Paizo doesn't assume the rights to the submissions so that they can intentionally re-print them later; they assume the rights so that if they happen to print an item that is similar to one that was submitted, they can't be sued over it.
Generally with any publisher, unless your contract with them specifies you having rights to your submissions, they acquire ownership whether they use it or not. That's part of the deal. I don't own the material I worked up for 4 Winds Fantasy Gaming, though my name is on the cover of most of their books, which is very nice. However, I was paid for that work and that's my compensation. Contests are different.
From the FAQ:
Who owns my entries in the contest?
All entries in the RPG Superstar contest will become the sole property of Paizo Publishing. If published, reasonable effort will be made to credit the original author.
"Paizo owns it" means "Paizo owns it"- i.e, you don't.
Traditionally, though, they've always allowed contestants to re-post their submitted ideas on the paizo messageboards for criticism, which not everyone does (for instance, I'm pretty sure that all of the ideas submitted to WoTC's setting search- except for Eberron of course- have never seen the light of day).
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
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Thanks, that's excellent news. Is it legal for us to publish our submitted ideas elsewhere, providing Paizo hasn't already published something similar?
Nope. It has been stated in several threads by members of Paizo that one should not submit any material one plans of publishing elsewhere. Sorry.
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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The Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting features some information from the first Superstar (Boomer's monster round comes to mind), but of course, he received credit for it.
Stroke of genius associating those with the Worldwound, I think.
Chief Technical Officer
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The Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting features some information from the first Superstar (Boomer's monster round comes to mind), but of course, he received credit for it.
Stroke of genius associating those with the Worldwound, I think.
We didn't just grab ideas from his entry—we contracted him specifically to write that section. (We actually had all of the Top 4 from the first year contribute material to the Campaign Setting.)
I'm also sure at least one vilain from last year's round made it into cities of Golarion
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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We didn't just grab ideas from his entry—we contracted him specifically to write that section. (We actually had all of the Top 4 from the first year contribute material to the Campaign Setting.)The Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting features some information from the first Superstar (Boomer's monster round comes to mind), but of course, he received credit for it.
Stroke of genius associating those with the Worldwound, I think.
Actually, that one was me. I hadn't really cared that much for Boomer's "3 linked monsters" during the contest, but as I was writing the Worldwound section a few months later (the contest ended in Feb 2008 and we were writing for the Campaign Setting in March and the beginning of April) it kind of came to me in a brainstorm that they were EXACTLY the kind of thing you would find wandering around the desolation after the demon apocalypse happens.
I was talking to Boomer about it later and he loved it, telling me how he was showing that section to his mom, "See, mom, that's my friend Jason hookin a brotha up!" Or something like that... :)
I was talking to Boomer about it later and he loved it, telling me how he was showing that section to his mom, "See, mom, that's my friend Jason hookin a brotha up!" Or something like that... :)
The RPG Superstar brotherhood at work. :-)
::fist-bump::
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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I'm also sure at least one vilain from last year's round made it into cities of Golarion
Actually two villains did, one each from 2008 and 2009:
James Mackenzia's Kaltia, Haunter of the Hills and, of course, the naughtiest bard on the block, Carl Klutzke's Sharina Legendsinger and her Legendary Playhouse by Neil Spicer.
I believe Sean contacted Neil and/or Carl to let them know that I had included Sharina in the Vigil writeup to make sure they were okay with that - yes Paizo does "own" the IP, but just as a matter of courtesy he wanted to run it by them before it went final.
I believe Sean contacted Neil and/or Carl to let them know that I had included Sharina in the Vigil writeup to make sure they were okay with that - yes Paizo does "own" the IP, but just as a matter of courtesy he wanted to run it by them before it went final.
He did. I was cool with it as long as Carl gave it a thumb's up. Sharina is...and always will be...Carl's creation. I just borrowed her for one crazy moment. :-)
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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There's other Superstar stuff in the CS too. One of the "final four" snuck my own Darkblight in to Nirmathas, for example. Real kick when I read it.
Glad you enjoyed! I remember talking about it when we finally met in person at PaizoCon - hey, the Darkblight was just good, good stuff; it would be a shame NOT to use it somewhere. I even used a down-powered version of the arbor mortis, blightspawned fey, and moldering shamblers in my home campaign just recently - the PCs finished Crypt of the Everflame and needed an adventure to tide them over while waiting for the sequel to come out. They were in Nirmathas, so I figured what the heck.
Honestly, I enjoy the idea of "seeding" bits of Superstar into Golarion, not because I'm an uncreative hack who wants to rely on other people's ideas, but because I think there have been some great ideas that are natural fits for some of what Golarion is all about, and I do think it would be a shame for them to just gather dust.
Now, it has to be done with a light hand, and Sean's approach with Sharina was probably correct. I mean, while I think it would be fun to be reading along in a game product and suddenly find a quick reference to something you created in a product, like "hey cool," that's not automatically the case. For every Russ or Neil or Boomer who has gotten a kick out of it, there might be another who says "Dude! Not cool. That was MY thing you just used."
I remember telling Neil that I was gonna try to work one of his entries into something I was writing, and later on he said Sean had emailed him about Sharina, and Neil had directed him to Carl, who was the original creator of the character (and Carl gets his own little shout-out in there, if you know where to look).
... (for instance, I'm pretty sure that all of the ideas submitted to WoTC's setting search- except for Eberron of course- have never seen the light of day).
I remember at least two others published by third parties. Unfortunately I can remember the covers and not the titles, but both advertised as 'finalist in WotC's search' or something like that.
I am glad for a community that encourages such creative sharing as y'all are talking about--the spirit if you will behind RPG Superstar.
[/cheeese]
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games
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So, thinking about this thread made me think back on what other things I might have easter egged at some point from Superstar, so I thought I should make a list. Some, of course, are my own bits and pieces, which seem like they should be fair game. Others are shout-outs to other folks. My memory isn't necessarily exhaustive here, but I think this might be the list. Some of these are just a brief mention in passing (like the leash of the shadowhound, the koloiaq, or the references to Avinash and the Catspaw Marauders), others get a few sentences or even a paragraph.
Jason Nelson
Herne, koloiaq in PF Campaign Setting 101 (Mendev).
Phial of Ebon Flame in End of Eternity 38.
Avinash and the Catspaw Marauders is mentioned in passing in the PF Campaign Setting 249 (NPC writeup for Stricia Zuzulova) and my manuscript turnover for Guide to the River Kingdoms (Lambreth) and gets a few sentences in Cities of Golarion (Vigil) 49.
Clinton Boomer
Kakuen-Taka, Hunger that Moves (bhoga-, meki-, and patal-kantaka) in PF Campaign Setting 150 (Worldwound).
Carl Klutzke
Sharina Legendsinger (link above) in Cities of Golarion 51 (Vigil).
James Mackenzie
Kaltia, Haunter of the Hills (link above) in Cities of Golarion 50 (Vigil).
Leash of the Shadowhound was mentioned in my manuscript for Guide to the River Kingdoms (Lambreth).
Joe Outzen
Kotalya, Mistress of Demonlake in PF Campaign Setting 151 (Worldwound).
Neil Spicer
Legendary Playhouse (link above) in Cities of Golarion 51 (Vigil).
Russ Taylor
Arbor mortis, blightspawned fey, moldering shambler in PF Campaign Setting 113 (Nirmathas).
There might be another out there somewhere, but these are the ones that come to mind. I'm hopeful that anybody whose stuff I've reffed enjoyed it and took it with all of the respect intended, and I know that a certain item by a certain Superstar contestant will be appearing in the Kingmaker adventure path coming up. All I can say is:
RPG Superstar Fist Bump! ::bump::
... (for instance, I'm pretty sure that all of the ideas submitted to WoTC's setting search- except for Eberron of course- have never seen the light of day).I remember at least two others published by third parties. Unfortunately I can remember the covers and not the titles, but both advertised as 'finalist in WotC's search' or something like that.
Really?
I always wanted to know what Rich Burlew (of OoTS fame)'s final submission was. I was under the impression that WoTC owned them and they were never release; maybe I was wrong.
One of those was the Morningstar setting published by Goodman Games. that contest was different. There was a specific exception if you didn't reach the final rounds. Hence why Goodman could get it.
Ahh, so the very finalists (with their ten-or-fifteen page setting bibles) never went anywhere, but those eliminated earlier retained their rights to the setting?
I believe Oathbound was the another setting from that WotC contest.
Ahh, so the very finalists (with their ten-or-fifteen page setting bibles) never went anywhere, but those eliminated earlier retained their rights to the setting?
More likely they paid a token amount to WotC for the rights to publish the runner ups.
Found a link for Morningstar, but still looking for the others. I remember Forge being in the title, and had a viking-esque figure standing on a boat.
Dawnforge from Fantasy Flight Games may be your recollection.Ahh, so the very finalists (with their ten-or-fifteen page setting bibles) never went anywhere, but those eliminated earlier retained their rights to the setting?More likely they paid a token amount to WotC for the rights to publish the runner ups.
Found a link for Morningstar, but still looking for the others. I remember Forge being in the title, and had a viking-esque figure standing on a boat.
Aye, that's the one. I could not find anything but novels on Lilith's Oathbound though.
Oathbound was Bastion Press' world. It had nothing to do with the setting search.
FYI from the book's back cover text "DAWNFORGE was chosen as a semifinalist from more than 10,000 submissions in a worldwide setting search. Explore these pages and find out why!"
Yar, I meant Dawnforge. D'oh!
*leaves cookies in the thread as an apology*
Was Midnight one of the setting rejects? I could have sworn that I heard it was at one point, but my memory is vague. Though according to Wikipedia, it came out a year before Eberron even, so I'm likely completely in the wrong here.
Man, I gotta stop doing finance stuff this late at night. Seeing the title of this thread, I just about jumped out of my chair thinking someone was about to do something foolish in regards to borrowing money . . . .
Time to go to bed!
FYI from the book's back cover text "DAWNFORGE was chosen as a semifinalist from more than 10,000 submissions in a worldwide setting search. Explore these pages and find out why!"Yar, I meant Dawnforge. D'oh!
*leaves cookies in the thread as an apology*
No apologies necessary (but your cookie's are always appreciated. :)
If by reject you mean they earned a few thousand dollars to go the last step, well then I guess so.
I could not find anything official, but yes I think it Midnight was the fourth. It was done by a smaller company and could be produced alot quicker than WotC's committees. I could just be blowing smoke from shadow tainted *** on this though.