So I've been sitting 'round, putting the middle refinements and touches on my submission, making sure that the cost is correct, and all, and it occurs to me that I may not be eligible to enter.
I refer of course to this clause on the FAQ:
http://paizo.com/rpgsuperstar/faq#v5748dyo5lbm7
Because we are trying to discover new talent, anybody who has been published in the RPG industry in a significant way is not eligible to enter. If you have been employed full-time as a designer for a game company, you are not eligible. If you have received cover credit as an author of a hardcover RPG book, you are not eligible. If you have a cover credit on a printed Pathfinder or GameMastery product, you are not eligible. If you were one of the Top 8 finalists of any previous RPG Superstar contest, you are not eligible.
I wonder if, perhaps, I fall into a somewhat "Gray Area" where this is concerned. I do not wish, under any circumstances, to enter a contest that I am not eligible to enter - both for my own sense of fairness and for not wanting to irritate or otherwise upset the judges.
So here's my question:
I'm credited with half the Mecha designs in R. Talsorian's "Starblade Battalion" Mekton Zeta supplement. I was paid for this work.
I'm the creator of a handful of gangs in their Cyberpunk 2030 Gangbook. This work was unpaid.
I've been the driving creative force behind the (ridiculously small press - no money made, hundreds spent - my taxes hate me but it's worth it) entity that is Atomic Rocket Games, producing free-to-download micro-supplements for the Mekton Zeta RPG. This work is unpaid.
I wrote a macro-supplement back in 2001 - again for Mekton - which has never been published but for which I was paid.
None of these works are "hardcover," and of the works that have been published in any form (PDF counts, right?), I am not the author of any paid, "significant" work.
However - and there is always a however - It is entirely possible that what I have done may disqualify me from being eligible to enter.
In the interest of fair play and honesty, I'd really like to ask if an official from Paizo could let me know - either here or at my personal (and available from my profile) address - whether or not I should go ahead and submit my Wondrous Item. I apologize for bringing this to the forum, but I couldn't find a contact address that I felt was otherwise suitable for this question.
Thanks a ton, guys!
Because we are trying to discover new talent, anybody who has been published in the RPG industry in a significant way is not eligible to enter. If you have been employed full-time as a designer for a game company, you are not eligible. If you have received cover credit as an author of a hardcover RPG book, you are not eligible. If you have a cover credit on a printed Pathfinder or GameMastery product, you are not eligible. If you were one of the Top 8 finalists of any previous RPG Superstar contest, you are not eligible.
Heya jemstone,
Kudos for your concern for fair play. I'm sure somebody Paizo-related will answer your question, but until then, let me just say this: I'm sure they've given a lot of thought to these eligibility criteria. RPG design could be taken as everything from "co-authored a best-selling core game system" to "posted a cool prestige class on my web site." So, they had to come up with specific lines saying who's in and who's out. It's possible there exists someone who does meet the criteria and yet is less experienced/established than you are... but those are the lines that have been drawn.
You have not been employed full-time as a designer by a game company (yet). There is no hardcover RPG book, printed Pathfinder product, or printed GameMastery product, on which you've received cover credit (yet). And you have never been a Top 8 finalist of RPG Superstar...
...yet.
Wait for an answer from somebody who knows more than me, but it's safe to work under the assumption that you're good to go.
This Question came up more than one time before, and the answer always was:
"hardcover credit" means that: your name on the cover of a hardcover book. If that hasn't happened, you should be good to go.
This Question came up more than one time before, and the answer always was:
"hardcover credit" means that: your name on the cover of a hardcover book. If that hasn't happened, you should be good to go.
Azmahel is correct. I asked the same question to SKR a few weeks ago, and he confirmed what Azmahel just quoted.
Looking forward to [hopefully!] seeing your goods, jemstone!
Thanks for the feedback, folks, and I appreciate it. I will keep waiting for an official reply, however - as Standback said, I am very concerned about fair play and honesty in submission.
Fingers crossed!
The rules are clear on exactly what would make you ineligible.
1. The contest is open to the general public, with the following exceptions: Employees of Paizo Publishing, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Designers who have cover credits on print editions of Paizo's Pathfinder or GameMastery products are ineligible. The top 8 finalists of all previous RPG Superstar contests are ineligible. Contestants must provide their real names on their paizo.com account. Legal identification must be produced on request.
-Not an employee of Paizo
-Nor a family member of one-It sounds like you were never employeed full-time as a designer
-No hardcover credits
-No credits on Paizo or GameMastery products
-Not a finalist of a previous year
You seem good.
Marathon Voter Season 7
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Thanks for the feedback, folks, and I appreciate it. I will keep waiting for an official reply, however - as Standback said, I am very concerned about fair play and honesty in submission.
Fingers crossed!
As others have said you should be good. Nor are you the first to have asked this, or to have this sort of "problem."
In a nutshell, size of a book does not matter, nor does how much you were paid for your work: Hardcover is Hardcover, and fulltime is fulltime. Freelancers with no hardcover credits are good to go.
Director of Game Development
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Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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1. The contest is open to the general public, with the following exceptions: Employees of Paizo Publishing, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Designers who have cover credits on print editions of Paizo's Pathfinder or GameMastery products are ineligible. The top 8 finalists of all previous RPG Superstar contests are ineligible. Contestants must provide their real names on their paizo.com account. Legal identification must be produced on request.-Not an employee of Paizo
-Nor a family member of one
-It sounds like you were never employeed full-time as a designer
-No hardcover credits
-No cover credits on Paizo or GameMastery products
-Not a finalist of a previous yearYou seem good.
Very concise and mostly accurate list there. I bolded a small addition to your list.
So yes, the OP is good to go. I just wanted to clarify that one point above.
Thank you all! Submission Form, here I come!
The rules are clear on exactly what would make you ineligible.
If there is one thing I have learned in my life it is this: One should never assume. I'd rather ask a question and find that I'm wrong, than not ask it in the assumption that I'm right. ;)