The Unofficial Top 32 Guildhall, Local #2010

[Bill Dodds]

Just started Rise of the RuneLords for my Tuesday Night crew. Easing them back into D&D gameplay after a long break from it.
They managed to capture Tsutso and cow him into talking (the 1/2 orc cleric of Gorum rolled a nat 20 on his intimidate check) Now they are exploring the catacombs of wrath.

[Eric Hindley]

Actually cancelled a session last night (Thursday) because of this with my Midnight group. I was supposed to step up with a one-shot as a break for the regular DM, but somehow got busy...

My regular game as DM is a Legacy of Fire game that runs most Monday nights, though not the one coming up, coincidently.

[Benjamin Bruck]

I'm theoretically running Council of Thieves for N'wah, his GF, and our friend, but lately that game has been in limbo due to scheduling conflicts (one person's job switched them to working our game night, and another has babysitter issues that limit availability).

[David Posener]

Dennis Baker wrote:

...The recent KotM contest on KQ makes this even stranger. So a lot of really good ideas are fresh in people's minds.

Now I'm second-guessing whether I really should have submitted the Zaglossus to KOTM or kept my powder dry for this competition. My new monster feels OK, but you never know what's going to capture other people's imaginations.

[Seth White]

Dennis Baker wrote:

Sean McGowan wrote:

So the submissions are in and the second guessing can begin. I'm already convinced I chose the wrong monster to showcase. Anyone else getting neurotic about this already?

That depends, did you submit a half pony half monkey monster?

The recent KotM contest on KQ makes this even stranger. So a lot of really good ideas are fresh in people's minds.

Ha that nearly gave me a heart attack that I might have accidentally submitted a monster that was close to a KQ one. Fortunately, after reading their (very cool) monsters I can breathe a sigh of relief.

[Seth White]

David Posener wrote:

Dennis Baker wrote:

...The recent KotM contest on KQ makes this even stranger. So a lot of really good ideas are fresh in people's minds.

Now I'm second-guessing whether I really should have submitted the Zaglossus to KOTM or kept my powder dry for this competition. My new monster feels OK, but you never know what's going to capture other people's imaginations.

Double congrats! KOTM and RPG Superstar. Very impressive.

[Chris Mortika]

Eric, how do you like Midnight? I ask because there were a couple of campaigns around here that had a very hard time getting off the ground, one of which was run by a fine GM. It might have been the particular players (I don't know) or it might have been the gloomy background of the setting.

I think that, if I ever decided to run a Midnight campaign, I'd ...

Spoiler:

have to play it as something of a bait-and-switch, or a typical Feng Shui plot. The players build characters for Eredan as if it were a typical d20 world, and somewhere in the first adventure they stumble across a broken-down Time Vortex. Two or three levels later, a nasty elven necromancer named Izrador causes some mischief. With the party in hot pursuit, he manages to activate the Vortex, sends himself into the past, and ... welcome to the Dark Age, an artificial history superimposed upon the world. Trying to restore the world to its "correct" history would give the heroes something like hope.

And as for what I'm gaming these days, I'm in a gaming group where everybody takes their turn GMing for 8 - 10 weeks. Right now, a terrific GM named Brian is running a 7th Sea adventure. We are all simple circus performers.

David:

I thought the Zaglossus was a terrific critter, and I was happy to see it over at "King of the Monsters". I think you made the right choice: enter everywhere you can, even if it means being more creative than you'd be otherwise. (Also, I think the Zaglossus is more impressive with the space you had over there. 300 words, and no mechanics, would have made it a trickier sell for RPG Superstar.)

[Richard A. Hunt]

Jim Groves wrote:

Monday evening.. Rise of the Runelords, the second half of Chapter 4, with the Pathfinder Core Rules. On MapTools with voip support through Ventrilo.

Wow! High tech; very cool. Did you have to input the maps yourself? We use HeroLab and I've done a lot of CC2/3 but mapping it's kind of slow.

[Matthew Morris]

Seth White wrote:

That depends, did you submit a half pony half monkey monster?

The recent KotM contest on KQ makes this even stranger. So a lot of really good ideas are fresh in people's minds.

Ha that nearly gave me a heart attack that I might have accidentally submitted a monster that was close to a KQ one. Fortunately, after reading their (very cool) monsters I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm not even looking. I think my critter's unique, but I doubt myself enough as is, I don't need ammo.

[Dennis Baker]

@Richard - I am playing in a home grown campaign... getting our buts kicked by a dragon if I'm not mistaken.

[Erik Randall]

Richard A. Hunt wrote:

Not to change the subject, but I was just wondering if anyone's running any games this weekend. I was also wondering what you guys are running, if I may ask? :)

Not running. Just playing. A friend is running a 3.5 Forgotten Realms game (with some Pathfinder and his own rules rolled in).

[Dennis Baker]

Bill Dodds wrote:

Just started Rise of the RuneLords for my Tuesday Night crew. Easing them back into D&D gameplay after a long break from it.

They managed to capture Tsutso and cow him into talking (the 1/2 orc cleric of Gorum rolled a nat 20 on his intimidate check) Now they are exploring the catacombs of wrath.

Very cool, I am starting a RotRL campaign starting next weekend. I'm quite excited about it and it's interesting seeing the players come up with characters.

[Lief Clennon]

Mine might be slightly overwritten. This particular creature takes well to a few prosaic embellishments and I think I kept it this side of gonzo, but we'll see. :) I tackled the "description or powers?" issue by putting several things in both places, hinting at them descriptively and then making them concrete below... yielding 289 words. Hate being that close to the ceiling. And I've since identified several words that could have just been clipped. :P

There's also a whole separate thing I realize I should have included, but it might not be missed. (Can't say what, of course. Curse you, 3am epiphanies! CURSE YOU!)

[Dennis Baker]

Matthew Morris wrote:

Seth White wrote:

Ha that nearly gave me a heart attack that I might have accidentally submitted a monster that was close to a KQ one. Fortunately, after reading their (very cool) monsters I can breathe a sigh of relief.

I'm not even looking. I think my critter's unique, but I doubt myself enough as is, I don't need ammo.

I looked after I had my concept in. Personally, I am less worried about duplication and more worried about other things... Like will people find it appealing and whether the poison I put in your drinking water will act quickly enough to eliminate you from the field.

[Richard A. Hunt]

Dennis Baker wrote:

@Richard - I am playing in a home grown campaign... getting our buts kicked by a dragon if I'm not mistaken.

You mean you don't KNOW you're getting your butt kicked by a dragon? :)

[Dennis Baker]

Lief Clennon wrote:

Mine might be slightly overwritten. This particular creature takes well to a few prosaic embellishments and I think I kept it this side of gonzo, but we'll see. :) I tackled the "description or powers?" issue by putting several things in both places, hinting at them descriptively and then making them concrete below... yielding 289 words. Hate being that close to the ceiling. And I've since identified several words that could have just been clipped. :P

There's also a whole separate thing I realize I should have included, but it might not be missed. (Can't say what, of course. Curse you, 3am epiphanies! CURSE YOU!)

I don't think I overwrote mine, it's a complex concept and nailing it in 287 characters was tough. I am a little jealous of those of you who got your monsters in early, I didn't have my idea until Wednesday night and even then didn't feel comfortable writing it until Yesterday AM... spent most of the day on and off getting it together. Ideas come slower to some of us I guess.

[Dennis Baker]

Richard A. Hunt wrote:

Dennis Baker wrote:

@Richard - I am playing in a home grown campaign... getting our buts kicked by a dragon if I'm not mistaken.

You mean you don't KNOW you're getting your butt kicked by a dragon? :)

Well I'm not sure, we have a paladin archer along and he can dish out a lot of pain to a dragon in a hurry. We haven't quite found the dragon yet, so I'm not sure how bad it will be and how this will go down.

[Richard A. Hunt]

Luckies! I rarely get to play since I appear to be the only GM for miles around, but I've started a new game using...

Players don't read:

Mad God's Key by Jason Bulmahn

...in ye olde Greyhawk with Sasserine as the base city. It's a very unusual 1st level adventure and a real work of genius.

[Richard A. Hunt]

Dennis Baker wrote:

I don't think I overwrote mine, it's a complex concept and nailing it in 287 characters was tough. I am a little jealous of those of you who got your monsters in early, I didn't have my idea until Wednesday night and even then didn't feel comfortable writing it until Yesterday AM... spent most of the day on and off getting it together. Ideas come slower to some of us I guess.

I brainstormed five ideas on post it notes and picked the one I thought was the best. It still took me until this morning to decide I was good to go. I'll use the other ideas eventually because they're pretty solid too.

Good luck against that hidden dragon! :)

[Seth White]

Lief Clennon wrote:

yielding 289 words. Hate being that close to the ceiling. And I've since identified several words that could have just been clipped. :P

My wondrous item clocked in at 298 and I worked hard to shave off any excessive words. ANd my monster came in at 296. So it looks like I'm improving 2 words a round. :-/

[Benjamin Bruck]

Seth White wrote:

Lief Clennon wrote:

yielding 289 words. Hate being that close to the ceiling. And I've since identified several words that could have just been clipped. :P

My wondrous item clocked in at 298 and I worked hard to shave off any excessive words. ANd my monster came in at 296. So it looks like I'm improving 2 words a round. :-/

Mine started somewhere around 250, and ended up with the final draft at 274, compared with 250 on the button for my item. I hope the next round has a higher limit, or at this rate I'll be disqualified for sure!

[Eric Hindley]

Chris Mortika wrote:

Eric, how do you like Midnight?

We're having a good time, with a very good, mature group. It's very easy to see where it would derail, it seems to work well for us. I think the key is to know when to use the setting at face value (i.e., doom, gloom and hopeless fights) and when to let the PCs actually cut loose and win...

It's really interesting because it contrasts with my usual high-fantasy/steampunk games I run for my players. So I have to have 2 completely different mentalities for these games.

[Matthew Morris]

Y'all are making me paranoid, mine was 239 words.

So my critters are cheeper, let's see if they're shoddily made ;-)

Edit: No gaming group for me, and gods I miss it.

[Jim Groves]

Richard A. Hunt wrote:

Wow! High tech; very cool. Did you have to input the maps yourself? We use HeroLab and I've done a lot of CC2/3 but mapping it's kind of slow.

For the most part, I rip them right ut the AP chapters themselves. Its not hard. Acrobat 8 will lift the maps out of the PDF without the tags. Sometimes I square up the maps a little with GIMP to make sure the gridlines line up with the gridlines on the map (they're not aways square despite how they look to the naked eye).

I do make a few maps myself, but Runelords has a lot of community materials too. I've used those maps as well when there wasn't anything offical.

[Jim Groves]

Lief Clennon wrote:

Mine might be slightly overwritten.

I was at 285, which was better than last round. Probably 150 in description, a couple in the name and the subject headers, and the balance in powers and abilities.

I just don't know. I don't have any technical concerns, but I am uneasy about something. Which obviously I can't articulate. We'll just have to see.

[Eric Hindley]

I think my item weighed in near 145 words, can't remember the official count- I really just looked at it and thought "well, it's not over, and I don't feel like it needs more words..."

[Brian Hoffman]

Mine came in at 300 words on the nose. Which made me damn glad I previewed the post before entering because Paizo's count was three higher than what I got out of Word. Maybe it was counting dashes? Not sure.

I am happy with it in theory. Now I am just all super paranoid that it will turn out to be exactly like some creature I never heard of that appeared in the Tome of Horrors Vol XII, or Episode 92 of Legend of the Seeker or something. Reinventing the wheel would just suck.

[Dennis Baker]

Matthew Morris wrote:

Y'all are making me paranoid, mine was 239 words.

So my critters are cheeper, let's see if they're shoddily made ;-)

Edit: No gaming group for me, and gods I miss it.

My favorite non-me item in this round was very short. Sometimes brevity is good.

[Brian Hoffman]

Matthew Morris wrote:

No gaming group for me, and gods I miss it.

I hear that. We just had a first session Sunday for my first home game (not counting trying to DM a couple of times for the kids) in about two years.

We only got through character creation really, but still, it felt good to be back at a table. With dice. And doughnuts.
(Even if I couldn't touch them because of starting a Biggest Loser challenge at work last week. In fact, I am still not entirely convinced everything in the last seven days hasn't just been some bizarre hunger-induced hallucination I've been having...)

[Eric Hindley]

I think I'm going to take a breather from my current plan (commenting on everyone's items, even if only briefly) and stop for a beer.

It's funny, I looked at it and said: "I could totally make at least some comment on every item tonight."

Boy was I wrong. Trying to read through all 32 of these is way more work than I thought, and trying to find something to say is even harder. I can't imagine judging hundreds of these...

If I didn't get to your item tonight, I'm sorry, I'll be back at it tomorrow...

[Erik Randall]

Eric Hindley wrote:

I think I'm going to take a breather from my current plan (commenting on everyone's items, even if only briefly) and stop for a beer.

It's funny, I looked at it and said: "I could totally make at least some comment on every item tonight."

Boy was I wrong. Trying to read through all 32 of these is way more work than I thought, and trying to find something to say is even harder. I can't imagine judging hundreds of these...

If I didn't get to your item tonight, I'm sorry, I'll be back at it tomorrow...

I hear ya. My eyes start to get fuzzy after just reading a couple of them. Especially after eight hours in front of a computer at work and then posting replies to my own item.

The judges should get an medal for what they've done.

[Dennis Baker]

Erik Randall wrote:

I hear ya. My eyes start to get fuzzy after just reading a couple of them. Especially after eight hours in front of a computer at work and then posting replies to my own item.

The judges should get an medal for what they've done.

I made an effort to say at least something about all your items and by the time I was done I felt drained. I couldn't imagine sorting through 500+ items (many of which were likely bad) and coming up with the 32 best. I have nothing but respect for Clark and crew.

[Benjamin Bruck]

Brian Hoffman wrote:

I am happy with it in theory. Now I am just all super paranoid that it will turn out to be exactly like some creature I never heard of that appeared in the Tome of Horrors Vol XII, or Episode 92 of Legend of the Seeker or something. Reinventing the wheel would just suck.

I've been having the exact same nightmare ever since submitting my entry, here's hoping it doesn't turn out to be the case for either of us!

[Tom Phillips]

Richard A. Hunt wrote:

Not to change the subject, but I was just wondering if anyone's running any games this weekend. I was also wondering what you guys are running, if I may ask? :)

We actually have a game this Sunday afternoon. We're starting up a new campaign, and I get to be a player for the firs time in years. The DM is running a modified version of Savage Tide (nicely Pathfinderized). I'm excited.

My character is...:

is Cumal the Numerian, a Kellid barbarian from the wastes of Numeria. I plan to take a few levels in Rogue as well as the spell-less Ranger class from Kobold Quarterly #11. (Yes, he's very much influenced by Conan of Cimmeria. No, not the movie version of Conan.).

[Seth White]

Richard A. Hunt wrote:

Not to change the subject, but I was just wondering if anyone's running any games this weekend. I was also wondering what you guys are running, if I may ask? :)

My 3.5 group disintegrated about a year ago, and I've been without any 3E since then. I've been playing Mouse Guard, 4E, and Dread, but none of those are the same. I really would love to get into a 3E homebrew or Pathfinder game, either to play or GM. Maybe I'll start looking in a few months when work isn't so crazy.

The Midnight campaign sounds awesome. I've always wanted to play or GM that setting. I ran part of the Savage Tide path (set in Eberron) a little while back and really enjoyed that. I've never played in the Pathfinder setting, but it looks really cool, and that's not just kissing up.

[Stephen Sheahan]

Dennis Baker wrote:

Gary said they have 36 entries submitted... unless something is seriously wrong that means the alternates are probably out. Sorry guys.

Good to know they got all of them - i thought my submission went through properly but my stomach was starting to churn with worry that it f'd up somehow when i got no confirmation email.

I feel a bit better now. Losing out because my design didn't make the cut would suck - but never knowing if it would have because the submission didn't get through would haunt me for years.

[Bill Dodds]

So are they going to post the monsters on Monday for people to peruse before opening the voting booths on Tuesday? Pardon my ignorance, but this is my first year following/participating in this contest..

[Sean McGowan]

Bill Dodds wrote:

So are they going to post the monsters on Monday for people to peruse before opening the voting booths on Tuesday? Pardon my ignorance, but this is my first year following/participating in this contest..

There's no ignorance at all to pardon; how are you supposed to know otherwise? Nope, the voting booths and the monster entries are opened at the same time. Since there's nearly a full week to vote,there's plenty of time for discussion along the way. And since people can change their votes up until the last minute, there's still plenty of room for someone voting at 5:01 PM Tuesday and being convinced by an item advocate to alter their votes later on.

[Dennis Baker]

Bill Dodds wrote:

So are they going to post the monsters on Monday for people to peruse before opening the voting booths on Tuesday? Pardon my ignorance, but this is my first year following/participating in this contest..

To be honest I didn't pay enough attention to the contest last year so I am not entirely sure. From what I recall the voting form is up when they put the monsters up. The delay is so the judges can post their critiques of the monsters.

My feeling is the judges critiques will make or break most of us. It's going to be an uphill battle if Sean or Clark pans your item.

[Bill Dodds]

I know I just need to have patience, but I am just abuzz wanting to get feedback on my beastie. I also am kicking myself over my Wonderous Item because I did not take the time to read the previous year's entries. I submitted it the first day of the open submission, and really wish I had taken more time with it.

Primarily because the major power(s) of the item are spellsinnacan and I failed to list the spell requisites in alphabetical order. I am pretty sure those two things kept me out of the top 32. My saving grace was probably my flavor text.

I really wish i could see the judges comments on my item and/or monster.

You know, most of you 32'ers are damn nice. I feel guilty hoping someone screwed up enough to let me get a chance at moving on. :P

[Matthew Morris]

I plan to read the initial comments of the judges, brace to find out my <redacted> appeared in book XX that I read years ago or never heard of, and Clark to not recommend for advancement.

Then I'll read all of yours to see how bad mine sucked. Then I'll vote, stay out of the threads until the results are announced and mourrn my passing.

Edit: Then I'll post my stats for the <redacted>.

[Benjamin Bruck]

Seth White wrote:

...I've been playing Mouse Guard...

Hey! Someone else who's played Mouse Guard! What do you think of it?

[Brian Hoffman]

Matthew Morris wrote:

I plan to read the initial comments of the judges, brace to find out my <redacted> appeared in book XX that I read years ago or never heard of, and Clark to not recommend for advancement.

Then I'll read all of yours to see how bad mine sucked. Then I'll vote, stay out of the threads until the results are announced and mourrn my passing.

Edit: Then I'll post my stats for the <redacted>.

Don't forget the random "Thank you sir, may I have another?" posts on the thread through the week...

[Seth White]

Bill Dodds wrote:

I know I just need to have patience, but I am just abuzz wanting to get feedback on my beastie. I also am kicking myself over my Wonderous Item because I did not take the time to read the previous year's entries. I submitted it the first day of the open submission, and really wish I had taken more time with it.

Primarily because the major power(s) of the item are spellsinnacan and I failed to list the spell requisites in alphabetical order. I am pretty sure those two things kept me out of the top 32. My saving grace was probably my flavor text.

I really wish i could see the judges comments on my item and/or monster.

You know, most of you 32'ers are damn nice. I feel guilty hoping someone screwed up enough to let me get a chance at moving on. :P

That must be a really tough spot to be in. I really feel for you guys being stuck in limbo like this, unable to advance on their own merit-only if one of us screws up.

What I've taken from this contest, and what I think any of us can take -- alternate, top 32, top 16, top 8, etc, is to continue to write and design, enter these contests, and pitch ideas to rpg publishers. Getting this far has given me a lot of confidence that I can go on from here and see some of my stuff published. I never would have thought that before. And whether I net out at #32, #17, #9, or whatever, out of about a thousand (or so, as estimated by people), I feel pretty good about that.

I'm still crossing my fingers that I can progress to the next round, but I'm also confident that no matter what, after this contest is done I'll be sending in another item next year, and send in a pitch to KQ or something in the meantime, maybe an ecology article or something. So it's kind of a no-lose, even if I don't progress to round 3.

[Seth White]

Benjamin Bruck wrote:

Seth White wrote:

...I've been playing Mouse Guard...

Hey! Someone else who's played Mouse Guard! What do you think of it?

I really love Mouse Guard. In fact I just got my books signed by Dave Peterson at the Chicago Comic Con this summer.

I think it's a great, simple game that is really well-designed, fun, and perfectly matches the flavor of the comics. I played Burning Wheel before, and I love how they streamlined the design when they did Mouse Guard.

My character right now is a tenderpaw named Schooner who uses a hook and line and lots of boat-related skills. It's prob my favorite rpg for pick-up games (no offense, D&D 3E).

[Brian Hoffman]

Seth White wrote:

Bill Dodds wrote:

You know, most of you 32'ers are damn nice. I feel guilty hoping someone screwed up enough to let me get a chance at moving on. :P

That must be a really tough spot to be in. I really feel for you guys being stuck in limbo like this, unable to advance on their own merit-only if one of us screws up.

What I've taken from this contest, and what I think any of us can take -- alternate, top 32, top 16, top 8, etc, is to continue to write and design, enter these contests, and pitch ideas to rpg publishers. Getting this far has given me a lot of confidence that I can go on from here and see some of my stuff published. I never would have thought that before. And whether I net out at #32, #17, #9, or whatever, out of about a thousand (or so, as estimated by people), I feel pretty good about that.

I'm still crossing my fingers that I can progress to the next round, but I'm also confident that no matter what, after this contest is done I'll be sending in another item next year, and send in a pitch to KQ or something in the meantime, maybe an ecology article or something. So it's kind of a no-lose, even if I don't progress to round 3.

Agreed. And while the urge to tell the occasional commenter to go stick their head in a pig seems powerful (and will just get worse as time goes on I suspect), the level of support from the community at large, and especially other contestants is quite gratifying. Which makes it that much more guilt-ridden to be hoping more-or-less for the destruction of others in order to be able to move on with the competition. And for all the stress and worrying, I need to step back and tell myself that for all that, the stress must be even worse for one of the contest alternates.

Either way though, it is a -huge- confidence booster. And Maybe the push I need to get off my tuckus and start trying to submit things to places for real...

[Seth White]

Matthew Morris wrote:

I plan to read the initial comments of the judges, brace to find out my <redacted> appeared in book XX that I read years ago or never heard of, and Clark to not recommend for advancement.

Then I'll read all of yours to see how bad mine sucked. Then I'll vote, stay out of the threads until the results are announced and mourrn my passing.

Edit: Then I'll post my stats for the <redacted>.

Oh no! I made a <redacted> too! What were the odds of that happening!

[Seth White]

Brian Hoffman wrote:

Agreed. And while the urge to tell the occasional commenter to go stick their head in a pig seems powerful (and will just get worse as time goes on I suspect)...

Especially certain commenters who will remain unmentioned.

I agree though that overall the community is great- eps the other competitors and the judges.

[Benjamin Bruck]

Seth White wrote:

I really love Mouse Guard. In fact I just got my books signed by Dave Peterson at the Chicago Comic Con this summer.

Lucky!

Seth White wrote:

I think it's a great, simple game that is really well-designed, fun, and perfectly matches the flavor of the comics. I played Burning Wheel before, and I love how they streamlined the design when they did Mouse Guard.

I totally agree on all counts. I love Love LOVE the conflict system, so much fun to use. I've been planning, the next time I run a 4e game, to sub in Conflicts for Skill Challenges.

Mouse Guard was actually my first contact with the whole Burning Wheel setup (Mouse Guard caught my eye as I was a fan of the comic), so when I later saw BW in it's full, un-streamlined form, it kind of exploded my head. But then I sat down and made a couple dozen characters with the online lifepath browser just for fun. :D

Seth White wrote:

My character right now is a tenderpaw named Schooner who uses a hook and line and lots of boat-related skills. It's prob my favorite rpg for pick-up games (no offense, D&D 3E).

Hook and line is my favorite weapon, almost purely due to to the fight with the crabs in Fall 1152.

[Erik Randall]

Seth White wrote:

Matthew Morris wrote:

I plan to read the initial comments of the judges, brace to find out my <redacted> appeared in book XX that I read years ago or never heard of, and Clark to not recommend for advancement.

Then I'll read all of yours to see how bad mine sucked. Then I'll vote, stay out of the threads until the results are announced and mourrn my passing.

Edit: Then I'll post my stats for the <redacted>.

Oh no! I made a <redacted> too! What were the odds of that happening!

I made a Greater <redacted>! Now it's going to look derivative. Everyone will think it's just an advanced <redacted> instead.

I knew I should have entered my <censored> instead.