The Deed Is Done!

varianor wrote:

It will be interesting to see if anyone blinks and just "has" to comment on their item before the end of the round.

This is an interesting comment to me (not in a bad way). And my intent is not to put varianor personally on the spot, so this question is to the audience and/or judges in general.

Are we not supposed to discuss our item or respond to comments? Or.. is it a case of we can if we like but it's considered in poor taste?

'Cause I wanna do what the cool kids do. ;-) That is, if I am so lucky and blessed to be among the 32, which is no guarantee (or even necessarily likely).

It seems to me that, if they even have time, that it would be cool to have people comment on their very own items and respond to positive and/or constructive comments. I understand that it is prohibited prior to any voting round, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm referring to Round One after the Judges decisions have been made.

Common sense, good sportsmanship, and good taste taken into account of course. I mean stuff like, what was going through our heads when we made certain design decisions.

Is this wrongbad, or tacky?

EDIT: Maybe I'm not understanding the comment I quoted above. If one is commenting on their own Round One item, by definition that Round is over. Perhaps varianor meant the following Rounds, which makes more sense.

Unless things have changed, we shouldn't be commenting on our items until after the Top 32 are announced. There's no public voting on the items, right? It's the subsequent rounds to get into the Top 16 etcetera that we should be careful not to comment on.

I think there are two reasons for this: one is that it prevents us from adding or explaining details to our entries that should have been in there to begin with; the other is that a designer has to be able to take criticism and getting into arguments in our own threads would demonstrate that we can't.

...It seems to me that, if they even have time, that it would be cool to have people comment on their very own items and respond to positive and/or constructive comments...

I'm a little leery of this.

Understanding that we are working only with the absolute cream of the cream of the genetically-enhanced crop here, it is still (at least a little) hard for anyone to receive criticism of their brain-children, even if by practice they have received criticism hundreds of times and learned to accept it and learn and grow from it.

One of the reasons I left the WotC boards (other than because I don't play and therefore don't discuss that new game of theirs) is because the community became outright hostile to the designers, and I didn't want to be part of that. Same thing here; I don't want to see rejected wannabe authors (that's my term for myself) with an opportunity to embarrass ourselves by lashing out at judges who are attempting to help them improve their craft. Sure we wouldn't mean it, sure it'd be in haste and anger, but it doesn't take many words for an angered artist to get some real butt on his or her shoulders. I've lost gamers that way (too embarrassed to come back to the table they had offended), and I'd hate to lose community members in that way.

Only 2cp worth of thought, 1sp worth of rambling, but I think you can see my point.

Stuart Lean wrote:

(crack, pop, whoosh, pour)

You forgot "aaahhhhhh." Crack, pop, whoosh, pour, aaahhhhhh.

Sorry, hit post while waiting.

Now...

Ahhhhhhh

Unless things have changed, we shouldn't be commenting on our items until after the Top 32 are announced. There's no public voting on the items, right? It's the subsequent rounds to get into the Top 16 etcetera that we should be careful not to comment on.

I quite understand and completely agree without exception. I was referring to after the Top 32 have been announced.

Perhaps Varianor meant it would be interesting "if someone blinks and violates the rules"?

Yes, I guess that would be interesting, in a weird 'step in front of an oncoming bus' sort of way.

In any case, before there is a flood of more posts and judges clarifications, *I* meant after the Top 32 have been announced, not before.

I can't imagine someone purposefully disqualifying themselves.

I'm a little leery of this.

Understanding that we are working only with the absolute cream of the cream of the genetically-enhanced crop here, it is still (at least a little) hard for anyone to receive criticism of their brain-children, even if by practice they have received criticism hundreds of times and learned to accept it and learn and grow from it.

One of the reasons I left the WotC boards (other than because I don't play and therefore don't discuss that new game of theirs) is because the community became outright hostile to the designers, and I didn't want to be part of that. Same thing here; I don't want to see rejected wannabe authors (that's my term for myself) with an opportunity to embarrass ourselves by lashing out at judges who are attempting to help them improve their craft. Sure we wouldn't mean it, sure it'd be in haste and anger, but it doesn't take many words for an angered artist to get some real butt on his or her shoulders. I've lost gamers that way (too embarrassed to come back to the table they had offended), and I'd hate to lose community members in that way.

Only 2cp worth of thought, 1sp worth of rambling, but I think you can see my point.

I do see your point. And it's probably good advice. I reign in my temper enough as it is that I should take your lead and keep my mouth shut (again, should I be so fortunate enough to count making it to Round One as one of my problems).

Seems a shame though that it comes to that. I always like to share what I was thinking if someone is interested. But as you say, it might be more prudent to spend that energy do one's best to get through the next round.

Tarren Dei wrote:

Unless things have changed, we shouldn't be commenting on our items until after the Top 32 are announced. There's no public voting on the items, right? It's the subsequent rounds to get into the Top 16 etcetera that we should be careful not to comment on.

I quite understand and completely agree without exception. I was referring to after the Top 32 have been announced.

Perhaps Varianor meant it would be interesting "if someone blinks and violates the rules"?

Yes, I guess that would be interesting, in a weird 'step in front of an oncoming bus' sort of way.

In any case, before there is a flood of more posts and judges clarifications, *I* meant after the Top 32 have been announced, not before.

I can't imagine someone purposefully disqualifying themselves.

Yep. I was agreeing with you. You understand it the same way I do.

It really is difficult not to respond in later rounds -- especially when things are going south for you. That's probably the toughest part of the whole contest.

With that many extra people commenting on the items before they see publication, that may truncate the need for a lot of public dissection of the mechanics. Or it may increase the discussion. It will be interesting to see if anyone blinks and just "has" to comment on their item before the end of the round.

Hmm. Do you perhaps mean to imply that you believe that immediately after the top 32 are announced that they (and the alternates) should be far too busy beavering away on their Round 2 entries to respond to comments about their Round 1 items? :D

But as you say, it might be more prudent to spend that energy do one's best to get through the next round.

I barely had time to respond to comments, good and bad, until after the deadline for the next round. I was always almost a round behind on my "thank you's".

Good luck, Watcher.

Good luck, Watcher.

Thank you sir! Sincerely!

I await Tuesday with a humility that I didn't have the first year. I'll be delighted if I make it, but I won't be crushed. This year I was pleased with my entry, and if nothing else comes of it, that alone will suffice.

Awrk, awrk.
'Rein in', not 'reign in'.
Awrk, awrk.
Flaps slowly off.

PS
Best of luck, Watcher... ;)

PS

Best of luck, Watcher... ;)

You too Charles. On one hand I regret bullying you into entering (though the decision to do so was yours alone), on the other I'm not sorry. I was ever so pleased you did. Best of luck to you too, and I have every confidence that you have as good a chance as anybody else.

'Rein in' duly noted! ;-)

IIRC, during the round's voting most contestants thanked the judges for their comments and thanked other posters in advance. After the round's voting was over some contestants went back to explain their design decisions. Most were very careful not to get argumentative if they disagreed with someone's critique. Some of the discussions amongst the "audience" got interesting, though.

Okay. I wrapped up my commentary on all of the items a little earlier than planned. And now I'm interested in the conversation that's started on when it's appropriate to comment on your item and design decisions. Here's my answer...and you can take it for what it's worth...or completely ignore it if you want.

When I found I made the Top 32 last year, I read through everything on my item...all the commentary from the judges...and any incoming commentary from the spectators and soon-to-become voting public. Initially, I refrained from any replies whatsoever other than to say, "Awesome! I can't believe I made it! This is so cool!" Or...something to that effect. I likely embarrassed myself and I've blotted it out of my mind and now I'm too timid to go back and look.

After I got that out of the way, I went into panic mode. Something along the lines of, "Holy cow! I've only got three days to come up with what?!?" So, I'm pretty much sure I drew back into hunker-down mode and got to work on my villain right away. I really didn't consider replying to folks about my item too much after that because you tend to get a little busy working on the next assignment.

Now, after turning in your submission, you have that long waiting period, where the judges review it in their sequestered chambers and eventually it gets posted and voted on for about a week. That waiting period can really gnaw on you. And, that's when it's appropriate to go back and comment on your previous round's stuff.

The beauty of Round One, however, is that the "voting" (so-called, because it's only the judges and not the public) is over. And, once Paizo gives you the green-light to comment on your items, you're pretty much free to do so. I asked early-on if it was okay to comment. I believe Erik Mona gave us the thumbs-up, because we weren't going to influence the voters on our Round Two work by talking about our Round One item.

However, a word of caution, if you will. The past two years there's been a lot of costernation over just how much discussion contestants carry out in their threads (even from the previous rounds). This year, we don't know what the secret assignment will be from round-to-round or the rules related to them. Therefore, it's entirely possible Paizo could post a new challenge for Round Two that re-uses the Round One items in some way. So, if I were competing this year, I'd be real careful and read the rules for the next round first to see if I could potentially compromise or disqualify myself by talking too much about my previous round's work...and that goes for the wondrous item round, too.

But that's just my two-cents,
--Neil

IIRC, during the round's voting most contestants thanked the judges for their comments and thanked other posters in advance. After the round's voting was over some contestants went back to explain their design decisions. Most were very careful not to get argumentative if they disagreed with someone's critique. Some of the discussions amongst the "audience" got interesting, though.

Absolutely, taig! You better be real careful what you say and how you present yourself. Messageboard posts don't carry voice-inflection or display facial expressions...and so, they're real prone to being interpreted differently than how you meant them to come across. And it isn't just the original poster that you're responding to who might view what you say negatively. The rest of the voting public is watching, too. So be on your best behavior if you want to earn everyone's support.

Plus, as always, a spoon full of sugar is far better than vinegar. Or...something like that... ;-)

And now...I have some monster designs to start working on that are due in 2 weeks...and a PFS scenario to write that's due in 2 months. Good luck, contestants! This is what you're working toward!

My extra two-cents,
--Neil

Sound advice as always Neil, thank you.

The prospect of past rounds impacting on future rounds specifically wasn't something that had occurred to me.

And I always need to remind myself to watch my tone.

Messageboard posts don't carry voice-inflection or display facial expressions...and so, they're real prone to being interpreted differently than how you meant them to come across. ...

Very true. For example, if I were to write "Neil, you bastard," people reading it might not hear the deep respect and affection mingled in with the jealousy. ;-)

And now...I have some monster designs to start working on that are due in 2 weeks...and a PFS scenario to write that's due in 2 months.

Neil, you lucky bastard.

NSpicer wrote:

And now...I have some monster designs to start working on that are due in 2 weeks...and a PFS scenario to write that's due in 2 months.

Neil, you lucky bastard.

You *do* know that there's an Open Call for Pathfinder Society scenarios right now, yes? :P

Tarren Dei wrote:

NSpicer wrote:

And now...I have some monster designs to start working on that are due in 2 weeks...and a PFS scenario to write that's due in 2 months.

Neil, you lucky bastard.

You *do* know that there's an Open Call for Pathfinder Society scenarios right now, yes? :P

Yeah. ;-D

I'm about 11,000 words into something that I'll send to Josh before the end of the month. I like it.

The prospect of past rounds impacting on future rounds specifically wasn't something that had occurred to me.

Last year, the villain round (which was Round Two) wound up impacting the villain stat-block round (which was Round Three) and even had the potential of impacting the villain lair round (which was Round Four), if you kept up a running dialogue about your villain. I was doing some of that and eventually agreed to just end it at Clark's admonition to be extra careful. I was certainly flirting with the disqualification line. And to avoid that, it's sometimes better to say nothing at all.

However, and I think this is something important...you also need to establish a bit of an online persona and personality about yourself so the voters can start to know you "the designer" and not just your work. So, again, it's a fine line. You can go back through last year's threads and see how I chose to walk it. But, Paizo could change up the whole game with a rule that quashes the type of dialogue I carried on in my previous round's threads. So, just be sure you check to see that it's okay to talk about your stuff. And even then, be careful how you talk about your stuff...even if it is approved.

And I always need to remind myself to watch my tone.

That goes without saying for a contestant. But I'll tell you one other element when it comes to watching one's tone. It goes for the voters, too. For instance, many of the voters who stick around to review (and possibly pan) your stuff are likely the same people who submitted and didn't get accepted into the Top 32. They'll probably submit again next year. And, if they conduct themselves poorly while commenting on the designs of those who are competing this year, well, I wouldn't be surprised if someone held that against them when and if they do make it into the next RPG Superstar competition.

So, the bottom line still gets back to treating others with respect, being a grown-up, and being supportive of those who you may need support from yourself somewhere down the line. And you can't fake that kind of mentality. You either have that mindset about the world, or you don't. And those who do will find that doors open for them much more often than the others.

Okay. I'm off to watch the Colts play the Ravens. Good luck everyone!

--Neil

For example, if I were to write "Neil, you bastard," people reading it might not hear the deep respect and affection mingled in with the jealousy. ;-)

Exactly!

NSpicer wrote:

And now...I have some monster designs to start working on that are due in 2 weeks...and a PFS scenario to write that's due in 2 months.

Neil, you lucky bastard.

Awww...thanks, Trevor! You're the best! ;-)

I'm about 11,000 words into something that I'll send to Josh before the end of the month. I like it.

And I, like many others, am really looking forward to it!

And it isn't just the original poster that you're responding to who might view what you say negatively. The rest of the voting public is watching, too. So be on your best behavior if you want to earn everyone's support.

Good advice for life, not just the contest. I think this is something many folks forget as soon as they are not face to face with the person they are dealing with.

Plus, as always, a spoon full of sugar is far better than vinegar. Or...something like that... ;-)

Unless you are making barbecue sauce. Mmmmm ...vinegar based barbecue sauce.

NSpicer wrote:

Plus, as always, a spoon full of sugar is far better than vinegar. Or...something like that... ;-)

Unless you are making barbecue sauce. Mmmmm ...vinegar based barbecue sauce.

I guess I shouldn't argue about barbecue sauces, just in case I make the top 32. :)

zylphryx wrote:

NSpicer wrote:

Plus, as always, a spoon full of sugar is far better than vinegar. Or...something like that... ;-)

Unless you are making barbecue sauce. Mmmmm ...vinegar based barbecue sauce.

I guess I shouldn't argue about barbecue sauces, just in case I make the top 32. :)

No, no, pretty much every barbecue sauce has its own redeeming qualities (except for that ranch flavor based sauce I once encountered ... it was like liquefied evil).

Tarren Dei wrote:

Unless things have changed, we shouldn't be commenting on our items until after the Top 32 are announced. There's no public voting on the items, right? It's the subsequent rounds to get into the Top 16 etcetera that we should be careful not to comment on.

I quite understand and completely agree without exception. I was referring to after the Top 32 have been announced.

Perhaps Varianor meant it would be interesting "if someone blinks and violates the rules"?

Yes.

I also meant commenting on our own items after the first round was announced. I could swear that there was a line in the FAQ about not commenting on your own stuff. Oh wait. There it is. In teh Rules.

14. Contestants are prohibited from posting in their own entry threads beyond asking for feedback and requesting your vote. Such discussion may not add to, expand upon, or clarify the content of the submission. Doing so may result in disqualification, in the sole discretion of the judges and/or Paizo.

Doesn't seem to limit it to "everything after the first round". That said, yes, I can see the interpretation that one could comment on one's own material after the round concludes. In fact, last year, several people did that. However, this is fairly open ended and to my mind doesn't really allow one to comment.

The interesting caveat if you really do go over the line is this part:

4. By entering this contest, the contestant agrees that they may be selected to participate in portions of the contest that include public discussion and public voting. Contestants agree that while Paizo Publishing has guidelines for messageboard conduct, the contestant will indemnify and hold blameless Paizo Publishing and all of its affiliates, judges, participants, and customers for any comments, discussion, or other communication pertaining to the contest.

Not that it's likely to get that far, one hopes.

Damn, so that means it's too late for bribes... ;) now what am I going to do the keg of Saskatchewan made beer I was going to send. Guess I have to drink it myself.

Damn, so that means it's too late for bribes... ;) now what am I going to do the keg of Saskatchewan made beer I was going to send. Guess I have to drink it myself.

Purolator it Sherbrooke, QC. I have reach. Honest.

And if my item doesn't make it I'm sooo making a "Neil, please give feedback on my item" thread ;)

Neil (and all guest judges) only reviewed the top 32 plus alts. Now, of course, nothing is stopping him from reviewing them if you dont make it and start a thread. But unlike the judges, he hasnt already done that.

What makes it easier for me to give the comments about the items that didnt make the cut is I can simply review our notes from the posts we already made on the items. I didnt have to do a brand new review.

14. Contestants are prohibited from posting in their own entry threads beyond asking for feedback and requesting your vote. Such discussion may not add to, expand upon, or clarify the content of the submission. Doing so may result in disqualification, in the sole discretion of the judges and/or Paizo.

Can we get a judge to weigh in on this? Assuming I'm in the top 32, I don't want to get disqualified because I weighed in on my own item once the top 32 are announced.

Eg. Clark makes a comment about, I dunno, how he could totally see 'archetype x' using my item.

If I reply: "Yeah, I built it with just such a character in mind.", will that sort of thing disqualify me?

Azmahel wrote:

And if my item doesn't make it I'm sooo making a "Neil, please give feedback on my item" thread ;)

Neil (and all guest judges) only reviewed the top 32 plus alts. Now, of course, nothing is stopping him from reviewing them if you dont make it and start a thread. But unlike the judges, he hasnt already done that.

What makes it easier for me to give the comments about the items that didnt make the cut is I can simply review our notes from the posts we already made on the items. I didnt have to do a brand new review.

Yeah, I already knew that. This was just my way of saying: Neil, I love what you do and greatly value your professional opinion. All your comments and advices so far were really great and even enlightening, I really wish I could get some personal feedback from you.

Basically all you can ever say during the round is "thanks for the support"

Basically all you can ever say during the round is "thanks for the support"

Duly noted. And that's for every round, right?

As I understand it, you are not allowed to defend or comment on a public submission that has not yet been voted on. After the vboting has happened, you have a bit more freedom to comment on past entries, but as I understand Neil, you likely won't have the time to make a lot of comments.

Basically all you can ever say during the round is "thanks for the support"

Yes, but once a Round is over, voting has closed, and the result of that Round has been announced will contestants be allowed to respond to feedback? That has happened the first two years, but Varianor has raised the point (if I understand him correctly) that that may be completely different this year, and that contestants still participating may never be able to make any response other than 'thank you for the feedback, please vote for me'.

Just so everyone knows:
The "gag rule" exists so a person can't make a poor submission, then clarify it with additional statements during the voting period--such a thing would be (1) a way to ignore the deadline, and (2) unfair to competitors who actually bothered to get their submission right the first time. For example, if you submitted a wondrous item and left off the aura/slot/price/weight info, you shouldn't be able to make a followup post saying, "Oh, that information should be X/Y/Z" or "I meant standard action instead of immediate action" or "I meant all spells, not just enchantments" or "here's a tattoo magic prestige class I wrote, which is what I was referring to in my magic ink submission." A competitor's submission should stand on its own without help.
Once voting is closed for the round, competitors can comment on their submissions because the votes are in and can't be changed.
As the votes are in for R1, the Top 32 (once announced) are free to comment on their wondrous items (which we'll post here on Tuesday for everyone to read and comment on).

When R2 starts, competitors should not talk about their R2 submissions until the voting for R2 is closed. Once the R2 voting is closed, the competitors can talk about their R2 submissions, including answering questions, offering clarifications or fixes, and so on.

Repeat for the remaining rounds.

{The past two years there's been a lot of costernation over just how much discussion contestants carry out in their threads (even from the previous rounds). This year, we don't know what the secret assignment will be from round-to-round or the rules related to them. Therefore, it's entirely possible Paizo could post a new challenge for Round Two that re-uses the Round One items in some way.}

Neil mentioned how the subject matter of a previous round may affect a future round, such as last year's villain round affecting the villain stat block round. I can see how concerns about that might encourage finalists to not comment on their public material for fear of messing up their options or chances in a later round. Fear not! I'll make sure the rules for each round clearly address what you should and shouldn't talk about in the current round (frex, the R2 rules, which aren't public until Tuesday) remind you to not explain, clarify, or answer questions about your R2 submission until the R2 voting is done. I think part of the fun of the competition is allowing the competitors to talk about what they're doing--as long as it doesn't unfairly affect voting.

In the case of R1, I don't think anything a finalist says about their item is going to detrimentally affect their submissions in later rounds (of course, that doesn't mean that a finalist can't say something that makes him look like a jackass and discourages people from voting for him, so tact is always a good idea...).

As always, I and the other judges are here to clarify questions about the rules--we don't want anyone to accidentally* shoot himself in the foot.

* Which doesn't answer whether or not we want anyone to deliberately shoot himself in the foot. ;)

I can't imagine anyone in the top 32 saying anything beyond, "Thanks judges for selecting my item for the top 32. I'll comment later after I've spent 3 days and 3 sleepless nights working on my round 2 submission." :)

I can't imagine anyone in the top 32 saying anything beyond, "Thanks judges for selecting my item for the top 32. I'll comment later after I've spent 3 days and 3 sleepless nights working on my round 2 submission." :)

Then you apparently havent read the threads from prior years' contests. ;) Every year there is a contestant or two who just cant restrain themselves. We hope it doesnt happen, but it does. And, as Sean suggested, though we dont want it to happen, it is good for us to see in advance because that is how the person is going to be as a freelancer. Yes, pressure is part of the test.

taig wrote:

I can't imagine anyone in the top 32 saying anything beyond, "Thanks judges for selecting my item for the top 32. I'll comment later after I've spent 3 days and 3 sleepless nights working on my round 2 submission." :)

Then you apparently havent read the threads from prior years' contests. ;) Every year there is a contestant or two who just cant restrain themselves. We hope it doesnt happen, but it does. And, as Sean suggested, though we dont want it to happen, it is good for us to see in advance because that is how the person is going to be as a freelancer. Yes, pressure is part of the test.

I read through them, but I just didn't remember anyone going overboard before their round 2 submission was done. Except maybe Neil, because he can write 8,000 words a minute it seems. :)

Since there is some "down time" in the later rounds between the judges comments and the close of voting, I can imagine there's a temptation to "explain" your decisions, and I remember a few people (especially the first year) who started to argue with those who made comments.

Thanks for the clarification Sean. Having seen some of the hints that the judges have been dropping about the sort of item which has made it through, I'm not very hopeful of my chances, but I'm working on a 'designer's notes' I can cut & paste into a post, 'just in case'... :D

I'm so excited! I can't wait to see who made the list! (And crack open whatever I have in my cabinet in celebration/ depression) ;)

Oh, wait, besides actually running the college auditorium, and having to tech a seriously tech-heavy show, I just auditioned for and got a part in the show.

The first rehearsal is Tuesday,

3:30pm,

Central time!

"NOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Ah well,... at least I won't have to worry about getting booted off when the 1000+ hits all try to log in to the Paizo website at the same time! :D

Best of luck to all!

And Thanks to all the judges for their efforts! (Even if I didn't make it! And while I have a healthy ego, I also have a grasp on reality.)
;)

See you Tuesday! (Eventually!)

...I just didn't remember anyone going overboard before their round 2 submission was done. Except maybe Neil, because he can write 8,000 words a minute it seems. :)

Oh, you have no idea... ;-P

...I remember a few people (especially the first year) who started to argue with those who made comments.

Never a good idea. Never.

...at least I won't have to worry about getting booted off when the 1000+ hits all try to log in to the Paizo website at the same time!

Just make sure you check your email for notification if you can't access the site. Last year, I tried logging on during the mad rush and couldn't get through. So I popped over to Lilith's DMTools.org site to just chit-chat and commiserate with anyone else who couldn't check the Top 32 posting...and/or got rejected. And then, lo and behold! Like an angel across teh internetz, Liz let me know I'd made it. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, someone reminded me that Paizo sends an email notification and instructions to those who make the cut. So...yeah. Check your email for a quick yes/no on your submission.

Now, after that, I think you still have to access the website to get the Round 2 rules. Though that's probably something that could be emailed as well. That way, no one who makes the Top 32 gets delayed by web traffic in accessing the next round's rules. Food for thought, anyway...

--Neil

Good idea, Neil.

FOR ONCE!!!! ;)

Good idea, Neil.

FOR ONCE!!!! ;)

Yeah. I'm good like that on rare occasions. ;-P

Yeah. I'm good like that on rare occasions. ;-P

Yeah, remember the time we were all "Dude!" and Neil was all "dude." So we went for Tex-Mex instead of pizza and you met that really hot waitress? Yeah, I was too drunk to remember it either.

...I just didn't remember anyone going overboard before their round 2 submission was done. Except maybe Neil, because he can write 8,000 words a minute it seems. :)

Oh, you have no idea... ;-P

Heh. Too true!

And thanks for the note about the email update/results Neil! I did not know that! (That doesn't solve my problem of being in rehearsal at the announcement time, but it's still good to know!) ;D

"AN-TI-CI-PA-A-A-A-TION!"

Annnnnd, goodnight! ;)

Ah Rags and his monster-posts.

Not only were the posts huge, most of it was DIALOGUE.

I remember my poor Shoanti Druid (Naelah) being totally overwhelmed by this slightly crazed wizard. It was awesome. Because so was I. Rags writes like I think - and that's scary.

How I miss that game... Sadly, real life stopped me from playing that game (motorcycles are dangerous, kids). And I don't see JSL, Dreamer, or any of the others on these boards anymore. Well, except for Spicer and Rags, of course.

I miss gaming with you guys.

As a top 32 aspirant like so many others, should I make it, I will have the following priorities regarding commenting on comments on my commented entry :P

Priority 1 : Getting Round 2 complete and to requirements and formatted correctly and so on. Get that baby entered is no 1.

Then and only then will I read the comments that will have been entered upon my item.

Only when it looks like the comments have dried up will I then post a thank you to everyone kind enough to comment and feedback - good or bad makes no difference.

If its a good comment, I will try to do more of that which is liked.

Bad comments - from these I shall learn - for without these how do I learn what is not liked or correct or needed?

I shall not explain my item or why I did what I did, because if I have to explain it, then its not worthy of top 32.

This is my second year of entering, so I am hoping that I have learnt from the mistakes of the past. I read all these threads, and think about them and digest them - there is so much wealth and experience herein that it has become a bit of a "how to do it right" book on games design. And it's a darn good book too :)

I may still be a way away from superstar quality, but when I look at my item this year and compare against my previous years entry I *KNOW* that I have improved immensely and that is solely because of all the people on these boards - judges, contestants, winners and otherwise.

I will get there, I will make the top 32 and I will damn well graft at it every chance I get until I do.

So, thanks to every poster in every thread. You've helped at least one guy work hard and improve his writing and creativity skillsets :)

As a top 32 aspirant like so many others, should I make it, I will have the following priorities regarding commenting on comments on my commented entry :P

...

Some good priorities. Good luck, Anthony.