It's the Most Superstar Time of the Year!

So how do the top 4 get chosen from the top 8 then?

I vote gladiatorial combat. With splatbooks.

It looks like we go straight from Top 16 to Top 4.

Yeah, it looks brutal - but certainly entertaining.

I noticed that the wording of this years rounds differs a bit from previous years (Create a Bestiary Entry vs. Create a monster and stat block), which irritated me at first. New intern? :)

Really looking forward to R3, because I think encounters are the point where most of the game's rules come together.

I noticed that the wording of this years rounds differs a bit from previous years (Create a Bestiary Entry vs. Create a monster and stat block), which irritated me at first. New intern? :)

Maybe the twist will be that the "bestiary entry" will be a new template or other supplementary rules thing, rather than a monster?

Or a Universal Monster Rule?

Guildhall? I'm new here.. What is this? Should I sit over here? Whats this pile of leaves? [begins brushing leaves into the garbage]

Ok, I realize my humor generally only makes sense in my head... but at the very least, Neil Spicer should have gotten this reference...

*Edit* Is this thing on? *thup* *thup*

I've had an item sitting for months, waiting for RPG Superstar. It looked all nice and shiny last time I had a peek at it. Now that the contest is officially open, I looked at it again and it's all grimy and smells like poo. May need to do some serious reworking or come up with something else.

Frank Mentzer is judging this year!?! Awesome.

I've got two items that I've been thinking a lot about the past couple of weeks in anticipation; will be working on them this weekend, see which (if either) turns out the best.

Good luck to anyone participating this year!

Ok, all I'll say is I'd better see some Buckeyes entering (posted this in our FB group)

Rallying the troops down here, too.

Put out the call for more Danish contestants too.

Hmmm, I was looking at the judges list, and while the great Frank Mentzer is listed as a judge, he isn't shown on the "Meet the Judges" page. I wonder which round he'll be judging?

I try to get out, but they keep dragging me back in.... :P

William Miller 900 wrote:

This is a great opportunity for many fans, but I don't think creativity should be restricted to only wondrous items. Why not an original creature, setting or other category?

This question comes up every year. And the answer is that Wondrous items have the benefit of being

• Short enough to judge large quantities quickly (there are a LOT of submissions)
  
• Include mechanical elements with a broad range of power and effect
  
• Include flavorful elements
  
• Appeal to all classes

If the first round was to design a Feat, for instance, feats have a relatively narrow power band, limiting the contestants options. (And a lot of Feats tend toward the mechanical rather than the flavorful.)

If the first round was to design a Spell, nothing could be done for Fighters, Barbarians, or Rogues.

If the first round was a setting, there wouldn't be a test of mechanical ability.

If the first round was a monster or a class, it would be impossible to sift through them for the Top 32.

There's also a good reason for this kind of inertia: Some people start practicing long in advance (see the Blazing 9 thread, for instance), and I think Paizo wants to reward people who do their homework.

Not saying it will never change: Change is the nature of life. But there are good reasons for being the way it is.

Lakesidefantasy wrote:

Yes, but most of us don't make it that far.

Most people don't make it past the open call, but that's the nature of the contest. Of any contest. Especially one that doubles as a job interview. You have to learn to walk before you learn to run, so to speak. (If you have an idea for a super-cool monster or setting, you don't need RPG Superstar to share it: you can post in in the Homebrew forum, or pitch it directly to a 3PP.)

Design an Artifact?

Design an Artifact?

I think the problem with artifacts is that it is really easy to go overboard with special abilites and magical effects, and end up with something no sane person would ever allow in a game (basically an arms race). Wondrous items have a price tag and come up fairly often in the game, so its it is a lot easier to create and judge one.

Design an Artifact?

Artifacts mean you don't know if the designer knows how to price something properly - It has no price or cost, or an implied level of power like a spell or feat.

No artifacts, because they are not wondrous items.

There is also an upper limit to the cost of an item, but that number escapes me at the moment.

No artifacts, because they are not wondrous items.

She was proposing a change for a following year.

There is also an upper limit to the cost of an item, but that number escapes me at the moment.

The informal limit is about 200,000 gp, above which the item is probably an artifact, or should become a set of related items, or something like that. It's a soft limit.

There are definitely artifacts (especially minor artifacts) that would cost less (if a woodchuck could chuck...I mean if artifacts did have prices), though. An artifact can have as little power as you like, as long as it cannot be created by ordinary mortals, and is difficult to destroy.

As Ross says, if you check the PRD item tables, the most expensive is 200,000gp. So that's a pretty good line to draw in the sand.

Sigh. Wondrous Items again. Like we haven't seen 10000 of them already. I can see that magic items have the widest range to exhibit creativity, but there are interesting magic items that aren't "Wondrous Items". So it excludes weapons, armour, anything that can duplicate a wand or staff, possibly anything rod-shaped and so on. I remember a mug that (amongst other things) could be used as a +1 weapon to do 1d6 base damage; it was rejected on the grounds that it was a weapon not a WI.

There is a saying that goes "If it was easy, everyone would do it."

I for one, am glad that they stick with wondrous items in the first round. This may be my first year doing this, but I am glad it isn't going to be easy. It will be that much more sweet if I manage to make it into the round of 32. Probably not this year. But either way, the fact that it is a difficult challenge makes the contest better.

Not to mention the fact that my gaming group has been designing items for the last 3 months in anticipation of this contest. If they changed the first round to something different it would really throw a wrench into all of the practicing and planning that so many people do who are fans of the contest.

I literally just found out about this competition today, for the first time ever. I'm going to use the rest of December to brainstorm like crazy, because when January hits and the new semester starts, writing my thesis will mean way less time for this than I'd like!

I'm going to try not to be intimidated by all these people who have been planning on entering this contest for like a year, and just glean tips from their posts, like some kind of tip eating parasite. Or like a remora, which is slightly more flattering. But this seems fun, and I want to get back into rpgs and design anyway, so this is almost good timing.

Sigh. Wondrous Items again. Like we haven't seen 10000 of them already. I can see that magic items have the widest range to exhibit creativity, but there are interesting magic items that aren't "Wondrous Items". So it excludes weapons, armour, anything that can duplicate a wand or staff, possibly anything rod-shaped and so on. I remember a mug that (amongst other things) could be used as a +1 weapon to do 1d6 base damage; it was rejected on the grounds that it was a weapon not a WI.

Weapons are weird, because there is a distinction between making a weapon ability and making a unique weapon. Same with armor. And in either case, abilities are essentially limited to 'better at killing things' or 'better at not getting killed'. (If you have an ability for a weapon that isn't just about killing things, like, for instance, mjolnir lets Thor fly, I'm going to guess you can turn it into a pretty cool wondrous item too.)

Wands and staves are just spells, reused. A tightly themed staff can be cool, but once again, nothing on the design space allowed by Wondrous items. (And pricing staves just proves you can follow a formula, not that you know the art of pricing magic items.)

I agree with you on Rods and Rings - Those are the other two 'can do anything' item categories, and I know I've accidentally written up Rods in what was supposed to be a list of Wondrous Items (sorry, Sean.) In this case, I think it is more of a hidden test of the designer: to read the instructions and understand how the rules work.
If someone submits a Rod or Ring in place of a Wondrous Item, it means they're not following directions. RPG Superstar is something of an audition/job interview, not just a contest.

I'm going to try not to be intimidated by all these people who have been planning on entering this contest for like a year, and just glean tips from their posts, like some kind of tip eating parasite. Or like a remora, which is slightly more flattering. But this seems fun, and I want to get back into rpgs and design anyway, so this is almost good timing.

Welcome! I strongly recommend reading Sean's advice threads. As far as gleaning tips, Isaac Newton called it 'standing on the shoulders of giants'.

owenstreetpress wrote:

I'm going to try not to be intimidated by all these people who have been planning on entering this contest for like a year, and just glean tips from their posts, like some kind of tip eating parasite. Or like a remora, which is slightly more flattering. But this seems fun, and I want to get back into rpgs and design anyway, so this is almost good timing.

Welcome! I strongly recommend reading Sean's advice threads. As far as gleaning tips, Isaac Newton called it 'standing on the shoulders of giants'.

Granted, a lot of us are halflings or goblins, but even our shoulders offer a bit of a view. Do take Ross' recommendation about SKR's advice, however. If I had a dollar for item I saw last year that brought to mind one of Sean's "don't do this" lines, I'd be eating a prime rib dinner and then going out and getting snazzy presents for my friends and family right now.

Welcome! I strongly recommend reading Sean's advice threads. As far as gleaning tips, Isaac Newton called it 'standing on the shoulders of giants'.

I saw that link earlier, and it's in a folder in Safari, as is the PDF that Template Fu made (thanks by the way! I don't know how to PM yet!), but as I have to give an exam at 7:45 in the morning tomorrow (and it's almost 9:30 here in Michigan), reading all that jazz will have to wait until at least tomorrow evening, but they are getting read.

Granted, a lot of us are halflings or goblins, but even our shoulders offer a bit of a view. Do take Ross' recommendation about SKR's advice, however. If I had a dollar for item I saw last year that brought to mind one of Sean's "don't do this" lines, I'd be eating a prime rib dinner and then going out and getting snazzy presents for my friends and family right now.

I did skim the list of don'ts though, and they all seem pretty obvious. I'm intrigued, though I'm not sure I want to be, as to why there needed to be one specifically for items which reference vomit.

I remember a mug that (amongst other things) could be used as a +1 weapon to do 1d6 base damage; it was rejected on the grounds that it was a weapon not a WI.

Are you sure you're not thinking of Cayden's cup, which could be used as an improvised weapon? It got into the Top 32.

I for one, am glad that they stick with wondrous items in the first round. This may be my first year doing this, but I am glad it isn't going to be easy. It will be that much more sweet if I manage to make it into the round of 32. Probably not this year.

FWIW, you can make the contest in your first year submitting. I remember thinking there was no way my item was going to get picked my first year and then was stunned when it was.

One of our finalists last year doesn't even play Pathfinder...or didn't when he entered the contest. He had his imagination, the ability to learn every round, and good attention to detail when it came to things like stat blocks and maps. You can certainly do well in the contest you very first try.

I literally just found out about this competition today, for the first time ever. I'm going to use the rest of December to brainstorm like crazy, because when January hits and the new semester starts, writing my thesis will mean way less time for this than I'd like!

I'm quoting your post, but this really goes for everyone.

Keep in mind the rest of the schedule for the contest, and consider winning the grand prize and what kind of time that will take from your normal schedule. If you make it into round 2 you'll have three days to get your monster in. Then if you make it to round 3, you've got the same amount of time to do an encounter, and that round starts in the beginning of February.

Getting that magic item in on time is super important, but everyone should think about the big picture, not just getting into the top 32.

I'm intrigued, though I'm not sure I want to be, as to why there needed to be one specifically for items which reference vomit.

Partly because it's been overdone in previous years.

owenstreetpress wrote:

I'm intrigued, though I'm not sure I want to be, as to why there needed to be one specifically for items which reference vomit.

Partly because it's been overdone in previous years.

Partly due to overlap with being offensive
But also because if you're trying to use vomit (or poop, or anything else gross) to make your item cool or edgy, you're leaning on the grossness instead of actually making something cool.
Do you remember when everything in the late '90s was 'Xtreme'? Kind of like that.

Quoting Film Brain, are we? 1d6 Review Points to you :)

Quoting what now?

Film Brain, one of the reviewers at TGWTG.com, and his review of xXx to be more specific.

Between the intimidation factor and the time limit, it seems like a pretty huge commitment to have people submit an entry, and I've always seen an overall give-it-a-go attitude.

Seems contradictory?

Between the intimidation factor and the time limit, it seems like a pretty huge commitment to have people submit an entry, and I've always seen an overall give-it-a-go attitude.

Seems contradictory?

I absolutely want people to enter and give it a try. Thing is, in the past some people have dropped out of the competition once they made it into the Top 32. Much of the time this is because of the sudden commitment that they realized winning a place into the first round brought. This is precisely why we have alternates in the first round.

I encourage everyone to enter, and only ask that everyone bring a serious dedication to the final prize—which is getting that contract for the module.

Also, from a big picture view, as a judge AND a developer that hires freelance writers, I'm looking for the kind of people I can call on to get work in on time with the specifications they are given on a regular basis. It's super cool to win a contest, but this is one of our few outlets to try out new talent that we might not be aware of.

I greatly encourage people to be that new talent.

Be awesome.

Be amazing.

Blow us away.

Submit! This contest is a lot of fun! Dinnae be intimidated because if you like the game, you'll love the contest. OK, the contest is not for everyone, but it is a gamer's version of what prime-time television has been banking on for years.

While some people have been practicing all year, most of that practice is not on a specific item. It is on deadlines, formatting, stat-blocking, and to a lesser extent grammar and speling. Most of the people from the Blazing 9 are not just doing items. Their names can be seen in Wayfinder, Adventure a Week, and Raging Swan(congrats to the two Jacobs) :). I recognize names in Kobold Press' Monarch of the Monsters (congratulations Eric & Mike).

But it is not really practice, we like RPGs and we like creating stuff for our players and friends. RPGSS is an incredibly rewarding way to improve what we are already doing. It is a very open and very encouraging and the feedback one can get is way more than any editor has time for. (Just dinnae take it personally when someone mentions you need another L (see what I did there? :)

FWIW I think a lot of first-timer entrants excel at finding the cool item of just pure moxy. Some of us (me specifically) get bogged down by SKR's advice threads, 32 pages (x6!) of critique-my-item threads, billowing cloaks, chalky doors, inky darkness, or filigreed coins, BB code, costing formulas and a healthy fear of explosive runes and monkeys.

So join in, and have some fun.

Curaigh is right, winning is not the only prize. You get to design an item that is judged by people who know their stuff, you can also get input from the community, and by doing so you have the chance to meet interesting people who like the stuff you like.

In my case, I got to improve my use of English by a tremendous amount as well, all thanks to the advice given from the judges and the community.

But, the key thing here is Rule #0, Have fun!

PS: Sad to see the archetype round go, it was my favorite round

... Their names can be seen in Wayfinder...

As one who falls into this category I cannot stress how good it is submitting for Wayfinder. The professionalism, the editing, everything they do should your article get selected is amazing preparation for freelance design work and for this competition.

I really started committing myself really hard around 2 years ago after the "having fun" attempts of prior years. I came up with a personal plan, without mentioning it to Wayfinder, I started by submitting an item or two (Round 1 practice), in Issue 8, my Inflamed Stitcher was selected.

Along came the theme for issue 9 - and my archetype, Darklands Scout (Round 2 Practice) was born, and it too got accepted. Being much larger in wordcount, the editing process was a great experience this time.

Issue 10 is due next month, I tried expanding my article size again, practicing another Superstar round - that of encounter design. So watch out for an adventure set inside a genie's bottle in that one :)

Now, if only my Superstar entries could mimic that run >.<

This year, I also got approached to review a 3pp product and provide feedback to the third party. So you CAN get noticed even if you don't make the contest.

During this timespan there was RPG Superstar (last years), look at every top 32 item, learn what they did right is much more important then mis-steps. Take the time to assess each item, maybe even feeding back on that thread your review of that item.

With item creation, correcting a mis-step is polish, most often attention to detail or just formatting/language issues. Getting the core of the item right is what got those people there.

So, in order, for your item I would suggest

1) Start with the core idea, the visual/cinematic of your item (forget rules at this point, just think about what your item is, how does it grab)
2) Then when you are happy you have that, look to the spells and select your construction details.
3) Calculate your price using the guidelines but do not use this price as calculated - compare it against the wondrous item tables and assess whether the price needs to be lowered a little when compared with items at the same space. It usually is lowered a little (after 7 years I haven't increased one).

Start with that cool theme though. Mechanics, construction, aura, they are just wrappers. Grab me with your core idea. Number 1 is the one that will get you to Top 32 more than anything else.

I am learning a lot about Paizo and the community here that I like.

Keep in mind the rest of the schedule for the contest, and consider winning the grand prize and what kind of time that will take from your normal schedule. If you make it into round 2 you'll have three days to get your monster in. Then if you make it to round 3, you've got the same amount of time to do an encounter, and that round starts in the beginning of February.

The timing is a little tight, I'll admit, but I do have time outside of school stuff (though not as much as I'd like), I'll just spend it with this instead of my XBOX. I've already got some ideas for later portions of the competition, and I figure I'll use the time I have before January 1st to work on those ideas, if not the specifics (since I'll need to see the specific requirements for each). I'm more than happy to get cut before the 32 just to get some feedback on the wondrous item.

As one who falls into this category I cannot stress how good it is submitting for Wayfinder. The professionalism, the editing, everything they do should your article get selected is amazing preparation for freelance design work and for this competition.

This quote isn't exactly relevant, but I did want to say that I didn't even know about Wayfinder until this morning when I saw your post, so thanks for that and the advice, all of which I'm going to read soon.

... I did want to say that I didn't even know about Wayfinder until this morning when I saw your post, so thanks for that and the advice, all of which I'm going to read soon.

You are quite welcome, good luck with your entry.

FWIW, you can make the contest in your first year submitting. I remember thinking there was no way my item was going to get picked my first year and then was stunned when it was.

One of our finalists last year doesn't even play Pathfinder...or didn't when he entered the contest. He had his imagination, the ability to learn every round, and good attention to detail when it came to things like stat blocks and maps. You can certainly do well in the contest you very first try.

Honestly I am just trying to manage expectations. I love my idea (only 2 ½ weeks of endless revisions to go) but I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment. I am a Detroit Lions fan after all, a man can only take so much…

I've spent roughly 2.8% of my life competing in this contest. Sure, it was challenging to meet the deadlines, but it was also extremely rewarding. Not only do you get to compete against 31 other creative and dedicated Pathfinder enthusiasts, you also get direct (and often unadulterated) feedback from some of the icons of the RPG industry. Aaaaaaaand, if you play your cards right, you have a decent chance of landing some great freelance opportunities.

So, dig deep and swing for the fences! Your time is now!

One of our finalists last year doesn't even play Pathfinder...or didn't when he entered the contest. He had his imagination, the ability to learn every round, and good attention to detail when it came to things like stat blocks and maps. You can certainly do well in the contest you very first try.

This is kind of the boat that I'm in. I've loved Pathfinder from afar since it's inception, but I haven't had the time/resources (read: other players) to really RP in a few years (except for playing in the occasional game of Exalted). That being said, I do know d20/3.5 pretty well, and did some small amount of freelancing pre-Pathfinder, so this is a good opportunity for me to get into Pathfinder and back into RP in general. And I should have a copy of the Inner Sea World Guide waiting for me when I get home so, bonus.

Also I have this absurd desire to design games for a living, so I guess I can't really pass this opportunity up.

...I didn't even know about Wayfinder until this morning when I saw your post, so thanks for that and the advice, all of which I'm going to read soon.

For those others not aware of them, you can still grab all nine back issues of Wayfinder and the two Pathfinder Chronicler fiction anthologies for free. You're in for a real wealth of great fiction, locations, classes, critters, NPCs, magic, and more!

Here we go again...

The timing is a little tight, I'll admit, but I do have time outside of school stuff (though not as much as I'd like), I'll just spend it with this instead of my XBOX. I've already got some ideas for later portions of the competition, and I figure I'll use the time I have before January 1st to work on those ideas, if not the specifics (since I'll need to see the specific requirements for each). I'm more than happy to get cut before the 32 just to get some feedback on the wondrous item.

Definitely do some research now. As I noted, I hadn't expected to get in my first year. I'd been reading up on the Inner Sea World Guide just in case, but it was a total surprise. I had to spend the rest of the time scrambling to do research on previous rounds even as I was designing for each round.

Also, on a different note, not sure if you're aware of play-by-post games (PBPs) but that might be a way to get your gaming in. I do very little real-life gaming now, thanks to my gaming buddies and I having very different work schedules, but am able to fill the itch by playing in/running more than a half-dozen games on Paizo's boards.

Definitely do some research now. As I noted, I hadn't expected to get in my first year. I'd been reading up on the Inner Sea World Guide just in case, but it was a total surprise. I had to spend the rest of the time scrambling to do research on previous rounds even as I was designing for each round.

Also, on a different note, not sure if you're aware of play-by-post games (PBPs) but that might be a way to get your gaming in. I do very little real-life gaming now, thanks to my gaming buddies and I having very different work schedules, but am able to fill the itch by playing in/running more than a half-dozen games on Paizo's boards.

I have final exams to grade, which take priority of course, but I will certainly be using the time I have to do as much research as possible, the holidays effectively ruin two weeks for thesis research, but not for Pathfinder research.

Coincidentally, the thesis is about comic book fanzines in the 1960s-1980s, so finding out about Wayfinder was a very nice surprise for me.

The play-by-post stuff sounds like it might be a good idea. I've tried that in the past, but it never worked out, or got past about three posts, so I'll take a look at it soon, thanks!

For those others not aware of them, you can still grab all nine back issues of Wayfinder and the two Pathfinder Chronicler fiction anthologies for free. You're in for a real wealth of great fiction, locations, classes, critters, NPCs, magic, and more!

I grabbed those too, they sounded neat. Great screen name, by the way!

I just love RPG Superstar season. It forces me to come up with new cool items (prepping one beforehand never works for me) and then I can agonize if this item is the ONE or maybe it is better to discard it and start anew.

I think I just finished the ONE, I really want to submit it but experience has shown me that sleeping on it for just a day is the best course.

I just love RPG Superstar season. It forces me to come up with new cool items (prepping one beforehand never works for me) and then I can agonize if this item is the ONE or maybe it is better to discard it and start anew.

I think I just finished the ONE, I really want to submit it but experience has shown me that sleeping on it for just a day is the best course.

I haven't written anything down yet, just bounced some ideas around.

Last year I started writing a day before the deadline, so this year I plan to start a bit earlier. :9

I'm very, very, very happy that Wayfinder was mentioned in this thread. ^_^

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

FWIW, you can make the contest in your first year submitting. I remember thinking there was no way my item was going to get picked my first year and then was stunned when it was.

Steven Helt wrote:

One of our finalists last year doesn't even play Pathfinder...or didn't when he entered the contest. He had his imagination, the ability to learn every round, and good attention to detail when it came to things like stat blocks and maps. You can certainly do well in the contest you very first try.

Honestly I am just trying to manage expectations. I love my idea (only 2 ½ weeks of endless revisions to go) but I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment. I am a Detroit Lions fan after all, a man can only take so much…

Well this Detroit Lions fan made it to the Top 16 on his first try in 2011, then I made Top 4 last year. I didn't even begin designing my items until the contest started, though my experience from 2011 told me to absolutely get to work on ideas for the following rounds immediately. That 3 day turn around is no joke! Just be prepeared for possible twists in later rounds. Look at past Superstar years and you'll have a good chance of guessing what those twists might be ahead of their reveal.

--If you wanna be Vrock Superstar...