for one reason or another. So the final answer is an item is Superstar if you feel it is Superstar and that answer includes the judges. The beauty of this contest is that the voters decide the top 100 or so items and then the judges apply their point of views and we get the top 32.
SO.... What makes an item Superstar?....
I consider an item Superstar if it is useful, colorful/flavorful, not game-breaking and/or over-powered. Pricing doesn't bother me too much but poor formatting does. Excessive misspellings and improper grammar also factor into getting my vote. I am not a fan of Technology or guns, so those items have a lot of ground to make up when trying to get my vote and I also tend to stay away from "Gonzo". The good news is that next year I will probably be ok with technology and guns and I won't like the newest thing added to the game.
SO... What makes an item Superstar for you?