In case you missed yesterday's announcement, Paizo is about to start the third annual RPG Superstar competition! Hundreds of hopefuls will swarm the Paizo server with proposals for magic items in Round 1, and Clark, Wes, and myself will read every single one of them in order to weed out all but the Top 32. Because the submission deadline is January 1st, that means we'll be working over the holiday break to get all of these done just to make sure we aren't overwhelmed in the last two weeks of Round 1 judging—and given how well the Pathfinder RPG is doing, we expect even more submissions than last year.
The contestants put in a lot of work on their submissions through the entire contest and do so under significant time pressure—in later rounds, they only have three days to create their entry—and the judges take that effort seriously. Clark, Wes, and I are living the dream (we get to work on RPG products) and this contest is a way for other people to get their foot in the door at doing the same thing. From Paizo's perspective, it's our way of finding new talent. Many finalists from previous RPG Superstar competitions have gone on to write for—or even work full-time for—Paizo and other game companies. We want the best talent working for us, and this contest is one way for us to find it.
The contest isn't easy. There are many challenges. And there's always a twist. The winner is someone creative, able to follow directions, think on his or her feet, and respond well to criticism. Do you have what it takes? Do you have the "designer chops"? Check out the contest rules. Submit a magic item. Expose your work to the critical eye of writing professionals and hundreds of other gamers. I dare you to do your best. Heck, I dare you to do better than your best.
