Hi there!
I want to take part in the Superstar competition for the first time so I carefully read all the relevant rules and advice as well as the FAQ (at least I think so). But I still have a question about a certain design aspect that if asked might give a strong hint which item is mine once I handed it in and thus conflicts with the rules about anonymity.
It's like playing a "Whodunnit?" game and someone asks "Let's assume I was the murder would I be allowed to yadda yadda yadda"
So should I just go with "what's not forbidden is allowed"?
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Star Voter Season 6
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Good question.
It is hard to get advice on specific items on the boards, for the very reasons you cite.
My advice? Read the advice given by Sean and other experts, and do your best. W/o Clark here, I don't know if we'll have a 'Clark critique my item' type thread, but submitting is the only 'real' way to learn. Ask your friends locally to critique and edit your items phrasing, but don't co-design, and just put your best foot forward. Like I always say at work. "This isn't Jeopardy, we don't penalize you for wrong answers." The worse you'll get is a 'sorry, didn't make it' and a bunch of people who are willing to help you see where you went wrong (and right).
I think it was Edison who said (paraphrasing) "I have not failed 100 times, I've found 100 ways that won't work."
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W/o Clark here, I don't know if we'll have a 'Clark critique my item' type thread
I really, REALLY hope that somehow, some way, we do.
Although, having read virtually every possible thread, I think I have a sense of what the judges are going for.
Tangential question: Clark really seemed to be a "strong" judge - by which I mean, he really got knocked over by some stuff and would advocate strongly for it when it happened. Without Clark's presence on the "Supreme Court" of judges, I wonder how things will skew?
...W/o Clark here, I don't know if we'll have a 'Clark critique my item' type thread, but submitting is the only 'real' way to learn.
Normally, I might throw my hat into the ring and volunteer for such a thread. But I'll be under a pretty serious writing deadline during that time and the normal judging responsibilities are about all I can handle. Sean may volunteer for it (or perhaps I just volunteered him? -- Hah, you're welcome, Sean!). But, in all honesty, pretty much every auto-reject stereotype is already being laid out here for you. You also have three (and maybe four) years of "critique my item" threads to peruse. Several of the board regulars and even past Superstar competitors have proven to be up the task of offering very good feedback, as well. And Vic stepped in last year to provide as much insight into the judges' thinking as possible.
So, let's see how things play out. Like Clark indicated in the "Bad Item Stereotypes" thread from 2008, if your item doesn't immediately fall into one of the auto-reject categories, there's a real strong possibility you designed an item that went into the "Keep" pile and got some discussion from the judges. That means you were on the right track. You probably had a "good, but not great" item. Or it just didn't quite have that little extra mojo to really get a judge backing it...even with a "golden ticket," if necessary.
If that turns out to be your situation, do not...I repeat, do NOT...give up! You're close. Perhaps even really close to making it into RPG Superstar. So, stick around and absorb everything you can about the competition. Participate as a voter. Share your feedback with the other designers. Compile every bit of knowledge and insight you can glean from every single round.
You do that and you'll come back stronger than ever, with a much improved chance of making the next Top 32. But, if you crawl back into your shell at the first sign of rejection, well...I'll be brutally honest, that's not what an RPG Superstar would do. So don't be that guy. Be the one that bounces back.
My two-cents,
--Neil
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Star Voter Season 6
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Anyways, can't a previous judge simply answer the question for me in private without breaking any of the other rules? I'm not going to submit item details, just the one, burning question I've got. First time entrant, and I want to do well, but the concept I'm in love with just can't be dismissed because I missed something in the rules. I don't want my odds of being chosen increased, I just want a simple answer, no advice.
"In for a salvo, in for a barrage" I'd say go ahead and submit it. Like I've said elsewhere, I was expecting my bracelet to get shredded, it was a learning experience that just happened to work.
While not a judge, (even if my posts are getting as long as Mr. Spicer's :P) if you really want to you can ask me at The_Livewire at bigfoot dot com. Heck I can't enter this year, so no fears of me swiping your idea :-)
See though, I have a very specific question that I can find no precedent for in any of the other contests nor in the auto-reject categories.
Consider the following things:
1) Sean isn't done posting his auto-reject categories yet. So keep an eye out, just in case he's about to answer your question.
2) You might want to review all three of the prior "Clark, critique my item..." threads just to see if someone else submitted something similar to your item and got rejected for a reason that might not have been an "auto-reject" category...
3) If you still don't land in any of those pitfalls...and you believe your item adheres perfectly to the contest rules and FAQ, you're probably okay.
4) To assure yourself further, seek the advice of other gamers who won't (or can't) submit to the RPG Superstar contest this year. As a former two-time competitor and Top 8 finisher, Matthew isn't eligible anymore. He's got some pretty clear insight based on his prior experience. If I were you, I'd jump at the chance to use him as a sounding board. Not a co-designer, mind you. Just someone who can help you perform one last sanity check.
5) You still have a lot of time. The contest hasn't even started yet. It doesn't officially open its doors until December 3rd. And you'll have practically the entire month of December to submit. So, take the time to dive as deeply into the rules as you can. Do your homework. Both with the Pathfinder Core Rulebook as well as all of the threads here from prior years of the competition. If you still can't discern an answer to your question after that, you've either overreached with your item design...or you're onto the next best thing the contest has ever seen. There's really only one way to find out after that. Demonstrate your Superstar mojo and bring on the awesome-cool idea.
There is the joy of taking a risk and seeing where it gets you, but there is also the miserable chance of the idea you have being auto-rejected simply because of the type of item you chose.
Welcome to the wonderful world of RPG Superstar. And you think you're stressed now? Just imagine what future rounds of the competition will be like. Also, imagine what it was like for the competitors of the prior years, many of whom didn't have this much auto-reject advice spelled out quite so thoroughly for them. Eventually, there's going to come a point where the advice ends and you have to go out on that limb alone. The judges and Paizo have to draw a line somewhere. And that's where an RPG Superstar has to show their own initiative and mojo. That's part of why they're RPG Superstar material...
My two-cents,
--Neil