Dear god (which ever one listens) there's still 11 days left.

[Gideon Black]

I doubt it's only me, but it's killing me waiting to wait another 11 days. I think the waiting is worst, then if I get rejected from the top 32. Anyone second me on this?

[Steven Helt]

I just try to keep busy working on the round I know about. And trying to develop something for the rounds I don't without spinning my wheels too much. Oh, plus there's work and my four kids. I hate the waiting,, too, especially since I felt like I had pretty good items and never made the cut. SO am I wasting time developing this stuff?

Nah. I'll send it to soeone's slush pile, or get a site and try my hand at the pdf thing. But I'd rather make the cut. So I wait.

Back to designing my villain.

[Steven Helt]

Oh...I don't want to be pointed, but I gotta be me. My God listens. I am not sure He's all that concerned about a writing contest, but He might be for one of us! : }

[Urizen]

Steven T. Helt wrote:

Back to designing my villain.

Spoiler:

any chance he's being molded after anyone from the Conversative v. Liberal OTD? :P

[Drakli]

Steven T. Helt wrote:

I just try to keep busy working on the round I know about. *snip*

Back to designing my villain.

Wait, what's next round? The chart still says Secret Challenge to me.

[Neil Spicer]

Drakli wrote:

Wait, what's next round? The chart still says Secret Challenge to me.

Dude! You're way behind! The secret challenge for the second round requires the contestants to...

Spoiler:

EXPLOSIVE RUNES!

[Paul Watson]

NSpicer wrote:

Drakli wrote:

Wait, what's next round? The chart still says Secret Challenge to me.

Dude! You're way behind! The secret challenge for the second round requires the contestants to...

** spoiler omitted **

*brushes off soot* Well played, sir. Well played.

[Calixymenthillian]

NSpicer wrote:

Drakli wrote:

Wait, what's next round? The chart still says Secret Challenge to me.

Dude! You're way behind! The secret challenge for the second round requires the contestants to...

** spoiler omitted **

Gah! I knew what was coming, but I just couldn't help myself!

[Carl Flaherty]

Gideon Black wrote:

I doubt it's only me, but it's killing me waiting to wait another 11 days. I think the waiting is worst, then if I get rejected from the top 32. Anyone second me on this?

Well, since some guesses can be made from Mr. Spicer's earlier comments, we can spend this time constructively by working out our villain, our location, our new minion/creature, and our adventure outline.

And ... if worse comes to worse, we can adapt our adventure idea for Mr. Frost "Open Call." :)

Spoiler:

... unless we have been killed by Neil's EXPLOSIVE RUNES spell. :(

[Draeke Raefel]

Well, we know there is going to be an adventure idea round. It is the only other confirmed round.

[FireHawk]

Lord Fyre wrote:

Well, since some guesses can be made from Mr. Spicer's earlier comments, we can spend this time constructively by working out our villain, our location, our new minion/creature, and our adventure outline.

Hey thanks for posting that link must have failed my comprehension test the first time I read that.

[Danny Lundy]

NSpicer wrote:

Dude! You're way behind! The secret challenge for the second round requires the contestants to...

** spoiler omitted **

"I'd like to disable the . . ** spoiler omitted **"

<die roll>

"Dang IT!!! That's going to leave a mark!!"

[Xaaon of Korvosa]

Explosive runes wear down my teeth...

Yeah, the waiting is wearisome.

[Trevor Gulliver]

You could also catch up or get ahead on other work you need to do and regenerate your creative juices by reading and viewing people new fantasy.

[Drakli]

NSpicer wrote:

Dude! You're way behind! The secret challenge for the second round requires the contestants to...

Cool, thanks, I'll just open this up and look insi-

ASPLODED RUNES!

*holds up a little sign that reads,* -Can someone help me find my head?-

[LazarX]

All of the gods do listen...

Most of them just laugh though.

[Matthew Morris]

Well after another panicked 3 day hosptial stay for the roommate, waiting 11 more days is a cakewalk.

That and I just finished Steppe, and want to play Battletech.

Edit: That said, I've decided to stick with what I know for my villian:

Spoiler:

I've two ex-wives after all

[Gideon Black]

Well I don't have any ex-wives to use as inspiration. But I do have a sister that a lot of people say could scare a tribe of ogres by sheer presence alone.

[Zachary Hensley]

I have a very easy way of handling any latent anxiety. I've just convinced myself that there's no way my item is good enough to make the Top 32, thus, I have no chance of making it. :)

[Steven Helt]

Urizen wrote:

Steven T. Helt wrote:

Back to designing my villain.

I'll be honest (or is that 'let me be clear'), I have no trouble coming up with villains. I don't often look to real-world analogs for anything I do. Usually, my villains come from some black hole in my soul, and a few stats and a Dream Theater reference and I am good to go.

However, I have considered a demagogue politician as a villain before, and you might connect that to the 'what conservatives believe' post. If I go with my current villain idea, that would be an analog of a different person active in politics and economics that I completely abhor, except I created this villain initially as a potential PC long before I knew much about this person.

So, if there's a villain round and I make it, don't not vote for me because you didin't like who I picked on. My villain came first. : }

[Steven Helt]

NSpicer wrote:

Drakli wrote:

Wait, what's next round? The chart still says Secret Challenge to me.

Dude! You're way behind! The secret challenge for the second round requires the contestants to...

** spoiler omitted **

Neil - I am embarrassed to say I didn't even see that coming. That's what I get for posting during work instead of with my gamer hat on.

Well done.

[Urizen]

Steven T. Helt wrote:

I'll be honest (or is that 'let me be clear'), I have no trouble coming up with villains. I don't often look to real-world analogs for anything I do. Usually, my villains come from some black hole in my soul, and a few stats and a Dream Theater reference and I am good to go.

However, I have considered a demagogue politician as a villain before, and you might connect that to the 'what conservatives believe' post. If I go with my current villain idea, that would be an analog of a different person active in politics and economics that I completely abhor, except I created this villain initially as a potential PC long before I knew much about this person.

So, if there's a villain round and I make it, don't not vote for me because you didin't like who I picked on. My villain came first. : }

I assure you good sir, my post was surely in jest. Any resemblances between your villain and any real life personality is merely coincidental and only a work of fiction from the author's overactive imagination. :P

[Telhuine]

Hopefully Clark can find the time to critique our items after the first round. Can another judge or Paizo employee volunteer to provide grief counseling? Or at least a beer?

[varianor]

Instead of being anxious folks, why not brainstorm what's coming in next year's RPG Superstar? We have about as good odds of actually knowing....

[Mr. Quick]

Gideon Black wrote:

I doubt it's only me, but it's killing me waiting to wait another 11 days. I think the waiting is worst, then if I get rejected from the top 32. Anyone second me on this?

actually, i'm enjoying the peace and quiet.

[Adam Daigle]

If you’ve found a particular liking for this kind of thing, why not spend this time getting some other material together and pitching it to publishers that are accepting submissions? Maybe join a patronage project and get your voice and ideas out there with others working toward a project? If nothing else, spend the time practicing. Write a little bit every day and keep yourself honed.

[Koldoon]

what Daigle said +1

When I first started writing I would despair waiting for responses from the Black Hole that was the Dungeon and Dragon magazine slushpile.

Don't just wait... there's reasons for this... if you get rejected, then what? If you don't have anything else in progress or out waiting for a response then you can become frozen. But if there is something else out there the rejection doesn't feel so much like the end of the world... you still are waiting for another response, or you have another project in progress to mitigate the loss of the rejection.

[Mr. Quick]

Koldoon wrote:

... or you have another project in progress to mitigate the loss of the rejection.

I spend my spare time causing chaos on fark.com under the name of 'Weaver95'.

[Berik]

I actually quite like the waiting period, it allows a chance to daydream while getting on with other things. :)

I'm not worrying too much about what may or may not come in later rounds if I was fortunate enough to somehow make my way in. The main thing is that being part of the process has made me excited to do more, so I've been writing various things for fun whenever I get a bit of free time.

[Nicolas Quimby]

Yea, rather than just chew my fingernails for two weeks I've been trying to warm up by working on some non-RPG-Superstar-relate RPG stuff. Which will be nice to have even if, like most entrants, I don't make it into the top 32.

(Though, it's not like coming up with awesome ideas for encounters or villains or even whole adventures is a bad thing either, contest or no)

[JaredSmith113]

Adam Daigle wrote:

Maybe join a patronage project and get your voice and ideas out there with others working toward a project?

Gah, that's what I've done! I joined 3 patronage projects over the last week. It's like some sort of Paizonian scheme to make me support the growth of the industry!

Great fun so far though. Even just the little bit of creative back and forth and a few compliments make me more riled up to create more. Plus interesting to see how many names from these boards I recognize on patronage projects already!

[Todd Stewart]

Well I'm waiting all excited-like for a friend who's in the running this year, but I'm also newly moved into my new house, so I have many many things clamoring for my attention (like mountains of boxes in the living room, and kitchen, and den).

Once the top 32 are announced it's going to be fun watching things develop, and by then hopefully I can relax from moving in. :)

[Fuelharp]

Gideon Black wrote:

I doubt it's only me, but it's killing me waiting to wait another 11 days. I think the waiting is worst, then if I get rejected from the top 32. Anyone second me on this?

I already know mine will be rejected, if I'd waited 2 weeks I'd have come up with something better. After reading Clarks posts it's rather apparent that if simply removed any flavor references, which would have chopped mine down to 180 words, I think mine would be a decent contender, although I think mines well written and probably a little off on the gp value.

but hey, you never know, you might just get in, so chin up, and go play an MMO, drown your sorrows in pixelated cleavage.

[Nicolas Quimby]

Fuelharp wrote:

drown your sorrows in pixelated cleavage.

Hear hear!

[Mr. Quick]

Todd Stewart wrote:

Once the top 32 are announced it's going to be fun watching things develop, and by then hopefully I can relax from moving in. :)

Indeed. Even if my entry doesn't make it past the first cut, I'll be watching the remaining rounds with interest.

[Steven Helt]

This contest is as much fun to watch and kibitz as it is to compete. Else I would have finally started drinking two years ago. : }

[Sean McGowan]

Steven T. Helt wrote:

This contest is as much fun to watch and kibitz as it is to compete. Else I would have finally started drinking two years ago. : }

You speak as though watching & kibitzing is mutually exclusive with drinking, sir. I myself find a nice tall g&t to be a lovely accessory when I'm in the mood for commenting. (Or, perhaps, not so much an accessory as a vehicle that puts me in the mood...)

[Tegresin the Laughing Fiend]

Fuelharp wrote:

drown your sorrows in pixelated cleavage.

*grin* Why settle for pixelated?

[Lief Clennon]

Mr. Quick wrote:

I spend my spare time causing chaos on fark.com

Ooh yeah, let's play narcissistic delusion mad libs! I spend my spare time causing...

the sun to rise each day

government corruption

Popes to be Catholic

photosynthesis in plants

chaos on fark.com

nerdy teens to drink Mountain Dew

Canada, but I'm not sure why

Tegresin the Laughing Fiend wrote:

Fuelharp wrote:

drown your sorrows in pixelated cleavage.

*grin* Why settle for pixelated?

"Settle?"

[CuttinCurt]

I bought a couple bottles of wine for the top 32 announcement day. What is great about that is I can...

a) Drink in celebration for making the top 32. or...

b) Drink and wallow in my dissapointment.

Either way I am set and that makes me excited.

[Mike Welham]

I have an appointment with my therapist at the exact time of the announcement. I have a feeling I'll be talking about my anxiety about the announcement.

[Carl Flaherty]

taig wrote:

I have an appointment with my therapist at the exact time of the announcement. I have a feeling I'll be talking about my anxiety about the announcement.

And the men in white coats will put your jacket (with the really long arms) back on you and take you back to your upholstered room.

[Steven Helt]

DankeSean wrote:

Steven T. Helt wrote:

This contest is as much fun to watch and kibitz as it is to compete. Else I would have finally started drinking two years ago. : }

You speak as though watching & kibitzing is mutually exclusive with drinking, sir. I myself find a nice tall g&t to be a lovely accessory when I'm in the mood for commenting. (Or, perhaps, not so much an accessory as a vehicle that puts me in the mood...)

Hopefully if I make the cut, critiquing my entries won't require drinking!

Not that I am much of an advocate for drinking, but a Superstar drinking game is a funny concept. When would you drink?

- When someone writes in passive voice?

- When someone's villain is not a villain?

[Steven Helt]

tejón wrote:

Tegresin the Laughing Fiend wrote:

Fuelharp wrote:

drown your sorrows in pixelated cleavage.

*grin* Why settle for pixelated?

"Settle?"

I prefer my cleavage in 3-D. Without glasses.

Spoiler:

There's some joke in there about the glasses being half full, but I can't quite land it...

[Whitman]

Steven T. Helt wrote:

Not that I am much of an advocate for drinking, but a Superstar drinking game is a funny concept. When would you drink?

- When someone writes in passive voice?

- When someone's villain is not a villain?

When someone writes back story?

When someone uses a lousy name?

[Sean McGowan]

Whitman wrote:

Steven T. Helt wrote:

Not that I am much of an advocate for drinking, but a Superstar drinking game is a funny concept. When would you drink?

- When someone writes in passive voice?

- When someone's villain is not a villain?

When someone writes back story?

When someone uses a lousy name?

-when someone submits a female villain/npc entry and spends half their word count talking about how hot she is.

-when Clark enters one of his occasional 'I am so disappointed in this entry that I have almost nothing to say' moods.

[Whitman]

DankeSean wrote:

-when someone submits a female villain/npc entry and spends half their word count talking about how hot she is.

God, yeah. That's a whole yard of ale.

[Jeff Spencer]

When they use an en-dash instead of an em-dash. I hate it when that happens :-) And so does James, iirc

[Eric Morton]

DankeSean wrote:

Whitman wrote:

Steven T. Helt wrote:

Not that I am much of an advocate for drinking, but a Superstar drinking game is a funny concept. When would you drink?

- When someone writes in passive voice?

- When someone's villain is not a villain?

When someone writes back story?

When someone uses a lousy name?

-when someone submits a female villain/npc entry and spends half their word count talking about how hot she is.

-when Clark enters one of his occasional 'I am so disappointed in this entry that I have almost nothing to say' moods.

-When Clark mentions the migrus. (Drink twice if he uses it as a yardstick against which this year's entries can't possibly compare.)

-When anyone mentions the word, "gonzo." (Drink twice if they mention Clinton Boomer in the same post.)

[Mike Speck]

Epic Meepo wrote:

-When anyone mentions the word, "gonzo." (Drink twice if they mention Clinton Boomer in the same post.)

And mix in a full can of Mountain Dew besides.