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CRADLE OF NIGHT
Chapter 1: Remnants of the Dark

“The sun’ll be down soon.” The tall, sunbrowned horselord, Gioret Almere, turned to one of the Kellid children leaning over the rail of the horse pen where his riders were still breaking in a new chiardmar stallion. “Go tell Miera she can light the bonfires now. Our remaining guests will be here soon.” He shaded his eyes against the brilliance of the orange-and-purple sunset along the western foothills where he could just make out a couple of silhouetted figures on horseback picking their way down the rock-strewn trail from the Mindspin Mountains. He knew they’d reach the town’s outskirts soon, and then he’d have to explain why he called them to his ranch.

With a resigned sigh, Gioret looked sidelong at the others standing next to him. There was the lean Nidalese merchant, Suetonius, and his half-elven colleague, Lydia. And after them stood the ex-Molthuni soldier Bastian and the estranged elven wife of an agent of the Umbral Court, Daehalya. He’d called the four of them, as well, and invited his guests to enjoy the hospitality of his small community during the Feast of the Survivors. The holiday would serve as a stark reminder of what the prior generations of Nidal had given to protect their community’s way of life. But, with the Umbral Court sponsoring so many dream hunts among the Atteran Ranches now, Gioret knew his people’s future was growing darker by the day…

His mood had turned melancholy again, so Gioret sought the best way he knew to lift his spirits. “Why don’t we ride out to meet them?” he suggested. Then, with a sharp whistle to one of his men, he held up five fingers and pointed to himself, Bastian, Daehalya, Lydia, and Suetonius. A few moments later, several ranch hands brought around a small herd of saddled nidarrmars, the champion horses of Nidal. Pushing away from the rail, he limped to the side of his selected mount and slowly climbed into the saddle. Sitting tall again, a renewed sense of purpose settled over him, and he felt like a chieftain worthy of his horselord ancestors, despite grimacing against the pain in his knee.

“Well? The four of you coming along?” he called down, “We might as well get introductions out of the way. And, quite honestly, some of that might best be done out on the range rather than here with so many eyes and ears around…”

"Let there be light!"

Hello, everyone! This will be the discussion thread for the new Cradle of Night game I'm running. We'll use this place to ask out-of-character (OOC) questions and discuss any rules questions that arise. Players can also use it to strategize around various encounters and to encourage one another to up their roleplay. Lurkers are also welcome to read along, both here and in the actual gameplay thread, though it's probably best if only the players post here to keep things organized and free of clutter.

For now, this is just my initial post to get the thread started. I'll be back later to talk through some further game setup details, including a few tweaks I'd like to make to the backstories of some of the PCs. Nothing too major. Just minor things to more easily integrate you into the adventure's opening scene, and to also build some existing links between your characters (i.e., some of you will have a bit of history with one another before this tale begins). Additionally, I'm going to do one more pass on everyone's character sheet to see if there are any further recommendations or concerns on starting gear, spell/feat/skill selections, etc. I'll probably put up an individual post for each of the PCs, and I'll spoiler them so you can decide which elements you want to share with your fellow players in-game.

In the meantime, thanks again for applying for the game. Now, let's get this thing started!

Hey, everyone! I thought I'd post this up right before the Christmas holiday. Hopefully, there's a few potential players still hanging around the boards during this time.

Basically, this is meant as an initial post to check for interest in a new play-by-post game for Cradle of Night, an adventure I helped co-author for Paizo along with Greg A. Vaughan, James Jacobs, and Wes Schneider (and developed by Ron Lundeen). Normally, I’d run this as a private campaign for a group of home players, but with four kids and family obligations, my schedule is bit too hectic to commit to a recurring multi-hour game night at my place every few weeks. So, the next best thing is to run it at a slower, more manageable pace as a play-by-post...and, in many ways, that might prove to be a superior roleplaying experience, as online games tend to give everyone a lot more time to portray the characters in-game (both the PCs and the NPCs) and to deepen the overall storytelling.

So, given my intent, here’s a bit more information on what I’m thinking about for such a game: Ideally, I’d want a group of 5-6 dedicated roleplayers with a minimal posting rate of once per day. More often would be fine, but I understand life can make that difficult sometimes. Preference would be given to those with prior play-by-post experience, particularly anyone who has GMing experience via play-by-post, because I think that’s usually a good indicator of potential players who’ll stay the course...and I think a lot of GMs are often frustrated wannabe players who’d love to have someone else run a dedicated game for them. I’d also be looking for a good mix of characters so there’s a well-rounded party (i.e., martial/melee, arcane caster, divine caster, skill monkey/support character) to take through the adventure. So, I’ll be looking for character concepts during the application process that'll support that goal.

In terms of roleplaying, I also want players who’ll do a fair amount of intra-party interaction, in addition to their back-and-forth with the NPCs. I firmly believe the game is as good as the players make it, so if you’re wanting to portray an aloof, lone-wolf kind of character who’s the strong, disengaged, silent type, this probably wouldn’t be the best game for you. Instead, I want to see quality posting with in-depth character development determined by the players and then supported by me. In fact, I’m toying with the idea of running this game as more of a “theater of the mind” affair (i.e., without a heavy focus on maps...unless I happen to land a player/fellow-GM who can support us via Roll20 or a similar hosting site). That way, combat isn’t overly complex and I can handle it more in descriptive terms as players indicate what actions they’d like to take...all before narratively bringing it together as I move the game along.

As for other basic character-specific information, the adventure starts at 8th level and PCs will advance to 10th along the way. Rather than track XP, I’d simply designate the appropriate moments when PCs would level up. The core races (i.e., humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and halflings) would be preferred, but I’ll entertain anything if it’s a compelling enough concept that synergizes with the adventure’s themes. Just ask and I can give the initial proposal a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. The goal isn’t to create some weird, off-the-wall concept just to stand out. Instead, everyone should focus on creating solid character archetypes (from a storytelling standpoint) that’ll be fun to portray as they go through this particular scenario while sharing the screen with one another. So, I’ll be looking for synergy opportunities between the characters, and applicants would be wise to leave room in their concepts to enable that.

In the meantime, the adventure’s opening scene takes place in Nidal, but only about a third of it occurs above ground, since it swiftly moves into the Darklands. That said, I’m not looking for character backgrounds which depend heavily on significant Darklands connections and lots of time spent there (i.e., the PCs are meant to be ‘fish out of water’ when they venture there, rather than super-experienced natives). Likewise, strong connections to the evil-aligned ruling classes of Nidal or Cheliax aren’t really desired either. You could certainly hail from there, but I wouldn't want an active Hellknight, Signifier, or Zon-Kuthonite. Instead, I’ll be looking for good-aligned PCs, or at least neutral-aligned ones with a good reason to be team players helping others, all of whom have recently been adventuring near the northern border of Nidal along the Mindspin Mountains, possibly crossing over from Varisia/Korvosa, the border with Nirmathas/Molthune, or other parts of Golarion. They're all 8th level, after all, so they could be well-traveled. The important thing is that they've made friends with a few Desnan sympathizers in the Atteran Ranches region of northern Nidal.

I’ll have more in-depth character creation guidelines (and suggestions) with regards to classes, archetypes, etc. once I’ve got a feel for everyone’s interest level. But, outside of that, it would be 20-point buy, no stats lower than 8, and nothing higher than 18 before racial modifiers to avoid extreme min-maxing. I’d also require applicants to include a robust character background which I can then use to widen the roleplay by drawing upon it from time to time. To help with that, I’m contemplating providing a few newly-crafted campaign traits specific to Cradle of Night which players can then select for their PCs to more tightly weave them into the adventure. That alone should help fire the imagination and give a greater sense of where things are headed and what kinds of characters would synergize well.

Lastly, I’d also ask for a single paragraph which I’ll describe as a character road map. This would detail where you see the character going (i.e., how you plan to develop it over the course of the storytelling and what you’d like to potentially see happen to the character or achieved by them). Often, this can include life goals like slaying a particular monster (a dragon?), avenging themselves upon someone who wronged them, creating/acquiring a particular magic item, or starting a new organization like a church, thieves’ guild, or arcane school. More importantly, it should include emotional character developments like overcoming a great loss/limitation, exploring a budding romance, suffering a fall from grace (with a triumphant redemption somewhere down the road), etc. Basically, this is an opportunity to define your own character-specific story “thread” which I’ll then weave into the overarching plot so you get to explore it in-game.

Well, that’s probably enough for now. Cradle of Night is obviously somewhat near and dear to my heart. I certainly put a lot of imagination into outlining it and getting it started before I handed it off to my Paizo developers and co-authors. As a result, this game would certainly follow the same general plot of the published adventure, but it would also include a few different twists and turns to keep it fresh for anyone who may have read it (i.e., I’ve still got some unpublished ideas I can include to modify it and round out the story a bit). So, if you’ve got an interest in coming along for that kind of ride, and you can commit to the general guidelines I’ve laid out above, please chime in here and let me know. The more interest I receive, the more likely I’ll be to launch this game.

Thanks,
--Neil

P.S.

Hello, Lottery Winners! Just a reminder for anyone checking the messageboards regarding this game. I'll be using pregenerated PCs which have fully integrated character backgrounds that add to the scenario. I usually let folks select from the pregens ahead of time on a first-come, first-serve basis. Rather than repost them here, I'll just point folks to this messageboard post from 6 years ago when I first ran this game at PaizoCon in 2010. Feel free to read-up on each of the PCs. If you want to claim one now, you can speak up here and I'll try and reserve that one for you when you arrive at the table.

Thanks,
--Neil

So, I've made an initial pass through every item submission so far. For those following along, here are a few general observations and conclusions I've made:

1) Good Stuff! - As usual, we've got some great entries! Lots of Superstar-caliber creativity on display. It'll be fun to see who rises to the Top 32 over the course of the public voting. I have a few favorites I'd like to see make it into the contest if for no other reason than to see what the designers behind them can do in future rounds of the competition.

2) Auto-Rejects - There are also quite a few rejected submissions this go-around, and it's primarily because a lot of people didn't bother reading the rules. I've flagged a number of rings and staves for rejection. I've also seen cursed items, intelligent weapons, and yes...even minor artifacts...all of which are identified in the Open Call as being ineligible for the contest. But people submitted them anyway, presumably in an effort to take the road less traveled. There are also several submissions that went over wordcount. Those get rejected right away. You should never flirt with the maximum words allowed. It's like standing too close to the edge. One little misstep and...ouch!

3) Ill-Advised Risk-Taking - There are also a lot of submissions which ignore the excellent advice Sean has given over the past several years. People still love their backstories. People still struggle with avoiding Spell-in-a-Can design. There are still items which I'd consider "joke" items. Good naming is still a challenge. There are items that are way overpriced, and there are items which clearly abandoned the defined rules for pricing in favor of ballparking it. While that may work out sometimes for wondrous items, I'd say not so much for the weapons and armor/shields category.

4) Template Use/Abuse - Several submissions still struggle to apply the template correctly. Everything from miscues in where things go to how stuff should be worded and how things should be formatted. The latter isn't a dealbreaker, of course, but it visually separates the good entries from the rest of the pack.

5) Look Before You Leap/Submit - It's clear that some folks failed to hit the "Preview" button to get a sense of what their submission would look like to those voting on it. At least one entry tried to do BBCode formatting (including fancy URLs), but accidentally relied on backslashes [\] rather than slashes [/] so the whole thing looks pretty garbled. Some folks are also trying to put BBCode in the thread title, so that's going to cause some folks to standout in a less flattering way during the public vote. This stuff can be coached and cleaned up in the real world of freelancing, but in terms of putting your best foot forward for consideration for Top 32, it's best if you get everything as clean and polished as possible.

And that's it for now. I just figured as we close in on the submission deadline, those who submitted long ago might appreciate a bit of insight into how things are taking shape. It should be a fun period of public voting. Game on!

Thanks for the shout-out!

We've got just 18 days left to fund what we hope will be over 700 pages of a sword-and-planet Adventure Path for 1st thru 20th level characters. So, please consider throwing some coin our way and spread the word. In fact, I'd like to call in any markers or favors from all my friends and colleagues in the RPG community. If you've ever enjoyed something I've written for Paizo or Legendary Games...or, if you've ever found any of my support during RPG Superstar useful over the years...please consider giving back by sponsoring this project. It's a concept I've wanted to pursue for a long time, but I need everyone's help to get it off the ground.

Thanks,
--Neil

Yay! Glad to see this one take flight. My thanks to Jason, Al, and Bob for their assistance on getting it out the door! And, also, domo arigato to Liz! ;)

So, it's certainly no surprise that I've followed along with the various threads here in the RPG Superstar forum (as I do every year), just catching up on some of the differences and nuances of this iteration of the contest, and it's always heartening to see a lot of newcomers and first-timers announcing they're giving it a go. It's also cool to see the eligible veterans returning to take another crack at it. Trust me, that kind of perseverence can pay off big-time! Just ask Mike Welham and Steve Helt. And yet, it's also possible that someone totally new to RPG Superstar (or even Pathfinder) can go pretty far, too.

But, before we see who makes the Top 32 (plus alternates!), there's the public voting round to help sort the better items towards the top of the list, and this is a necessary step which eases the burden on the primary judges who go on to select the actual competitors for the Top 32. As such, I think it's important to share a bit of carefully considered advice I have for everyone...and this comes both as a former-competitor of RPG Superstar, as well as my time serving as a judge for a few years.

If your experience while voting is anything like prior years...or, if it's anything like what the main judges went through when we sorted the submissions on our own...you're going hit a wall at some point which I like to call "The Wall of Voter Fatigue and Frustration." It's that point where you've seen a certain item you've downvoted time and time again, and you just lose patience with it. Or, it'll be an item which--from a design standpoint--just isn't quite ready yet. It may have mishandled certain rules or use of the submission template. It may be a joke item or an ill-considered one. Or a seemingly blatant rip-off of some intellectual property. And so on. Bottom line, it'll be situations like that which will continually try your patience and your sanity. But here's my advice...

Take a deep breath. Soldier on. Vent if you have to, but carefully consider how and where you do it.

Why?

Because it's as important how you conduct yourself during the voting process as it is in how you conduct yourself as an RPGSS competitor...or how you conduct yourself as an RPGSS judge...or how you conduct yourself as a future freelancer...or how you conduct yourself when representing a company you work for (like Paizo, hopefully). If you vent too harshly...apply too much snark...or simply fail to convey the wit you thought you were giving versus the venom it was interpreted to be...you risk reducing the esteem which others might have felt towards you, the contest, and themselves. And, perhaps more importantly, you run the risk of absolutely walking all over someone's dream with a total lack of sensitivity.

Now, some will say that's sugarcoating things for would-be designers who ought to learn here and now that they'll need some seriously thick skin if they intend to work as a freelancer in the RPG industry. However, consider this: Not everyone who enters RPG Superstar does so with the intention of becoming a freelancer. Some do it for fun and to feel a part of the Pathfinder/Paizo community. In addition, even if they do have aspirations of becoming a paid freelancer, you're not necessarily doing them the favor you think you are by blasting your feedback at them via a medium like the internet which does very little to carry any emotive content behind your words. What you thought was cute may be received as harsh, and not just by the one you intended to receive your commentary. Onlookers will develop an opinion of you, as well.

So, carefully consider how you conduct yourself during the voting process when you feel that urge to rail against a particular design or design choice. Even when veiled in as much vagueness as you hope to muster with your comments, there will be people out there who will endure a tremendous amount of stress wondering if your negative feedback applies to them or their item. And, even if you yourself are ready to take that kind of criticism, it doesn't mean you can assume everyone else is by extension. What's more, you run the risk of fostering an environment where others feel emboldened to take the criticism to an even higher level. And, unlike the judging forums where we used to hide that kind of rage-venting in the past, the voting public tends to air their views in plain view and in greater numbers. So, it can start to drain the life and enthusiasm out of the participants.

Therefore, if you take this contest (and your own design skills) super-seriously, you may want to start emulating that which you want to become...i.e., a professional freelancer...by demonstrating a professional demeanor in how you conduct yourself in the various feedback threads, voter frustration threads, and so on. Last year, we had a "Voters' Incessant Ramble" thread which kind of got super-negative and deflating for some contestants. It was eventually offset by a "Voters' Incessant Praise" thread, but not nearly to the same degree as the piling-on which took over the prior one. Eventually, there was even a "Critique My Item" thread which the voting public helped host as a nod towards the same kind of forum the primary judges used to host in the past. All three of those discussion threads are good places to practice the professional demeanor I'd like to encourage. And, if you can conduct yourself in that manner, believe me, people will take notice. And, if you don't conduct yourself in that manner, people will also take notice.

That's how life works. It's always easier to tear down something than to build it up. And people are always watching and judging you by your own public behavior.

So, it's my hope that, as people go into the public voting round, and as the judges put on their judging hats, and people start offering feedback to the competitors in whatever forum, that everyone goes into it with a commitment towards being as supportive as you can afford to be. Not to sugarcoat or handhold or give someone a free pass on a poor design. Rather, in spite of those things, to carefully consider the feedback you give so it doesn't damage the feelings of the receiving party in a way that totally ruins their ability to enjoy and participate in the contest and the hobby. Educate and build people up where you can. Bite your tongue and remain silent if you're completely unable to find anything positive to say alongside your critique. Basically, just focus on helping this contest continue as one of the best things going in the RPG industry right now.

And that's my two cents,
--Neil

Sweet! Love seeing Ultimate Rulership among the 3PP print products. Thanks, Liz!

Now available! :-)

Congrats, Steven. From one Superstar to another, well done and well-deserved.

I also think the tea leaves were kind of pointing to this outcome based on your performance in prior rounds and the professional approach you brought to your designs. Now that it's official, however, I also want to remind you of a few things I recalled from your postings in the Superstar forums in 2010 when I put up a thread called "Advice For Those Who Missed The Cut"...

I think maybe several of us submitted items we thought were great, and it's an awkward place to know you need to be polite and give the Superstars their due, while reading some items and thinking "really?"....I speak only for myself when I admit I read some items, I get locked out of the contest three years in a row, and I start to wonder if I just don't understand what a Superstar item even looks like....However - this contest is great for Paizo, great for the hobby, and really demonstrates the passion a lot of people have. It sucks to be balancing, "I deserve to be there" with "Obviously the judges didn't think so," but what is redeeming is that there are other ways to pursue work, and there is a great commuity here to join with and help cultivate Superstars this year and beyond. We are told over and over, it isn't about us....it's about one item at one time. It might be hard to remember that, but it's true. All you can do is be a good sport, wish everyone luck, and be a good-natured critic of ideas in coming rounds to sharpen the remaining contestants. And - design is fun. Talking about design is fun. Thinking about design is fun. Losing ourselves in that cheerfully makes the competition better for everyone.

So, now that you find yourself on the other side of all that, how do you feel now, man? :-)

Nothing worth doing (or accomplishing) comes easy. You paid your dues. You learned and adapted. Guys like you and last year's winner, Mike Welham, continue to serve as examples of what happens when you don't give up hope, keep trying and working hard, and bring your A-game when your opportunity finally comes. I was thrilled when I saw you'd made the Top 32 this year. And now I'm doubly so at seeing you take the prize. Hat's off, man. Well done.

My only challenge for you now is to see you take it to the next level. This is when the real game begins. And unlike RPG Superstar, it never has to end. You can keep it going for as long as you want it to...

Best wishes,
--Neil

Who's ready for the harsh, stinging bite of winter? The malevolence of the evil, cold-hearted fey? And the utter cruelty of Irrisen's White Witches? Because, there's a storm coming. And you'd better bundle up.

To The Top 8 (And Anyone Else Interested In Reading Along):

I thought this might be a good time to reflect for a moment on just how far everyone's come in the contest...as well as the opportunity which lies before you. I'm not sure it's always readily apparent to everyone who's watching from outside the actual competition, but the RPG Superstar contest enters a much different phase when you make the Top 8. Look around at who's still standing there next to you. The field is a lot smaller than that long list of names you saw when the Top 32 first got announced. Recognize your brothers-in-arms, both those still standing there with you...and those who'll hopefully be back next year.

You're also going to notice that the pressure increases at this point, too. It's something you'll need to learn to deal with. A lot of those missteps and mistakes you made in prior rounds aren't going to be easily forgiven now. Everyone (the judges included) expects you to apply the lessons imparted to you...not just by the judges, but also the things the voters pointed out when commenting on your designs. This is also the place where the rubber really meets the road. You're doing encounter designs now, the basic building blocks in adventure writing. This is the round where everyone really gets a sense of how well you can put things together to create an entertaining, game-appropriate product they'd be eager to buy. So you need to put your best stuff forward now. There's no room for holding back.

I'd also like to point out that even as the pressure increases here, so too does the opportunity. Everyone's eyes are on you. That includes Paizo developer, Mark Moreland, the man who holds the key to granting you writing opportunities on future products. Other third party publishers are watching, too. And, even if you don't make it into the Top 4, a really well-designed encounter coupled with your prior work in earlier rounds can still serve as a compelling enough portfolio to give you an opportunity of your own making. Whether that's a shot at writing a monster for a future Paizo bestiary, a short PFS scenario, or a new PDF product from another publisher, you're standing on a field ripe with opportunity. What you do in this round can help determine how many of those opportunities come your way.

Some of us were reflecting earlier in the judges' chambers on how much stuff RPG Superstar alumni have gone on to write since the contest's inception back in 2008. It's quite a staggering list of accomplishments. Here are just the adventure-writing examples:

That's not even counting the myriad contributions of RPG Superstar alumni to the Pathfinder RPG line, the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting line, or the Pathfinder Player's Companion line. Folks like Jason Nelson, Russ Taylor, and a whole host of others have been contributing mightily to all those products for years now. Open up your Inner Sea World Guide, the Advanced Player's Guide, Bestiary 2, Bestiary 3, Ultimate Combat, and Ultimate Magic and check a few of the names for those contributing authors. Look at all the softcover books published for those lines, as well. You might be surprised at just how many of those authors came through RPG Superstar.

That could be you.

Exactly half of the upcoming adventure path for Skull & Shackles...the premier, flagship product line for Paizo...was written by competitors from RPG Superstar. The same is true for the award-winning Kingmaker AP. Additionally, two RPG Superstar alumni were actually hired by Paizo and work there still.

That could be YOU.

This contest opens doors. A lot of them.

And they're really cool doors, too. Jason Nelson and I have written for Legendary Games. Clinton J. Boomer, Trevor Gulliver, and Matthew Banach have all done work for Rite Publishing. John Bennett has done work for a third party publisher, as well. And many others have found their work accepted in Wayfinder or Kobold Quarterly or Open Design. And all of them didn't win the contest's ultimate prize. But all of them did get bitten by the design bug as a result of this contest. And, they parlayed their experiences here into having their work professionally published.

So, I'd like to remind everyone still competing in this year's contest...and even those of you who landed outside the Top 8 or Top 16 or Top 32...to keep your eye on the prize. Not just the chance to write an RPG Superstar Pathfinder module...or even a PFS scenario. That's not the prize I'm talking about. The prize you want to shoot for in this effort is a sustained presence as a freelance designer...someone with multiple opportunities to write in the industry, no matter where that might be.

This round of RPG Superstar is a great launching pad for that kind of opportunity. You're not just writing for the voters now. You're also writing for yourself and that entire audience of publishers out there. And you want to convince them you've got what it takes. That you can do this...dependably, professionally, to a Superstar-worthy level. So bring your A-game, guys. The encounter round has many great examples from prior years of the competition which you can follow. Do your homework. Then, do your best. That's all we can ask of you. And that's certainly what you should be asking of yourself. Just keep your eye on the prize!

Sincerely,
--Neil

In the Official "Critique My Item" Thread, I mentioned I'd be starting a separate forum in which to do a deeper-dive analysis on a handful of selected items which missed out on the Top 32. This will be the place where I do that. If any of you followed along last year, you probably already know my process. I basically go line-by-line through a submission, giving the same type of feedback you might get from a developer or an editor. I'm neither of those things, however. I'm just a guy who's gone through the contest before, who then went on to write some stuff for Paizo, and eventually came back to serve as a judge. I'll do my best to examine the pitfalls these items fell into...at least, in terms of why they didn't get pulled up into the Keep folder or stick around for the Top 32. But, anything I share here will still primarily be my own opinion...and it's just a single opinion...not necessarily a definitive one. Hopefully, you guys can take from it what you can, apply the lessons universally to your stuff (whether I select your specific item for a review or not), and then come back better prepared for next year.

Now, I also want to stress one other thing. I'm NOT going to be able to do reviews on every item that requested feedback. There's just too many and I'd go brain dead before I could even get halfway through them. In prior years, Clark and the other judges eventually had to abandon these larger reviews, because they reached their breaking point and the information you're conveying becomes very repetitive anyway. We should be able to talk about items which ran into the exact same pitfall in general terms by selecting and reviewing a single item to represent that particular problem. The trick for you guys following along is to assess the discussion of these items and determine how much the lesson-learned might apply to yours. And, quite frankly, you'll improve much more if you come to these realizations than if you just wait for the judges to point them out for you. That's because improving as a game designer (much like education, in general) is far more in your hands than just the hands of the one talking about a particular lesson.

So, one other thing before I get started. Once I post a review here, please don't attempt to engage me in a back-and-forth rules discussion or a bunch of clarifications. I'm not interested in justifying anything or being put in a position where I have to defend what I've posted. And I'm not interested in hearing your own justifications for why you chose to do something or why you disagree with the conclusions the judges drew. If these critiques are helpful to you, great. If they're not, that's fine, too. As I said, it'll only be one opinion on the things I think could have made your entry stronger. And, because I'll try to move through as many feedback requests as possible...and, due to my obligations to the current RPG Superstar competitors...I won't have time to come back and discuss your items in any more detail than what I manage to provide here for you. I hope everyone understands. It's my goal to be as helpful as I can, but I can't be all things to all people. And contrary to popular belief, I do have a life outside of RPG Superstar I'd like to pursue away from the messageboards.

Cool. Now let's begin.

Just curious. Every year, there's usually a lot of folks who indicate a favorite wondrous item among the submissions. Or, they may proclaim a grouping of favorites. I can tell you from prior experience, it's always a lift when you see a lot of folks indicating which items would make their Top 5 and yours makes their list. So, despite the fact that there's no voting in Round 1 by the general public, if you did have votes to spend, which items would make your Top 5? And why?

Well, I'm glad to report the judges have established all the items receiving "automatic bids" into the contest and they're now in the process of spending "golden tickets" on the "at-large bids." Alternates are being designated in a similar fashion. We should all be on record by sometime tomorrow. Then, we'll review all our comments on each item and adjust them for readability and public consumption. After that, Ross and Gary will take over to get the forum ready. And, hopefully, the guest judges can get started a little early on their feedback for this year's designers.

I have to say, it's been an interesting mix this year. You can tell which designers have really applied themselves in not only trying to stand out with an innovative, compelling idea, but also those who tightened down on the presentation, professional polish, and thorough mechanics. Those are all very good design goals as they're ultimately what sets apart the Keep's from the Top 32. There's going to be a lot of excited folks in just a few days. Best of luck to everyone. The judges (and voting public) are eager to see all your names on the other side. Get ready to kick this contest into high gear. 'Cause, it's about to get real.

Good news, Superstar hopefuls! The judges have completed their initial pass through all the items in the submission folder. Everything is now sorted into its proper place...with a handful of promising items in the Keep pile and the others in the Reject pile. Now begins a process I like to term, "The Winnowing."

The Winnowing:

I debated about posting this advice/rant/what-have-you, but I think it's important to get it out there. Basically, the title of this thread really says it all. What's the difference between a "wonderous" item and a "wondrous" item in the game terminology of Pathfinder? I can tell you that one is appropriate. And the other is not. It's become a real pet-peeve of mine. One which I brought up last year in several individual "Judges, Please Critique My Item" reviews.

If the RPG Superstar contest calls for a wondrous item submission as the litumus test for making the open call and joining the Top 32, that's what it should be. And if magic item crafting always includes the Craft Wondrous Item feat in a wondrous item's construction requirements, it should be called that. Not Craft Wonderous Item. Learn the difference. And live it.

Technically, "wonderous" is an acceptable spelling in certain dictionaries. It's synonymous with "wondrous"...but, I think a lot of people use "wonderous" not because they know it's a valid way of spelling "wondrous"...but rather, because they don't realize how "wondrous" is spelled. They just assume these magic items are filled with "wonder" and so it must be spelled "wonderous." Some spellcheckers mark this as an incorrect word. So that should be a clue right from the start. Others don't, however, but that's really no excuse (in my opinion).

The bottom line for me is that "wondrous" is right in the Core Rulebook. It's the given spelling for that entire category of magic items. And it's spelled out for you right in the submission guidelines for the first round of the RPG Superstar contest. "Submit a wondrous item in 300 words or less." On top of that, I called this out repeatedly last year in several critiques for folks. I even mentioned it in an entirely separate thread in the general forum discussions last year. So, if anyone misses this distinction, it tells me they don't know their game terminology or they haven't done their homework...whether looking through the Core Rulebook, the submission guidelines, or any of the advice/critique threads.

So here's the deal: I've seen items make the Top 32 last year with "Craft Wonderous Item" in the construction requirements (primarily because their mojo helped lift the core idea and editors could reasonably correct for a simple misspelling like that if this were an actual freelance submission). Regardless, I don't like seeing items come through that get this wrong. The other judges may feel otherwise, but I don't see it as a simple oversight or something that's too nitpicky to hold against a submission. If designers don't understand the correct game terminology of "wondrous" vs. "wonderous" what else might they miss if they went on to compete in RPG Superstar? It's got to be the most basic thing to this competition. You're designing wondrous items. They're called that in the game. The first round of the competition (for five years running) asks for wondrous item submissions. And people still call them "wonderous"...?

That's a problem. And it's one I'm personally marking people down for (even if just on a subconscious level)...

Thankfully, I'm only one of four judges. If the other three still want to elevate a wonderous item into the Top 32 and not judge it as harshly, that's well within their purview. I'm just letting folks know that I'm personally raising the bar on this one. And it's time for people to start meeting it.

My two angry cents,
--Neil

/rant

Hey, guys...

I received my copy of The Brinewall Legacy and The Hungry Storm as part of my AP subscription. But, I seem to be missing my copy of Night of the Frozen Shadows. Can you double-check the shipment/delivery on that order? It was late arriving and I thought I'd finally received it when The Hungry Storm arrived. But I quickly realized I'd gotten part three when I was still expecting part two.

Help?
--Neil

Hey, guys. This thread will serve as a place to check in on the upcoming Fall After Pride game I'm running for PaizoCon. It's a Friday night session (6PM-11PM), though it might not take up the entire 5 hours. We'll just have to see how things go. I'll post up pregen characters here for everyone to review. That way, you can call dibs on a particular PC you really want to play or talk it through with one another. In the meantime, feel free to check in here and let everyone know you're in the game (as well as which PC you favor).

Here's the adventure synopsis as a reminder:

This adventure is for 4th level characters, which I'll obviously provide. I've designed each one with less of an eye towards optimization and more towards what fits best for the story that should play out in the course of the adventure. Just about every class is represented, including a handful of new archetypes from the Advanced Player's Guide and Ultimate Magic. So give them a look and hopefully at least a PC or two matches your prefered playstyle. There's a decent overlap in abilities so the group shouldn't be overly dependent on a single PC and everyone can stay involved in each scene or challenge.

The premise of Fall After Pride also appears in this year's issue of Wayfinder, which Tim and Hugo will likely be handing out on Friday afternoon. Don't worry if you read through that scenario, though. I'll be giving you the director's cut of this adventure, which is considerably more fleshed out than what appears in those pages. All I ask is that anyone familiar with the writeup in Wayfinder do your best to keep that knowledge separate from what your PC would know.

That said, welcome to PaizoCon and welcome to the game!
--Neil

Well, it's been a long road, but we're finally here. The last voting round for RPG Superstar 2011 is about to commence and almost all of the judges' commentary is in place. I wrapped mine up last night and put some finishing touches (and elaboration) on a few points this morning. The competitors poured a lot of work and creativity into their proposals. Some landed pretty well with the judges and others didn't. I've recommended two for consideration of the final prize, but it'll really be up to the voters to decide what they want Paizo to publish.

Remember again that all of you following along still have a role to play in this contest. Your vote never counted as much as it does now, because it'll result in a finished product that will eventually sit on store shelves. Also, these designers will all be given an opportunity to write something, including three new Pathfinder Society scenarios. So, make sure you chime in and give them feedback. Their learning process continues through this round, and there are a lot of great minds out there with creative suggestions and individual insights the designers could use. Make sure you share them. But please do so in a respectful, supportive fashion. Constructive criticism should rule the day...

Best of luck to the competitors and I look forward to what the voters decide. In fact, I'll be casting a vote alongside them...as I want to see something awesome produced by Paizo the same as everyone else.

My sincere two cents,
--Neil