The Final 4 Are Revealed!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Being a contestant in RPG Superstar isn't easy. In fact, it isn't supposed to be easy. Being a freelance rpg writer isn't easy, and the contest intentionally uses short deadlines, detail-oriented rules, and a variety of different types of writing challenges to emulate some of the difficulties freelance writers face. On top of all that, being a contestant means having your work constantly judged and analyzed by professionals and fans alike without the benefit of passing through outside developers and editors first.

By the time contestants reach the last round, they've truly gotten a taste of how difficult the creative process can be. All of our contestants have done wonderful jobs not only producing interesting entries, but dealing with the pressures of forum critiques and the frustrations that come with not being able to jump in and correct inaccurate or unfair interpretations of their work. Every contestant has had to worry about how voters are reacting to a previous entry while trying to prepare to produce a new bit of game material for the next round. Over the course of the contest this process covers magic items, maps, monsters, and encounter design—some of the lynchpins in the toolbox of designing a good rpg adventure. I appreciate the hard work and dedication every contestant put into their entries, and hope those for whom the contest is over can sit back, relax, and enjoy the last round.

Of course for 4 contestants, things aren't over just yet. Major congratulations go to Charlie Brooks, Jason Evans, Crystal Malarsky, and Nick Wasko, who have one more round to face. While they might wish to bask in the accomplishment of knowing that each of them is going to get to write an adventure of us—a Pathfinder Module for the winner, and a Pathfinder Society scenario for our runners-up, there's really no time to for them to relax.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4
Charlie Brooks Round 4 The Faceweaver's Workshop Round 3 Swarmwyrm Round 2 The Grimple Playhouse Open Call Horseshoes of the Storm Rider Jason Evans Round 4 Gnome's Throw Crossing Round 3 Scrapshell Oyster Round 2 Brokeferry Bridge Open Call Starsling Buckler	Crystal Malarsky Round 4 Bracken Moor Bridge Round 3 Sorrow Stitcher Round 2 The Weeping Garden of Naderi Open Call Figurine of Wondrous Power, Ruby Butterfly Nick Wasko Round 4 Dead Man's End Round 3 Matianak Round 2 Ice Dam Open Call Banshee's Wrath

The last challenge is the biggest one—a 2,000 word adventure proposal to be used to form the outline of the winner's final published book. Our Top 4 have until 11:59 PM on October 22, to turn in their proposals. Each must be for a 32-40 page adventure for 5th level characters, set in the Sodden Lands, and focusing on a location-based adventure. Voting will begin on October 26, and our winner will be announced October 30.

It's been a great contest so far, and I hope everyone will join me in congratulating the final four on their success making it to the final round, thank all our contestants for the fabulous work and ideas they've provided us throughout the previous challenges, and offer sincere appreciation for the voters and judges who have helped us sort through the entries to get us this far.

Owen K.C. Stephens
Developer, RPG Superstar Host