tieuelium's page

In real life, these weapons are used singularly, as one arm is used to hold and maneuver the opponent, and the other, with the Dan Bong, is used to manipulate joints and pressure points, including chokes and limb locks. Making the maneuvers extremely painful. Thus the plus 2 to grapple.

Eventually you grab the Dan Bong with both hands to complete the lock, hold or choke. Using two of them would in fact make you less effective as a "grappler." It would hurt, but your opponent would never end up grappled.

When I trained with one, we were never taught to attack with one like you would a nunchaku or staff. It just didn't make any since. You could throw it, just like a rock.

But, back to the rules, I wouldn't attack with the Dan Bong, only grapple with it, and never throw it. So no need for the -4, only the +2.

Dear Forum Viewers and Game Designers,

It was not my intention to insult the game designers or to cause this type of disturbance. I too think this is a great contest (I said it was the best thing to happen to gaming since the open game license in another thread). In no way was I intending to bash Paizo by stating that I wanted to see all the entries posted. I was asked for my reasoning and I stated them. That’s all. If those involved choose to get insulted, then that ego taking control and not me directly insulting them.

Nowhere did I say Paizo sucks, or that any of the designers are doing anything other than a good job. I only offered an idea. That idea was rebuffed and I was personally insulted. I did not take it personally, in fact I laughed about it. I even spoke about it in the thread. Now you all want to gang up on me like I insulted Paizo by giving my honest opinion about how I feel the company could improve?

Like I said, it wasn't my intention to cause this type of disturbance (especially having Mr. Renolds and Mr. Spicer chime in the way they did) I was just offering an opinion and entering a discussion.

It definitely wasn't my intention to insult the designers of this game, the contest, this forum or any of the employees of Paizo. If one has taken offence, then I apologize, as that was not my intention.

tieuelium wrote:

Understanding why the judges made the decision is important in any competition. I don't know about you, but my imagination and the output of it, is valuable to me. I want to know how it is being handled. I want transparency! You might not want it, you might not care how your intellectual property is being handled, you might like taking everyone you meet at face value, but I don't.

OK, seriously, folks - it'd be hard to find a contest that makes more of an effort to explain judging decisions than RPGSS does. Explaining the rules and guidelines of game design, by taking the specific examples of contest entries, is what the contest does.

tieuelium, read the Auto-Reject Advice threads and previous item feedback threads, and tell me if you really think RPGSS is less transparent and gives less constructive feedback than American Idol.

Criticism is welcome on these boards, but your posts in this thread have been agressive and accusatory, and appear to demonstrate a lack of basic familiarity with this contest. That's not the kind of feedback that will be helpful to this contest or to this forum.

Of the forumgoers who consider tieuelium's previous posts to be both inappropriate and adequately rebutted, I'd ask that they avoid prolonging the argument.

Aggressive and accusatory? In what ways?

And by the way, I've read the mentioned threads and appreciated them thoroughly.

Tell me how my feedback was wrong? Tell my how my opinion was wrong?

Most importantly, tell me how my posts are inappropriate?

tieuelium wrote:

Understanding why the judges made the decision is important in any competition. I don't know about you, but my imagination and the output of it, is valuable to me. I want to know how it is being handled. I want transparency!

Is this transparent enough for you? Close to 90% of the items submitted are rejected for one of those reasons.

tieuelium wrote:

If your honest, prove it. That's all I'm saying.

I like to operate on the default assumption that a person is being honest until proven otherwise. By assuming I'm not being honest (and by asking for proof, that is what you're assuming), you're insulting me. Thanks!

tieuelium wrote:

Third, the display of the entries is a great educational tool for future submitters. It should be part of the process. It will improve future entries.

And that's why I created the auto-reject list.

tieuelium wrote:

Why have the contests every year if the entries aren't getting any better?

Who's saying entries aren't getting better? We've actually said that this year's entries are, on average, of higher quality than we've had in previous competitions.

tieuelium wrote:

My statements are meant to improve Paizo, not just kiss up to them. Which one are yours meant to do? (<-- yes, that was a low key diss. But don't get offended, it was just to prove a point.)

FYI, when someone says, "I'm not saying this to insult you, but...," what follows is almost certainly something insulting. So... thanks!

Was me giving my opinion insulting or inferring that any designer or Paizo employees have done bad?

Isn’t that the point of this forum, for us to have communication about the good and the bad of the company?

Was my mentioning something that I genuinely feel would improve the company wrong or insulting?

I never said that the entries were getting worse. I merely posed a hypothetical question. But I will mention the fact that if there was true transparency then we could judge for ourselves wither there was improvement and wouldn't have to blindly take your word for it. That was one of my points. Thank you for elaborating for me.

I wasn't trying to imply that you designers were misleading us, but was interested in finding out my own truths. That's like when polotitions say that we are not at war, but wont account for where our troops are stationed or where the money is going. Transparency. It's just a suggestion. It’s not saying anything about anyone, personally. It’s just a suggestion on how to not have to deal with any questions of that matter. In science class, the instructor says that diamonds are harder than glass. Whether you believe the statement or not is irrelevant once you see the glass scratched by your mom's wedding ring. By testing the theory, you’re not saying that the theorist is lying. Wanting proof doesn't mean the messenger is a liar. It just means you want proof.

When the number of troops is hidden from you, and the financial records are sealed, what is the polotitions saying? When you refuse to be transparent, you are making a statement, whether you want to or not.

Besides, asking a company to be transparent is in no way insulting to one of the employees at that company.

I will be the first to admit that some of my statements were insulting to the other poster, but he started it. True he had reason...my spelling sucks, but my points were valid. A misspelled word does not make my point wrong, only my grammar...lol

And that point was? What possible point could be proven by a "low key diss"? And why would I want to kiss up to Paizo? The initial round of the contest is anonymous anyway, and the succeeding rounds are voted by the public. I'm not trying to "kiss up to" anyone; I'm just defending the judges because with all the work they're putting into this, I don't think they deserve to have their "honesty" and "fairness" arbitrarily brought into question.

But you haven't explained why this would benefit the functionality of the process, or what on Earth it would have to do with proving anyone's honesty (or why that even needs to be proved).

But whatever; I'm done here. You're just repeating yourself, and when your assertions are questioned you just resort to an admitted "low-key diss". There's no point in continuing to try to discuss this with you.

True, I am repeating. But you are too.

What are the educational benefits to posting all the entries?

Posting the entries can have several positive effects on the Paizo community. The submitters would have a better or improved gage by which to rate their own submissions, other potential contributors will have a better intellectual base for their discussions, transparency with the judges gives another reason to trust Paizo and its affiliates, and improved submissions will result in improved intellectual output that will result in better books.

Self-assessment is key to the success of any educational process. Contributors and Paizo/Superstar fans can communicate based on fact rather than assumptions. Understanding why the judges made the decisions that they did (and not necessarily 'forcing' the judges to comment on each item, although I'm sure they do anyways) is critical for any sort of 'trusting' relationship to be established. Better contributions to RPG Superstar contest will result in better publication material, which in turn will free up the highly paid designers to focus on the more important aspects of the design process.

To me, someone who studies education, it's a no brainer. These are just a few of the major points, some of which I have already mentioned in earlier posts.

I can expand on each point individually, if needed.

You started the diss thing with the 'low key' insults to my spelling...lol. But I didn't get mad. Why? Because my statements aren't just based on how I feel, or a supposed need for the defense of game designers unmentioned, but on years of educational research that I won't bother to include citations for, not to mention real life reality show experience (10 years as a professional photographer and magazine editor).

And the reason I was repeating myself was because I included the reasoning behind my thought process but you didn't understand.

But ultimately, for me to be right, you don’t have to be wrong. Your opinions are valid, but they don't lead to improvement intellectually or economically. The bottom line is money. Better free ideas mean lower production costs. That could mean lower book costs if you didn't understand the previous sentence.

That is the ultimate reason.

Again, I fail to see how showing all the entries would have anything to do with "an air of honesty and transparency with the judges". How would showing all the entries prove the judges are being honest? If you disagree with the judges' choices, does that really mean the judges aren't being honest, or does it just mean a difference of opinion? And if there is a difference of opinion between respected professional game designers and random message board posters, I'd be inclined to put a little more weight toward the former anyway...

First of all, I'm not insulting the company or the designers by commenting on the contest, in a forum that they created, specifically for that purpose.

Second, they are within their rights, as a company, to run the contest in any which way they choose. They could just pick people off the streets in Washington to be the next 'Superstar'. But would that serve their overall goal?

Understanding why the judges made the decision is important in any competition. I don't know about you, but my imagination and the output of it, is valuable to me. I want to know how it is being handled. I want transparency! You might not want it, you might not care how your intellectual property is being handled, you might like taking everyone you meet at face value, but I don't.

If your honest, prove it. That's all I'm saying.

Third, the display of the entries is a great educational tool for future submitters. It should be part of the process. It will improve future entries. And that is important to the company. Why have the contests every year if the entries aren't getting any better?

This isn't a today suggestion. This is a 'let’s improve the functionality of the process so that the company can benefit in the long run' type of suggestion.

See, regardless of my spelling mistakes, I went to and graduated from two art schools, just as some of the designers did, and I understand the difference between a 'critique' (which is meant to build upon or be used to improve) and a disrespectful statement (something meant to tear down or insult).

My statements are meant to improve Paizo, not just kiss up to them. Which one are yours meant to do? (<-- yes, that was a low key diss. But don't get offended, it was just to prove a point.)

"I don't think any Pathfinder authors will purposefully wade through thousands of non-winning entries just so they don't have to come up with a wondrous item. They're all more than capable of designing great items themselves, since most of them are veteran game designers or even RPG Superstar finalists who already showed they can design cool items and more." <-- previous post

I know as a professional photographer, writer and illustrator that has been working in hollywood for 10 years, big shot designers (including game designers) are humans just like us. The only difference is that they are employed doing what we all dream about doing.

With that said, they can't just come up with a winning item like magic. That is one of the fucntions of this compatition. Paizo doesn't want to pay them the big bucks to come up with bottom line magic items. Esp when we can do it for free!

Not saying comming up with these items is easy, but within reason, anyone could do it. Those great designers can now focus on the amaizing task of tying all those items, and plot pieces and spells and characters together in a way that all of us can enjoy and buy.

If I employed Jason B., I don't want him wasting time on wonderous magic items, I want him re-devising game mechanics, improving character classes and other importiant 'reasons why we love the game' things.

This contest is the smartest, most economicly effecient, posotive PR generating thing that has happened in gaming since the open game licence.

I expect other companies to quickly follow siut, if they have not already.

It is my hope that the submission of my item, will somehow, 'magicly' lower book costs. :)

oh yeah, of course they will be riffling through the submissions and improving upon, and/or using the items in the contest! why have the contest, if not to do just that. Now keep in mind the rejects are rejected for a reason and they might require more working to make them usable, but expect all the almost good enough ideas to be reworked (or at least looked at) and to possably apear in future books. Esp the winners.

ruemere wrote:

On the pricing...

More entries are still pouring in with 1 hour to go. I'm amazed at the volume over the past couple days. It seems a lot of people waited until very close to the deadline...presumably for one of two reasons:

1) People procrastinated. And, judging by some of the inattention to detail in a few submissions, that could be a reflection of that, or...

2) People worked right up to the deadline. And, judging by some of the quality that's come in towards the end, maybe that paid off.

I submitted late, but it's only becuase I'm in grad school and had finals. I found out about it in November at a con and was encurraged to submit. I already had the idea of the item so I just wrote it up. The hardest part was the pricing. I couldn't figure it out, and didn't have the time to research like I wanted to. So I ball parked it. lol. I'm hoping that the quality of my item will outwiegh any petty deatail like price...I hope.

What do you guys think?

Well, all my miss spellings and grammer issues aside, I only replied for conversation...not to degrade or insult the company. I was inputting my two cents as both a professional publisher (not of games), artist and writer that has worked on similar competitions in diffrent areas (I was a part of an annual top model style compatition for a national fitness magazine, a essay based cover compatition for the same magazine), so I can see and speak on the similarities between this compatition and a show like american idol.

And there are serious similarities. I also was the set photographer for a show called MTV's The Cut, which was before American Idol and had almost the exact same format. 3 celebrity judges, ameture performers, the weak ones are eliminated, the last one gets a record contract and some money. Google it, if you don't believe me.

But back to my point, learning from the past is really importiant to the future of the compatition. It's in Paizo's best interest to improve the funcionality of this compatition as it moves forward. That includes an air of honesty and transparency with the judges. Not just taking their word for it, but seeing for yourself. What's wrong with that?

I feel that displaying all of the entries is a good step towards doing that. It's one of the reasons American Idol does it (besides the ratings..lol). Of course it isn't possible for American idol to show all of the thousands of entries, but they show some of the more humerous ones and a few good ones that just wasn't good enough.

As far as the legal issues are concerned (and I am by no means a lawyer), that's as easy as the suddestion that the earlier poster had by including that on the sign up form.

As a compeditor, I'd like to see what my compatition had to offer, win or loose.

tieuelium wrote:

how do you view the other entries?

You don't, yet. When the top 32 are chosen, they'll be posted. At that time, the creators of other entries may or may not choose to post theirs for commentary.

u guys all make excellent points that I didn't think about. there would be alot of problems that might arise from the public display of the art/ideas.

but regardless of the lack of cams, this is totally a reality show that reflects the true imagination of gamers today. True, some will steal and cheat to win, but I stand by the display of all the entries.

If you don't want your loosing entry to be posted, then you shouldn't enter. There isn't thousands of entries like in american idol (not claiming to know the true number of entries), but I wouldn't compare this to something of that magnitude. Unfortunently, I can't think of an acceptable show that would support my claim...lol...but it is importiant that we know that the judges (and I'm not doubting any of the judge's integrity), for an educational standpoint. Education-wise, the loosers are just as importiant as the winners.

To me, when a company starts a program like this, it's in part geared towards the future of the company and not just about this years entries or contestants. It would be in the companies best interest to improve the entries for next year by providing the 'what not to do'. That's one of the reasons that American Idol shows all those out takes (besides the incredible ratings...lol). People need to know what just won't be accepted. We as viewers need to know what the judges saw, what they chose and why they chose them.

You don't, yet. When the top 32 are chosen, they'll be posted. At that time, the creators of other entries may or may not choose to post theirs for commentary.

ok, i was wondering. then how do we know it's fair? where is the checks and ballances? this is supposed to be like a reality show type of event (at least that was how it was proposed to me back at neoncon) we should be able to view the entries.

I guess then theres the intelectual property deal with other rpg companies viewing and 'stealing' the good ideas we come up with for paizo...lol

I think ALL the entries should be displayed, even if its after the 32 are chosen, becuase we as a community need to know if the judging is fair and accurate. Also what makes it from the contest into the actual books, becuase that is the goal of everyone involved...to make it into a publication.

Excellent! Really excited to have my first entry in such good company. Best of luck to us all!

how do you view the other entries?