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Here is the link to the So You Want to be a Superstar panel discussion at PaizoCon 2011. Link is in the first post.
It was run by Neil. It included me, Sean and Ryan. Hey, look at that! Those are the exact same 4 people who are the judges this year's contest! Wow, maybe this might be a good recording to listen to, this year's actual judges discussing directly what to do to win.
The panel was led with audience participation by Neil, using the exact approach that worked for him to design and item. And since he won the freaking thing, you might want to listen to this.
Really, don't you think you should listen to this? It is truly all of us thinking through the process that Neil used to create an item. You can't go wrong going through this same process.
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Dang, I forgot just how much we give away in this panel. Literally, we tell you everything you need to do. And we are the ones who will be judging you. Its up to you if you want to take this advice :)
Interesting thing from the corresponding thread (dated 6/13/11) is this quote:
I wasn't told that I would be doing it again. Thanks for the heart attack, Clark. ;-)Well, you could always talk to your wife about having a kid around that time, that would give you an excuse to gracefully bow out.... ;)
Judging by Neil's news on the chat, SKR has precognitive powers!
Indeed. I blame Sean for this fortuitous news. And, no...it didn't prevent me from doing RPG Superstar. This early in the pregnancy, there's no danger of spreading myself too thin.
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Please read this thread and listen to the audio from the panel. If you want to enter this contest, it's an hour well spent. Plus, we are pretty freaking funny.
I know I've listened to it a time or two just for the entertainment value alone... ;-)
Especially that Dancey guy. He's hilarious! :-D
Thanks for the audio! It was really helpful!
People, please listen to this before you submit your item. Seriously, we walk you through what to do and some tips on what not to do. I see so many items and say to myself "he or she didn't listen to the Superstar seminar."
Do yourselves a favor. If you only do three things: (1) read Sean's advice thread, (2) read the prior winning submissions, and (3) listen to this audio.
Here is the link to the So You Want to be a Superstar panel discussion at PaizoCon 2011. Link is in the first post.
It was run by Neil. It included me, Sean and Ryan. Hey, look at that! Those are the exact same 4 people who are the judges this year's contest! Wow, maybe this might be a good recording to listen to, this year's actual judges discussing directly what to do to win.
The panel was led with audience participation by Neil, using the exact approach that worked for him to design and item. And since he won the freaking thing, you might want to listen to this.
Really, don't you think you should listen to this? It is truly all of us thinking through the process that Neil used to create an item. You can't go wrong going through this same process.
This seminar was a lot of fun in person, too. Thanks, guys! :-)
Merry Christmas. ;-)
I've read pretty much all of the advice, but didn't have time to sit and listen to the podcast. I sent my item in already. Is there any crucial advice in the podcast that a person who has thoroughly read the forums wouldn't have already seen?
Moot point considering I already submitted.
Perhaps you shouldn't listen to it now and decide for yourself? I mean, even if your currently submitted item doesn't make it, there's still useful information in that recording for those wishing to compete again next year. ;-)
Reading back through some of the older threads, I saw where someone said they made a copy of it so they could listen to it offline. Presumably, Jeremiziah still has his original copy. And Doug Daulton, formerly of NeonCon, either filmed or recorded it, as well. Aside from those three, I don't anyone else who has a copy on hand. I didn't keep one.
Argh, I think I may have deleted mine in some half-baked file-purging fervor over the Summer...
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There's a copy of it available for stream or download courtesy of the Know Direction podcast on 3.5 Private Sanctuary.
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This should not be taken as representative of the entire recording, and are just the notes that stick out to me. You still need to listen to it :)
This is just one way to go about it.
- Neil recommends coming up with the physical item first.
- Find an underutilized slot of the body for certain types of characters, and what kind of cool item could you make to make this slot exciting?
- Nothing wrong with a really common item.
- Deathballs, not basketballs. (No* modern items.)
- Try not to split the market for the item.
- With the name, hint towards what the item could do.
- Once you choose the item, what makes the item magical?
- Not meant to be weapons or armor, but they can be.
- Cursed items aren't wondrous items.
- Keep in mind slots. What do other items in your chosen slot do? Are there any themes? Are there unfilled spaces?
- "Who in the world would pick that item over armor, especially if it's for a class that usually uses armor?"
- Find a niche that's been unexplored and explore that. For example, when the APG came out those new classes were fairly unexplored with regards to items.
- If multiple people are fighting over your item, you're doing it right.
- If a secondary power is boring (in this case, "Corset of X" that gives a Charisma bonus), judges may just skip over it.
- Boots of speed: the spell doesn't let you split up the rounds, but the item does. That's interesting.
- If the item is 5k, and requires a high level spell...really try to find a lower level spell that fits the slot. For example, instead of telekinesis, use mage hand
- Break the game rules a little bit. That's what wondrous items do.
- Don't do "monster ability"-in-a-can. Using the universal monster rules is a cool idea, but just don't have it do that.. Batrachian Helm is a great example.
- Figure out where similar rules, and explore that.
- Sean and the "Critique my item" thread are at fault for the higher quality of items every year.
- The price doesn't matter so much. Getting the right number of sig figs is the main thing for a few of the judges.
- If it's over 200k, it's an artifact.
- Still pay attention to the price.
- Don't rely on the pricing formulas. Round up or down to a nicer number. 7528 gp 4 sp 3 cp is bad. 7500 gp is good.
- Keep DCs in mind when pricing. If an item can only be afforded at level 7th and it has a DC 11 save, then no one would ever buy that since targets would only rarely fail.
- Didn't exclude or include a single item from the keep pile due to price or spells of the item.
- Preview the item! And then do it again. And finally, one more time. Then don't submit, run it through a word processor's spell check, and have someone read over it. Then preview it. And then submit it.
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But remember ... the round 1 voting this year changes the whole game. You first have to appeal to the masses, and only if you get the pass from the masses will you progress to The Judges.
So it's a very different contest this year :)
Thank you Memento Mortis & Jeremiziah for the alternative uploads. I can't access the original site. And you too, Cheapy, for the bulletpoints!
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
aka Jiggy
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- Try not to split the market for the item.
- If multiple people are fighting over your item, you're doing it right.
I haven't had a chance to listen to the panel yet, but don't these two tips sound contradictory...?
The first point is about making female / male only items which reduces the number of people willing to buy it. I generalized it to be "splitting the market", although I don't recall if that was mentioned specifically in the podcast.
The second one is about making it so freaking awesome that it hurts.
Exactly. An item that grants a bonus only to fighters *can* be cool, but isn't as cool as... an item that grants a bonus intended for fighters, but rogues or magi can make good use of.
But remember ... the round 1 voting this year changes the whole game. You first have to appeal to the masses, and only if you get the pass from the masses will you progress to The Judges.
Judges can vote, too. ;)
Have the details on how the judge's votes will interact with the public's votes been hammered out? Will Judges take the public vote under advisement? Will the item coming out ahead >50% of the time be seen as a Keep? Will Judges have the final say?
The plan is that the items with the highest votes will be presented to the judges, and we'll have our standard "discuss these until we have the Top 32."
Ah, I see that FAQ entry now. Interesting. I wonder how that's going to affect the items people submit.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
aka Jiggy
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Would someone working behind the scenes be willing to keep a tally of how many items make the monk pretend to be a full-BAB and/or d10 HD class? And can we start a betting pool on the final number? ;)
Since we actually get to see, for better or for worse, the items that are submitted this year, I was thinking of coming up with a list of item effects I expected to see. First on the list was anything monk related, followed by some item that amongst other things lets you use Dex to Damage.
Since we actually get to see, for better or for worse, the items that are submitted this year, I was thinking of coming up with a list of item effects I expected to see. First on the list was anything monk related, followed by some item that amongst other things lets you use Dex to Damage.
It'll be a mythic item, of course.
How about "one of last year's winning items with the serial numbers filed off"?
Oh, that's just dirty....