I figure, either I can come up with an item that catches the interest of the judges, or I can't. After all, the whole point of this (for me) is essentially to determine whether I'm capable of writing stuff for Paizo.
This year I had the same thought. I didn't have anyone else check mine or give an opinion on it. Either I can submit work at the level that Paizo expects of its freelancers or I cannot. I certainly don't begrudge others who use their support network to maximize the quality of their product, but for me it was important to see what I could do in this round.
Oh, no no no no no no no NO!
I knew that preview button was too close to the submi button... I was still doing revisions... oh well... I like the version that went off well enough, and nothing ever gets perfect, so I suppose it's a time to be happy that I did send it before the deadline and fret about all the mistakes I did not get to correct at a more leisurely pace... ah well... done is done, and while not doing my ultimate best upsets me, I feel more relaxed than I have for a month now...
Good luck everyone, and thanks for entering this awesome contest so I can trust that whoever wins will deserve it.
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
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Oh, no no no no no no no NO!
You know, I tied myself in knots over this every time I checked my word count. I finally took pity on my blood pressure and sent it in, but you have my deepest sympathy. And you never know, there's some post around here somewhere about not over designing. Good luck anyway.
Man, clicking the submit button was unfathomably difficult, but now that it's in and I have no more power to change it, I'm far less stressed about it now. Naturally, I hope I did well, but I'm also really curious to see what everyone else came up with...!
Good luck everyone!
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Champion Voter Season 6, Champion Voter Season 7, Champion Voter Season 8, Champion Voter Season 9
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I knew that preview button was too close to the submi button... I was still doing revisions... oh well... I like the version that went off well enough, and nothing ever gets perfect, ...
Same happened to me. My items wording and count had been bothering me for a couple days. I figured out how to rewrite half of it while watching from a guard tower as shepard beat goats with a stick. And the second half came to me while waiting to get through a checkpoint. I think lack of sleep tricked my brain into hitting the submit before I had fully made all changes though.
I should have waited another day, but I couldn't fall asleep until I had all the changes done. And I was too lazy to write in a word processor and just used the entry page. D'OH!!!
EDIT: Much thanks to the Pathfinder folks for posting the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document online. I don't have most my books with me and it has been a lifesaver!
This year I had the same thought. I didn't have anyone else check mine or give an opinion on it. Either I can submit work at the level that Paizo expects of its freelancers or I cannot. I certainly don't begrudge others who use their support network to maximize the quality of their product, but for me it was important to see what I could do in this round.I figure, either I can come up with an item that catches the interest of the judges, or I can't. After all, the whole point of this (for me) is essentially to determine whether I'm capable of writing stuff for Paizo.
I have a wonderful group of friends who all love gaming, but for some reason are just not interested in providing me any real feed back in this process. Many are players who don't really care about the nuances of game balance and item creation. Others are hard-core 2E players who just play PF with me because I insist on it :) The two most likely friends to put the effort forwards are too busy (one just got back from Afghanistan so I can't blame him).
In the end, though, I am confident that I did my best. Even if they have gone over the minutia with me I don't think it would make me a better writer, just show that I have a good support network. If my item makes it, then I'll have to work just as hard on the next contest.
Still, I'd love to have a few folks on here I can toss my designs to and get their input.
Ken
Chief Technical Officer
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Ryan has brought a new phrase into judging parlance: "Failure to stop designing in time." That is, the item starts out strong, and then keeps going, and ends up going too far.That soooo sounds like something that I probably did.
How do you draw that line?
I'd say there are generally only two answers to that—instinct and experience. And in the context of this contest, it's likely going to have to be instinct.
When I studied Architecture in college, we had a saying:
How do you know when you've gone far enough?
Go until you've gone too far, and then pull it back.
I submitted a few weeks ago, and then sort of checked out of the whole RPG scene for a while. I think it was a good move. I'm feeling confident about future rounds, even started in on my round 5, which you may not see this year, but I'm gonna write it and run it for my group anyways because I think its a great idea. And unless they change round 5 in future years it'll be one less thing I need to worry about then. Now for the crushing agony my waiting until mid-January :(
...When I studied Architecture in college, we had a saying:
How do you know when you've gone far enough?
Go until you've gone too far, and then pull it back.
"Only those who risk going too far, find out how far they can go." - Dr. Walter Bishop
Should we be worried Vic is going to open destructive rifts into parallel worlds? :)
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I had two ideas ready before this year's contest started, but I wasn't 100% sold on either. So I held off entering. While marinating on those two, I got a new idea for something I'd never remotely considered before... between initial spark --> dozens of re-writes & tweaks --> final submission was only 4 days. It seemed as close to perfect as it ever was going to get, so off it was submitted before I could get cold feet.
I have a kernel for a new archetype (two actually, depending on the full rules for Round 2), but I'm afraid of doing any work on it for fear of jinxing the Round 1 results. I honestly don't expect to make the Round 1 cut either, simply from the sheer amount of amazing talent entering this year, but who knows... stranger things have happened.
I think there's two aspects to a submitted item, both important:
1. The technical ability to follow the rules and create something useful, interesting, and appropriate.
2. What an item indicates of your potential. This is more important than #1. Not that #1 is unimportant - it is important - but if your item doesn't indicate you have the capability to do great things, it won't matter how good you are at #1.
The judges will be willing to bend a little bit on #1, but just a little, and only in the areas subject to interpretation. Break any of the actual rules outright and it won't matter how awesome your item is. 301 words is 301 words. A spell from Spell Compendium would break copyright. A dancing sword of dastardly deduction is a weapon.
It's been said before - people at Paizo will have to actually work with the top 4 winners - so I bet they're looking to not choose someone who will be a nightmare to work with.
I can tell you that each judge kind of brings their own philosophy to reviewing these items. We share many of the same elements in what we're looking for...but we weigh each one differently.
For me, for instance, as analytical as I am, I look at three different categories and assess each one.
- Creativity
- Mechanics
- Presentation
I have sub-categories within those big three of the stuff that makes each item standout from the pack. And I don't necessarily weight them in any particular order. But, first and foremost, I think it's important to write well. Then, you need some creative spark. And then you need to have your mechanics and rules-fu down. As Josh Frost used to say, I can teach you the rules of the game, but I can't teach you to write. And I would add that you can't always teach creativity, either.
Regardless, all three of these things are important. And items have been bounced for failing pretty badly in any of those categories...or multiple categories. And that's in addition to the auto-rejects and outright "failed to meet the rules of the contest" items.
Sent mine in earlier today. Holding breath. May be slightly blue by Jan. 19th.
Sent mine in earlier today. Holding breath. May be slightly blue by Jan. 19th.
18th, man. You wait till the 19th and you'll be behind on round 2!
Sent mine in earlier today. Holding breath. May be slightly blue by Jan. 19th.18th, man. You wait till the 19th and you'll be behind on round 2!
Shhhh! You're spoiling my scheme to weed out the inattentives!
...Apparently the contest milestone dates are written adjusted for timezone. I start my rounds at midnight...
Well, if they don't like it, they'll hate it.
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 found it odd that despite the fact that I edited and edited my entry, when I previewed it, I found yet more minor tweaks to make, and went through a few more rounds of editing at that point. I think the different visual look of seeing it as a message board post rather than a word doc let me read it differently and see things I missed in Word. But, glad it's in, and can't wait to read the top 32 (unless I'm in it, then I'll have to find the time later!)
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
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I think the biggest mistake I made with it was trying to do too much with one item, and by doing so I ended up metagaming. By trying to make it applicable to all animals that come from all classes, it just stopped making good sense.Ryan has brought a new phrase into judging parlance: "Failure to stop designing in time." That is, the item starts out strong, and then keeps going, and ends up going too far.
I might well have done this. The reasons to push just a bit further than I might do in a different context seemed good for the last few days, though.
I'm just glad to have it submitted.. Stress gone.
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 won't say when I entered, but I will say I was reading over my item tonight and checking to make sure my entry was received, and I feel pretty good about it. Having said that, I felt pretty good about the other three and I'm still on the schneid.
Working on my killer archetype. I hope.
Click!
Submitted. Good luck everyone.. cannot wait to read the 32!
Submitted. Almost didn't throw one in this year - had two ideas that just never took off and seemed kinda lackluster every time I tried to rehash them. An idea struck me toward the end of the submission window, though, and I ran with it. Here's hoping!
It was a lot harder to hit submit this year than it was last year. But, it's in and I'm happy with it.
This is my favorite time of the year. Good luck to all.
TM
Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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I submitted this year for the first time, and after having stress dreams about it in the nights leading up to the posting, I am glad it is behind me. I look forward to seeing the Top 32, last years items were pretty intruiging, and I am sure this year they will be even more so. Good luck all. I suppose now I should press on with a positive attitude and start on my phase 2 ideas.
And I'm in. Now to work on the archetype.
The entries have been coming in steadily since day one, but there are clearly a ton of people who spent the whole month working on their item, as entries have really picked up since the weekend. I hope to see many more in the next two days, too!
I know not to expect any hard numbers, but I'm very much looking forward to reading the impressions of the judges and organizers of the turnout this year. I may be off base here, but it feels as though the contest is advancing to a new level, in popularity and in professionalism. I'd love to get a sense of how that looks to the slushreaders who get to see it all...
...I'm very much looking forward to reading the impressions of the judges and organizers of the turnout this year. I may be off base here, but it feels as though the contest is advancing to a new level, in popularity and in professionalism. I'd love to get a sense of how that looks to the slushreaders who get to see it all...
I can't speak for the other judges, but I can say that I think the overall quality continues to go up. And the enthusiasm, too. You can see it in the attention to detail and the push to be innovative and eye-catching.
I think prior years of seeing what this contest is all about is starting to pay off for folks as they take inspiration and learn from the examples of the past (as well as the advice Sean and I have put out there) on what works and what doesn't in wondrous item design. So the bar is probably ticking up a notch. I've made a point of mentioning I'm particularly eyeing presentation this go-around maybe a bit more than in the past. Things that were more handwave-able and forgivable in prior years have the potential to be the difference maker now when two mostly equal entries show up for examination. So, again, neatness counts. Perhaps now more than ever with so many people having the basics down.
That said, the contest continues to have its share of people who completely ignore the rules, the freely given advice, and so on. That's sad in some ways, but also a legitimate method of sorting out those who really just aren't ready for RPG Superstar or a future role as a freelance game designer. It separates the serious from the pretenders...or maybe just those who haven't educated themselves enough on game design yet.
And there's also designs that show up which are so close to being worthy of the Keep pile. But some small (but serious) defect cut them down when compared to the rest. I kind of agonize over those, because I can often get a sense of where the design was headed before it went off the rails. And it had some very cool potential. So, with that in mind, even those who don't make the Top 32 should still have plenty of reason to keep their chins up. It's a battlefield out there. And some designs are dying noble deaths even as they take their shots at being Superstar...
My two cents,
--Neil
Submitted.
The community and the advice links given here are simply awesome. I missed submitting in last year's contest, but I look forward to reading the 32 this year.
Nothing left now but anticipation. And brainstorming the next few rounds.
Thanks for that, Neil - that's really good to hear. I think this contest is unique in its focus on the practical, professional side of RPG design; I'm delighted to see that there's so much interest, and that people are so willing to invest, learn, and improve. It says a lot about Paizo's organization of this contest that you should see such marked improvement, on a large scale, largely from people who haven't even gotten the individual attention and feedback that the Round 1 survivors get. That's pretty cool. Paizo is teaching great stuff, and people are lapping it up and asking for more.
That said, the contest continues to have its share of people who completely ignore the rules, the freely given advice, and so on. That's sad in some ways, but also a legitimate method of sorting out those who really just aren't ready for RPG Superstar or a future role as a freelance game designer. It separates the serious from the pretenders...or maybe just those who haven't educated themselves enough on game design yet.
That's very common with creative contests and venues. There's a very wide spectrum between "I can totally write a roleplaying game/novel/[other]!" and "I have read, absorbed, and understood the rules, guidelines, advice, and previous examples, and I have successfully implemented their lessons in my own writing, with no glaring errors." I read a lot of stuff by fiction editors and agents, who are constantly rejecting manuscripts within two or three pages; I'm betting you guys hand out a lot fewer auto-rejects than they do. :)
...I'm betting you guys hand out a lot fewer auto-rejects than they do. :)
Oh, I don't know about that. For argument's sake, let's say a thousand people submit for RPG Superstar (and no, that's not an actual number, it's for the purpose of easier mathematical analysis). Of that thousand, we'd only select 32 for the actual competition. That's 3.2% of the entries. Thus, that would mean nearly 97% of the entries wash out. Now, if you widen that out and say we had to winnow those 32 out of maybe 100 in the Keep pile, even that represents the top 10% of everyone who submitted. That means 90% didn't make it into the Keep pile.
So, my point is this...a lot of really talented people will miss the cut. It happens every year. And I know that's got to be frustrating for those who really believe they could do well if just given a shot. They're constantly looking for some way (any way) to stand out and catch the eye of the judges. And, in all honesty, I believe that's where the major competition of RPG Superstar lies. It's the battle between those with the awesome ideas and the talented presentation and writing skills combined with solid knowledge and understanding of the game's mechanics that decides who makes the Top 32. They're battlling one another for those spots. And, unfortunately, only 32 of those people get an opportunity to move forward based on a single 300-word sample of their capabilities in all those things.
That's why we're always stressing that everyone bring their A-game. Blow our socks off. Present an idea or a concept or a mechanic that's so wondrous and so inspiring that it elevates that 300-word item and gives us glimpse of what you'd be capable of if you made the Top 32...and, from there, what kind of freelance game designer you could turn out to be. If you approach the competition with that mentality as you craft your designs, round by round, you can go really far. Maybe even take the ultimate prize. That's what it takes. And that's what we're searching for...
--Neil
...I'm betting you guys hand out a lot fewer auto-rejects than they do. :)Oh, I don't know about that. For argument's sake, let's say a thousand people submit for RPG Superstar (and no, that's not an actual number, it's for the purpose of easier mathematical analysis). Of that thousand, we'd only select 32 for the actual competition. That's 3.2% of the entries. Thus, that would mean nearly 97% of the entries wash out. Now, if you widen that out and say we had to winnow those 32 out of maybe 100 in the Keep pile, even that represents the top 10% of everyone who submitted. That means 90% didn't make it into the Keep pile.
Well, it's obviously hard to compare, but I'd be inclined to equate an auto-reject with rejecting an MS by page 2. Something that has a clear, immediate, fatal point against it. Not earning an auto-reject isn't the same as getting into the Keep pile, is it? You've got a lot that fulfill requirements, but nothing more, and so on and so forth.
Maybe I'm just skewed because the people posting on these forums are obviously the ones most involved, putting in the most effort, most aware of the auto-reject guidelines. But I'd hope you've been been seeing fewer and fewer SIACs and SAKs - no?
So, my point is this...a lot of really talented people will miss the cut. It happens every year. And I know that's got to be frustrating for those who really believe they could do well if just given a shot. They're constantly looking for some way (any way) to stand out and catch the eye of the judges. And, in all honesty, I believe that's where the major competition of RPG Superstar lies. It's the battle between those with the awesome ideas and the talented presentation and writing skills combined with solid knowledge and understanding of the game's mechanics that decides who makes the Top 32.
For me, the most frustrating aspect of this contest is that I view wondrous item design as perhaps my weakest area of talent. I'm confident in my writing abilities, because I already work as a professional writer; I'd also like to think that I have a good grip on rules-fu just from having run OGL-based games for the better part of seven years.
I realize the wondrous item category is a good gateway for the first round of competition because it allows enough rope for a weaker designer to hang himself by making a crucial error - it's a good weed-out, in other words. Still, I'd love to see it change up one of these years, because I feel like I'm always working from a position of weakness when I work on my submission. *shrug*
I am in. Last year I was a victim to spell in a can syndrome, even though I did not realize it at the time. This year I had a couple of ideas, but after looking through a few books I realized they were close to items from 3.5. I finally came up with something I had not seen done anywhere. Hopefully I am make into the top 32.
...But I'd hope you've been been seeing fewer and fewer SIACs and SAKs - no?
Sadly, we've seen quite a few. And in all honesty, that's one of the tightest ropes to walk in wondrous item design. In my opinion, one the best approaches to avoiding that pitfall is to ensure your item isn't just providing an ability that directly duplicates the spell. You might slip in an x times/day SIAC effect on top of something else that's cool. But one spell after another that's just x times/day or continuous or whatever is banging into that auto-reject category pretty hard. You've really got to the bend the rules in some interesting way or have some really slamming flavor to save you if you flirt too closely with that approach.
For me, the most frustrating aspect of this contest is that I view wondrous item design as perhaps my weakest area of talent....I feel like I'm always working from a position of weakness when I work on my submission.
In that situation, I see two potential options for you if you still want to write for Paizo (and keep in mind, I'm just a freelancer, not an employee). One, either knuckle down and turn that area of weakness into an area of strength by learning from this design process. Or, pitch directly to the Pathfinder Society open call. If your writing, pacing, plot, and ideas are up to par, I'm sure Mark and Hyrum will recognize talent when they see it.
Done. Woot!
Actually I had been "done" several times, but always had to question is 'X' the best word? is 'Y'? is 'Z'? Even hovering over the preview button-I was still second-guessing two word choices.
Neil, thanks for the insight :)
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2011 Top 16
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
aka primemover003
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I've been beating my head against a babau all month long and I'm finally done. My item has probably been seen a billion times before (though my considerable search-fu failed to reveal any items remotely similar to it other than the name) but I couldn't get it out of my head. Tried thinking of at least 3 other items but this one kept clawing and scratching it's way to the top of my psyche. Better to get it out of my system.
--Vrock the Casbah!
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Hooray! The rubber ducky of vomit is complete and submitted.And rejected for spilling your identity here. I was all set to champion this one to the very end, too.
Doh!
Maybe you won't be able to tell - I bet rubber duckies that induce vomitting and grant feats and class abilities are all the rage.
i have an idea i have not seen in the books (all the books, i play 3.0, 3.5, 2.0 and pathfinder, in that order. long story). and i cut-out over 100 words just by re-checking the corerulebook. "oh wait, those item effects are EXACTLY the spells i want in the core rulebook. if the judges cant read the spells themselves. atleast it's 8 words under max, and clear."
i knew what i wanted to make a week ago and got a brainwave when i remembered a spell-name i glanced over earlier. and it's opposite is there too. perfect. if i get to stage 2 i better thank my 2.0 dm for the inspiration for the item. it's scary how exact the item i made is like the spells, as in reference the spells and the item does what i want. which i never read before except to find out i could cut the word count.
-wow, i keep rambling i gotta fix this. later