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I know I am. Even as a writing exercise, its good to keep up with each step of the competition. Last year, even though I was not one of the 32, I still worked up a nation, a villain, three thematically-linked monsters, etc., just to stay on my game and see how I compared to the competing entries. I didn't post these anywhere; they were just for me. Still, I am working on ideas for a villain; obviously, I can't post anything yet. I'm curious who else is working on ideas for the next phase already, and why you're doing it.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2012
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Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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I am working on my villain. Like you, I think it's a good writing exercise. I certainly don't have any expectations for advancing, but it would nice to get a jump on my villain concept *if* I do advance.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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I am deciding on ym choices for villain, and looking into where on Golarion they might cause trouble. Like a few others, I am also agonizing over the definition of a villain.
I am not asking for that dilemma to be solved here,so please let's not start a talk that might give one entrant an advantage over another. I am just deciding what's a good entry for my tastes, and if I think that qualifies as a villain. That, and the specifics of the rules for round 2 will decide which villain I enter.
Good luck, everyone!
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
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It's quite unclear to me what a "villain concept" means in this context and the judges have already hinted at surprises in the Round 2 to 4 assignments. I have some preliminary ideas, but I think fixing on a concept and starting to write at this point may prove restrictive later.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2012
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Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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I'm kinda basing the assignment for the villain concept off of last year's RPG Superstar. It's silly for me to worry about this, but the window this year is smaller between notification of advancement and the next entry being due (3 days vs. 5 days).
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
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I'm kinda basing the assignment for the villain concept off of last year's RPG Superstar. It's silly for me to worry about this, but the window this year is smaller between notification of advancement and the next entry being due (3 days vs. 5 days).
Good point.
Maybe Round 2 will have a word count of 50 words. Now that would make it interesting.
Despite not making it to Top 32 last year I did write a nation and posted it here. I also started to do a bit of work on villain round but didn't post it...so should it be necessary, I might dust up some of those ideas and go with them. But there might be unexpected guidelines in the assignments...
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I'm kinda basing the assignment for the villain concept off of last year's RPG Superstar. It's silly for me to worry about this, but the window this year is smaller between notification of advancement and the next entry being due (3 days vs. 5 days).
I have opted to ask my work for those days off. I have basic ideas, but those days off will give me time to adjust to whatever curveball the judges throw. If I don't make it..... oh well.
Cheers,
Zuxius
I don't think that this year's round are going to be very straight-forward, round 2 will probably be stat-less and will focus on your ability to convey what the villain is about. I am guessing that round 3 will feature a villain concept by Paizo which the top 16 will have to stat up in an interesting way.
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Contributor
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Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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I don't think that this year's round are going to be very straight-forward, round 2 will probably be stat-less and will focus on your ability to convey what the villain is about. I am guessing that round 3 will feature a villain concept by Paizo which the top 16 will have to stat up in an interesting way.
I agree with you. As Starglim mentioned earlier, I think the contestants will be given a fairly small word count to convey the villain concept. It will be interesting to see which villain the judges have the top 16 stat up.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka JoelF847
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I'm not doing anything until the round 2 details are out. I wouldn't be surprized if they had some restrictions or requirements, such as "your villain can't be a wizard", and I don't want to put a lot of time into a theoretical entry only to have it not qualify.
Plus, I like working under pressure. If I make the cut, then those next 3 days will be intense!
I've got the motivation story and concept set up, and I prepared the stat block for easy customization, based on limitations that might be imposed. Regardless of my progression, I'm pleased with the material-- it could easily be used elsewhere.
-Ben.
I'm already working on the stat block. I got an villain I have been waiting to use for a while.
I'm not doing anything until the round 2 details are out. I wouldn't be surprized if they had some restrictions or requirements, such as "your villain can't be a wizard", and I don't want to put a lot of time into a theoretical entry only to have it not qualify.
Plus, I like working under pressure. If I make the cut, then those next 3 days will be intense!
Mine will be a wizard.
Just kidding. O:)
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Whatever you do for a villain, in the name of all that is good and decent (or, in the case of a villain, vile and hateful) don't use a phrase like "does not have any grand plans." Whatever you THINK you might mean, that's just not a good idea... :)
Seriously, think not just in terms of who your villain IS, but what he, she, or it DOES. A whole bunch of people hit the rocks last year on this point: making neat bad guy concepts that just didn't DO very much. They were bad news if you happened to stumble onto them, but they were small-timers who would have no impact on a campaign. They were just monsters with a name and a backstory.
This is not news to anyone who followed last year's contest, but I just wanted to throw it out there to spend more time thinking about what your villain might actually be out there doing to BE villainous than you do about what kind of kewl combat tricks are in his back pocket. Think story first, stats second.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 6
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Dedicated Voter Season 6
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Whatever you do for a villain, in the name of all that is good and decent (or, in the case of a villain, vile and hateful) don't use a phrase like "does not have any grand plans." Whatever you THINK you might mean, that's just not a good idea... :
Or name it "The Crackling Whirling" :) Yeah, I can mock, because you both advanced to the finals...
For my villain, I definitely went for background first, stats second. I think it helped push it over the line, since I was down near the cutoff for that round...
I've already got a villain in mind. Hell, I already have a pretty good idea of an adventure about said villain. If I don't make it that far, at least it got my homebrew juices fired up.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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Whatever you do for a villain, in the name of all that is good and decent (or, in the case of a villain, vile and hateful) don't use a phrase like "does not have any grand plans." Whatever you THINK you might mean, that's just not a good idea... :Or name it "The Crackling Whirling" :) Yeah, I can mock, because you both advanced to the finals...
For my villain, I definitely went for background first, stats second. I think it helped push it over the line, since I was down near the cutoff for that round...
I thought it was the "Cackly Whirly" :)
or the "Curly Whirly" - oh wait, that's a candy bar...
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...or the "Curly Whirly" - oh wait, that's a candy bar...
I don't know for candy, but it is a line from the song that inspired my item last year...
"And little early birdy, came by in his curly whirly,
And asked me if I needed a ride.
Yeah, he was blinded by the light.
Revved up like a deuce,
Another runner in the night."
Later...
"Momma always told me not to look into
The eyes of the sun,
But momma,
That's where the fun is..."
Very nice...
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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...or the "Curly Whirly" - oh wait, that's a candy bar...I don't know for candy, but it is a line from the song that inspired my item last year...
"And little early birdy, came by in his curly whirly,
And asked me if I needed a ride.
Yeah, he was blinded by the light.
Revved up like a deuce,
Another runner in the night."Later...
"Momma always told me not to look into
The eyes of the sun,
But momma,
That's where the fun is..."Very nice...
Wow, Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Don't see them come up too often in conversation! :)
Chief Technical Officer
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Wow, Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Don't see them come up too often in conversation! :)
It's a Bruce Springsteen song, later covered by Manfred Mann.... Bruce's version is much better. Manfred Mann rearranged the lyrics for no apparent reason, and stuck in "Chopsticks."
And it' s "little Early-Pearly," not "early birdy..." specifically, "little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride," and ends
"He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is."
Villian concept is too vague. I know what I will be using if I get that far, but as far as fleshing out details and figuring it out, I am just going to wait until the requirements are out. The minute those are out I will hit the ground running.
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RPG Superstar 2013
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Steven T. Helt
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I am now at four potential villains, although I am leaning strongly towards one. We'll see if the specifics of the contest change that.
Or, you know, if I don't advance and begin spectating early.
Again.
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Wow, Manfred Mann's Earth Band. Don't see them come up too often in conversation! :)It's a Bruce Springsteen song, later covered by Manfred Mann.... Bruce's version is much better. Manfred Mann rearranged the lyrics for no apparent reason, and stuck in "Chopsticks."
And it' s "little Early-Pearly," not "early birdy..." specifically, "little Early-Pearly came in by her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride," and ends
"He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh but mama that's where the fun is."
Thank you Vic. I am more familiar with the Manfred Mann version, which is why I hit on the "Eyes of the Sun", but yes it is a Springsteen song, and the original lyrics are different.
Maybe we'll see Early-Pearly or some go-cart Mozart as a villain this year. :)
I've started mulling over concepts, but haven't put anything down on paper yet. However, I did re-read the evil overlord list, so I think that will help greatly.
CR
I've got one in the slow-cooker myself.
Concept mostly, nothing on paper/Word Doc just yet, but with a diminutive 3 day window to conjure up our best villain... well, starting early will hopefully make for a nice head start. I'm taking advantage of the lead time as best as I can. :)
Good luck ladies and gents.
I have been thinking a little about the concept of my villain for a while, but i haven't really started working on it yet.
I am using a famous local historicial figure as the inspiration for my villain. A very nasty piece of work who once visited my village.
I have quite a few villain ideas, but until I see what they mean exactly by "concept", they're just staying as ideas for now...
I'm mullin gover two very diffrent concepts right now, one has a great story and feel to it and the other is great from the stats and mechanic perspective so I geuss I'll have to wait and see the demands for the next round (if i make it that far).
Good luck to all of you,
UL
I have quite a few villain ideas, but until I see what they mean exactly by "concept", they're just staying as ideas for now...
I'd imagain they mean the core idea on which the NPC is built, along with his history and the like.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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I have been thinking a little about the concept of my villain for a while, but i haven't really started working on it yet.
I am using a famous local historicial figure as the inspiration for my villain. A very nasty piece of work who once visited my village.
Was he one of your zombie neighbors? :)
Villian concept is too vague. I know what I will be using if I get that far, but as far as fleshing out details and figuring it out, I am just going to wait until the requirements are out. The minute those are out I will hit the ground running.
agreed, but I think some things will work for all villians. Like having the hands of a demon or being a half-dragon. All villains are required* to have a scar which is usually jagged and either cuts from eye to jaw or gives them an elongated and horrific grin. yes, raspy voice is considered a scar. Oh and a dark cloak is required, one with a hood that hides all the face expect for two pinpricks of gold/red/evil. A propensity for monologuing is also important.
*required by villains**, not by PF... O:)
**It's true! It says so on the Villains Guild membership application! see for yourself!: villains dot com.
*grin*
Meh... I think my chances of advancing into Round 2 are minimal enough that it would be stupid to spend any time thinking about the villain just yet. Especially without knowing what the rules are going to be anyway.
Uh...
Which, of course, hasn't stopped me from doing it anyway.
I had an idea for a villain I thought was really unique and flavorful, and after a few days thinking about it it finally hit me that the entire concept was fatally flawed because of one well known class feature I had somehow forgotten about.
So I was all set to come up with something else, except then I realized there was a way to work around that class feature and keep my original concept after all, and actually the changes involved might make it even better...
But then after thinking about it more it occurred to me that maybe this villain wasn't as unique and flavorful as I'd first thought. (Plus, he'd be hard to describe adequately in 500 words... not that we know yet whether that's the word limit this time; I'm just saying...)
Which was also the problem with my wondrous item, frankly, which is why I don't really expect to make it into the top 32.
Still, just in case I miraculously do make it because every other contestant accidentally submitted a 300-word entry or mentioned a class from the PHBII or something, I suppose I'll probably come up with a few different villain concepts (and make tentative writeups of them) so when the rules are announced I can pick whichever one (if any) seems to fit best to adapt. Uh... or at least that's probably what I should do. Whether I do it remains to be seen...
I will admit that I have very firm ideas of my villain and his motivations as rather unusually, my villain was the driving force behind my round 1 submission. They are rather inextricably linked and so I couldn't really enter the first round without having actually got the villain concept idea first.
He, he, just realised that's quite a tease snippet...
I came up with some of my villain ideas back before I even had my item idea mapped out. It helps that I've been planning on starting up a new campaign for my Players and it needs some good, solid, memorable, villains anyway. I've experimented with stat-blocks for them here and there, but... as someone recently said, it's hard to say as yet, what the Paizo sponsors want in a villain this time around, (and startup for my campaign/plot arc won't be for a little while, too.)
That said, the window between making the cut and the deadline for the next round is narrow enough I'm glad I've at least been brainstorming.
Oh and a dark cloak is required, one with a hood that hides all the face expect for two pinpricks of gold/red/evil. A propensity for monologuing is also important.
I believe the cloak must billow and flow on its own, as if by an unseen wind, as well.
Oh and a dark cloak is required, one with a hood that hides all the face expect for two pinpricks of gold/red/evil. A propensity for monologuing is also important.I believe the cloak must billow and flow on its own, as if by an unseen wind, as well.
Actually that is just the kobold standing behind the villian's legs (hidden by his puffy pants) wiggling the cloak around.
I believe the cloak must billow and flow on its own, as if by an unseen wind, as well.
Oh, that's not just for villains. All cloaks do that, apparently. (Well, okay, half of them, anyway.)
I actually started thinking of my villian concept before I thought of my wonderous item. ^^;
I think some things will work for all villians. Like having the hands of a demon or being a half-dragon. All villains are required* to have a scar which is usually jagged and either cuts from eye to jaw or gives them an elongated and horrific grin. yes, raspy voice is considered a scar. Oh and a dark cloak is required, one with a hood that hides all the face expect for two pinpricks of gold/red/evil. A propensity for monologuing is also important.
*required by villains**, not by PF... O:)
**It's true! It says so on the Villains Guild membership application! see for yourself!: villains dot com.
*grin*
Monologuing is especially important.
Hmmmm, based on recent posts...
it looks like the unscarred, not yet able to speak more than a gurgle, 6 month albino half drow little girl with big blue eyes isn't going to work then :)
Hmmmm, based on recent posts...
it looks like the unscarred, not yet able to speak more than a gurgle, 6 month albino half drow little girl with big blue eyes isn't going to work then :)
Maybe if she has a goatee...
I am sorry, but anyone have a good idea of what is going to be asked of us to present. I see that the stat block and the villain concept is separate. I noticed in last years that everyone had like 3 concepts.
Can we get some better details for the next round, or did I miss it?
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2012
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Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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I am sorry, but anyone have a good idea of what is going to be asked of us to present. I see that the stat block and the villain concept is separate. I noticed in last years that everyone had like 3 concepts.
Can we get some better details for the next round, or did I miss it?
That information hasn't been divulged yet. It's all kind of a guess right now, which is why some folks are waiting to work on their villain concepts.
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Chief Technical Officer
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I am sorry, but anyone have a good idea of what is going to be asked of us to present. I see that the stat block and the villain concept is separate. I noticed in last years that everyone had like 3 concepts.
Can we get some better details for the next round, or did I miss it?
Specifics for each challenge will be announced as each round begins.