Round 2 questions


RPG Superstar™ General Discussion

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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Hi!

I was glad to receive an email announcing that I was one of the top 32 candidates. Considering I am not a native English speaker, this is good news!

I have a few questions for round two:
1) Must the map be of an "over world area" or can I make a battlemap or encounter map? For instance, a landscape with a scale based on miles versus a castle, a city building or an abandoned ruin with 5 foot squares.

2) If my illustration software lets me choose file dimension in inches and has pixels per inches, does a 8,5 x 11 inch template with 150 pixels per inch achieve the requirement of being at (or near) 150 DPI? If not, could someone point me to the right settings please!

Cheers and thanks,
-Olivier

Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

1 person marked this as a favorite.

You may want to hold out for an official answer, but I believe

1) I believe either of your suggestions is allowed by the rules ("You may create a map for a city, wilderness, dungeon, or any other fantasy Golarion location appropriate for a full-page map", "Your map must have a compass rose indicating north and a scale (such as "one square = 5 feet")")

2) As long as the image you submit is a 1275 pixel by 1650 pixel JPG and the DPI or PPI is set to 150, it's the right size. If you're not sure, it looks like you've already noticed ways to confirm or set the image size that I posted in the guildhall thread.

Paizo Employee RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

I feel like a dope for asking this:

Does a "previously unmapped region of Golarion" mean that we need to find a place that has already been named (say, in the Inner Sea World Guide), or can we create a place out of whole cloth that could conceivably exist in Golarion?

I spent last night sketching up some ideas of my own and now I fear that time was wasted...

Thanks!

Champion Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Jason Keeley wrote:

I feel like a dope for asking this:

Does a "previously unmapped region of Golarion" mean that we need to find a place that has already been named (say, in the Inner Sea World Guide), or can we create a place out of whole cloth that could conceivably exist in Golarion?

I spent last night sketching up some ideas of my own and now I fear that time was wasted...

Thanks!

I would think either of those would be ok.

RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor

I agree with Azouth. I think I'd actually lean more toward creating your own place, but being sure it fits in with Golarion canon (and in fact using it to show you know your Golarion canon).

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Especially since we've never done a round just exactly like this, I was expecting some questions, and wanted to get answers out quickly.

We're not requiring any specific scope for the map. Within the rules handed out, encounters, cities, regions, ships, rivers, dungeons, valleys, and even entire continents could qualify. I'm not recommending any of those over others, but they could all count.

You don't have to pick a location on Golarion we have already named, but it does have to be something the judges and voters believe would reasonable be found in Golarion.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:
I agree with Azouth. I think I'd actually lean more toward creating your own place, but being sure it fits in with Golarion canon (and in fact using it to show you know your Golarion canon).

Does that mean I can create a battlemap location that exists in a "Guide to ..." to show that I can make a map that relates to said place in Golarion?

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:


We're not requiring any specific scope for the map. Within the rules handed out, encounters, cities, regions, ships, rivers, dungeons, valleys, and even entire continents could qualify. I'm not recommending any of those over others, but they could all count.

You don't have to pick a location on Golarion we have already named, but it does have to be something the judges and voters believe would reasonable be found in Golarion.

Thank you for your clarification Owen!

Paizo Employee RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Yeah, thanks! Puts my mind at ease.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Rethgaal

Much thanks. Puts my mind at ease as well.

Scarab Sages RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Rusty Ironpants

Olivier Rayé-Lalonde wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:


You don't have to pick a location on Golarion we have already named, but it does have to be something the judges and voters believe would reasonable be found in Golarion.
Thank you for your clarification Owen!

Yes, thanks for answering Owen, I had the same question!

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

Thanks for the clarification!

Paizo Employee RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Another quick question: If we are designing a dungeon-level map, should we put various room markers (A1 through A13, etc.) as if the map was going to be accompanied by a few pages of room descriptions?

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

1 person marked this as a favorite.

You are not required to put in room numbering (that would link to encounter descriptions, if you were allowed to have encounter descriptions), but you may if you wish to do so.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Hodge Podge

Thanks for answering those questions. I had pretty much all the same ones!

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

When the rules say the image has to be 8.5x11, does that rule out landscape? Or can you ask the reader to turn the book sideways?

Champion Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
Scott LaBarge wrote:
When the rules say the image has to be 8.5x11, does that rule out landscape? Or can you ask the reader to turn the book sideways?

Remember north doesn't have to be up.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

The issue isn't where north goes, it's the shape of the map. I think I can make it work in portrait format, but landscape might be better. Just checking, and would still appreciate an official piece of guidance. :-)

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

Since I'm not a judge for this round, I cede any official rulings to Owen (Edit: And of course Crystal and Rob who are true professionals and at least one of which has had to work with MY map turnovers), but I do advise looking at any of our products that we have published. To translate dimensions to flipping through a book, 8.5" x 11" is a full page. We typically only print full-page maps, or half-page maps in our books. Full-page maps are typically vertical in shape and have north being the top of the map. There are exceptions to this, but as a practice we try not to deviate from that as often as possible. (For example, we've presented a couple of regions or countries as horizontal, full page maps—such as Numeria or the Worldwound, because of their shape.)

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

I think I'm settling on portrait anyway, but it's nice to know what the possibilities are regardless. Thanks for the response, Adam!

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 aka jeffh

I have the same question. I'm planning something that really would work a lot better in landscape, though I could do it in portrait if I had to. The issue isn't where north goes, in fact I was planning on determining that randomly anyway.

It didn't even occur to me that the order might be significant, but it's obvious now that someone's mentioned it that in a PF module landscape would be sideways. How big a problem is that?

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8

That's philosophers for you: always looking for another perspective :-)

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka CalebTGordan

If we number the areas on the map are we allowed to present a list of names for those areas on the map? Like "1) Dwarven currency exchange, 2) Dwarven treasury, 3) Shrine of a forgotten god." All on an area on the map, like a corner?

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka dien

Seconding Taylor's question (though I'm pretty sure the answer is 'no' because Owen says we're not allowed to do 'encounter descriptions' and what you are proposing may start hedging close to that?). I'd be quite happy to be wrong, though. :P

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

The offical Round 2 rules say you're allowed a map key, just as long as everything is (1) contained within the 8.5x11 area, and (2) is directly relevant to the map. They give examples that you could label the districts of a city map, but couldn't talk about its politics or alignment; you could mark where a monster is standing, but couldn't describe its tactics or motivations.

Read and re-read and re-re-read the rules. Read them until you dream about them.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32

Taylor Hubler wrote:

If we number the areas on the map are we allowed to present a list of names for those areas on the map? Like "1) Dwarven currency exchange, 2) Dwarven treasury, 3) Shrine of a forgotten god." All on an area on the map, like a corner?

Jacob Kellogg wrote:
The offical Round 2 rules say you're allowed a map key, just as long as everything is (1) contained within the 8.5x11 area, and (2) is directly relevant to the map. They give examples that you could label the districts of a city map, but couldn't talk about its politics or alignment; you could mark where a monster is standing, but couldn't describe its tactics or motivations.

So I take it that Taylor's example is correct?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

Well, I'm not a judge, just another schmuck like the rest of us. ;)

All I can really say is read the rules, absorb the examples, and decide how you think your own idea will be perceived (keeping mind that extra info can actually get you DQ'd).

Dark Archive RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Mozenrath6

For the name of the place, can it include descriptions? (Kind of like The Inner Sea World Guide) For example can I call it Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world, or Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market?

Thanks so much!

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6

Kind of an off-the-wall question, but I noticed I'm using a lot of reds and greens in my mapping. Should I change these in order to accommodate anybody who might be red-green colorblind?

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

John Laffan wrote:

For the name of the place, can it include descriptions? (Kind of like The Inner Sea World Guide) For example can I call it Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world, or Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market?

Thanks so much!

Note that the rules say the title is capped at 8 words (which eliminates your first example).

And in my personal, totally-not-official opinion, explaining that your cheese store also sells people is flirting with the irrelevant-information DQ line. Maybe over the line, maybe not, but I know I sure wouldn't want to get that close.

My advice is this: if your map doesn't NEED that piece of info in order to be awesome, then leave it out instead of taking unnecessary risks. If it DOES need that piece of info in order to work, then find a way for the map to make it clear (like including a back room with a desk, secret door, and 5x5 cages or whatever). If you need the information to make it work but the map can't convey it, then you're designing the wrong thing and need to step back and re-focus on what this round is really about.

In my opinion. ;)

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

Charlie Brooks wrote:
Kind of an off-the-wall question, but I noticed I'm using a lot of reds and greens in my mapping. Should I change these in order to accommodate anybody who might be red-green colorblind?

The rules say it's okay to be full-color, and also that you should be making something that could be handed to a professional cartographer. With all due respect to those with vision difficulties, I can't imagine there's a lot of overlap between "people who are colorblind" and "professional cartographers who would prepare a map for a Pathfinder product".

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

John Laffan wrote:

For the name of the place, can it include descriptions? (Kind of like The Inner Sea World Guide) For example can I call it Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world, or Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market?

Thanks so much!

For the title of your map, you get eight words. So if you want to map out "Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world" you need to find a way to say that in 8 words rather than 9. "Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market" is fine, since it's 7.

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

Charlie Brooks wrote:
Kind of an off-the-wall question, but I noticed I'm using a lot of reds and greens in my mapping. Should I change these in order to accommodate anybody who might be red-green colorblind?

The contest rules do not have an opinion on this question, so it's up to you to decide if you think enough voters are going to have an issue to affect your chances.

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 aka jeffh

What about the question on landscape maps (as in horizontally oriented ones, not as in maps of landscapes)? Are they okay, discouraged, or just out of the question?

I don't think that has an "official" answer yet. If it does, I hope someone will be kind enough to point out what I've overlooked.

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

Jeff Heikkinen wrote:
What about the question on landscape maps (as in horizontally oriented ones, not as in maps of landscapes)? Are they okay, discouraged, or just out of the question?

The rules do not speak to the question of orientation. I recommend you look at our products (and keep in mind we print maps in physical books) when deciding your orientation, and any other issue we didn't address.

Dark Archive RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Mozenrath6

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
John Laffan wrote:

For the name of the place, can it include descriptions? (Kind of like The Inner Sea World Guide) For example can I call it Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world, or Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market?

Thanks so much!

For the title of your map, you get eight words. So if you want to map out "Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world" you need to find a way to say that in 8 words rather than 9. "Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market" is fine, since it's 7.

Thank you! Yeah the first is a bad example, I was trying to be too clever....I'll move the Fortress of Solitude to the shorter named nation of Galt!

Best,

John

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka CalebTGordan

Jacob Kellogg wrote:


Read and re-read and re-re-read the rules. Read them until you dream about them.

I certainly have been dreaming about the map.

Any official answer on the labeling?

RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 aka jeffh

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Jeff Heikkinen wrote:
What about the question on landscape maps (as in horizontally oriented ones, not as in maps of landscapes)? Are they okay, discouraged, or just out of the question?
The rules do not speak to the question of orientation. I recommend you look at our products (and keep in mind we print maps in physical books) when deciding your orientation, and any other issue we didn't address.

Thanks!

Scarab Sages Modules Overlord

Taylor Hubler wrote:
Any official answer on the labeling?

I've made a few official answers on labeling in this thread. :) You have a question I missed?

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka CalebTGordan

Oh, sorry. I am running on 3 hours sleep. I missed the response.

Grand Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka Jiggy

2 people marked this as a favorite.
Taylor Hubler wrote:
I am running on 3 hours sleep.

Yessssss... All my competition, create maps while sleep-deprived... Yessssss...

*twirls mustache*

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka CalebTGordan

Actually I don't see the exact answer. The rules say we can label the areas of the map on the map itself but the FAQ says such information could be a cause for DQ. This seems conflicting to me.

If I number my rooms in a dungeon and then on the side of the map have names for rooms of the dungeon, would that DQ me? Does it depend on what type of names they are?

Would either "100 foot shaft" or "Pit of the creeping Doom" be too much for the map?

Sczarni RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka CalebTGordan

Jacob Kellogg wrote:
Taylor Hubler wrote:
I am running on 3 hours sleep.

Yessssss... All my competition, create maps while sleep-deprived... Yessssss...

*twirls mustache*

Sorry, I tired better when I am mapping.

Star Voter Season 8 aka TealDeer

Oh shoot, I just popped in here to ask re: Portrait vs Landscape. All my sketches thus far have been Landscape... guess I gotta shift it up

:(

It's gonna change the dynamic a lot. I think I can still make it work tho.

Paizo Glitterati Robot

Just popping in with a quick note that a few submissions have been received. Please note that the office is a pretty crazy place and I will try to get to replying to emails as soon as possible (I believe we included a note about confirmations on the rules page too). If you've submitted, take a deep breath, you've already managed a pretty big feat getting to the Top 32 and submitting your entry on time! You got this! :)

Star Voter Season 8 aka TealDeer

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Taylor Hubler wrote:

Actually I don't see the exact answer. The rules say we can label the areas of the map on the map itself but the FAQ says such information could be a cause for DQ. This seems conflicting to me.

If I number my rooms in a dungeon and then on the side of the map have names for rooms of the dungeon, would that DQ me? Does it depend on what type of names they are?

Would either "100 foot shaft" or "Pit of the creeping Doom" be too much for the map?

I am also wondering about this. Say, on a dungeon map, having numbered rooms and being like

1. Kitchen

2. Goblin bathroom

3. Much cleaner Hobgoblin bathroom

4. Cage for T H E O W L B E A R

5. Banana storage

Be OK?

*edit* Also, tips on indicating elevation would be good...

Lantern Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8 aka Black Powder Chocobo

1 person marked this as a favorite.

But remember that you can't describe Mr. Theo W. L'bear.

Star Voter Season 8 aka TealDeer

David Higaki wrote:
But remember that you can't describe Mr. Theo W. L'bear.

Yeah but can I say that his cage is Area 4

that's the important part here

Nobody needs to know why he's in a cage! That's his business!

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

Taylor Hubler wrote:

Actually I don't see the exact answer. The rules say we can label the areas of the map on the map itself but the FAQ says such information could be a cause for DQ. This seems conflicting to me.

If I number my rooms in a dungeon and then on the side of the map have names for rooms of the dungeon, would that DQ me? Does it depend on what type of names they are?

Would either "100 foot shaft" or "Pit of the creeping Doom" be too much for the map?

'Tis your call about text.

Shadow Lodge RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka mamaursula

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
John Laffan wrote:

For the name of the place, can it include descriptions? (Kind of like The Inner Sea World Guide) For example can I call it Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world, or Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market?

Thanks so much!

For the title of your map, you get eight words. So if you want to map out "Kent, Ice Fortress in the Crown of the world" you need to find a way to say that in 8 words rather than 9. "Bree, Cheese store with hidden slave market" is fine, since it's 7.

Great, now I have to rethink this whole cheese market thing.

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