As we announced last week, RPG Superstar has come early this year! The Open Call will run until 11:59 PM Pacific time on August 16, 2015. Public voting and judging then has until the 31st of August to determine the top 32 items.
To ensure the bottom ranked items aren't showing up over and over (which both annoys champion voters and reduces the useful information we can get about how better items compare to each other), we hope to cull the bottom 10-20% of vote-getters more often. We may have to adjust the frequency based on how many entries we get and for internal scheduling, but the idea is to make sure we're constantly filtering out the least popular items. This means voter input is crucial at every step, as we refine what items are pitted against one another.
At the end of the Open Call, the top 32 remaining items become our Top 32, and the next 4 become out alternates. The remaining items in the top 100 will be presented in alphabetical order. Our Open Call judges will work on getting feedback up for our Top 32 within a few days of the reveal, since we know contestants and watchers alike enjoy seeing their commentary.
Before Round 2 begins we'll outline the full rules for the map round (short form—you'll fill in a Flip-Mat-sized grid and have 50 words to give judges and voters an idea what your map represents). From Round 2 onward the process will be much as it has been previous years, with judges giving feedback and recommendations to voters. We have an amazing line up of judges, including winner and longtime community member Neil Spicer, who is going to be judging every round this year.
So settle in, get your magic items crafted and your voting buttons limber. It's time for another season of RPG Superstar!
Owen K. C. Stephens
Developer and RPG Superstar Host
