For me there were only 2 standout archetypes (hound master and saboteur). my other 6 votes went to the creators of my favorite 6 items from round 1.
Good luck to all.
Most of the ones I voted for were voted on the basis of liking the flavor (as I think most of them had issues with their mechanics). Of all of them only Hound Master and Saboteur looked like things that had been polished enough to really impress me.
I really enjoyed the Hound Master and Exalted Armsman; Impaler and Knife Fighter were cool too. I voted for Moon Shaman, Saboteur, and First World Druid mostly just for flavor. My last vote went to the Evangelist. I didn't initially like the idea, but the execution was so intriguing that it won me over as a really cool concept.
Yup the hound master was the #1 in my list as well.
I took into mind that the archetypes are still a new concept and that even the judges are having design issues when it comes to them. so I looked at over all flavor of the class and asked myself these questions when deciding.
1 Did it match the class the archetype was under?
2 Did the abilities match the archetypes description?
3 Was the descriptive paragraph well written and convey what the archetype was clearly?
4 Was the archetype something I or any of my fellow players consider playing?
5 How did the abilities balance against the ones they replaced?
I had my top 5 pretty quickly but picking the last 3 was a bit difficult and I went back and reread a few that had issues for me, but still was a solid idea if reworked.
Looks like Hound Master has caught a lot of people's attention!
Yes, it looks like it. It was not my first choice but it was a solid option for me. It will probably feature in most voting lists.
I voted (in aphabetical order) Charleton, Evangelist, Grave Robber, Hound Master, Impaler, Sabateur, Still Water Meditant, and Tacticion.
My votes (for anyone actually keeping a tally):
Cody Coffelt - Hound Master
Eric Hindley - Knife Fighter
Erik Freund - Moon Shaman
Ethan Day-Jones - Exalted Armsman
John Bennett - Saboteur
Joseph LaMothe - Treasure Seeker
Levi Miles - Ivory Guardian
Victor Miller - Gladiator
Artus Nemati - Charlatan (Rogue) - Mirrored Lantern of the Pious Seeker
Cody Coffelt — Hound Master (Cavalier) - Flask of Five Fifths
James Martin — Crooked Man (Bard) - Poisoner's Retort
John Bennett — Saboteur (Ranger) - Cocoon Cloak
Nick Bolhuis — Champion of Philosophy (Cavalier) - Assassin's Rose
Sam Zeitlin — Still-Water Meditant (Monk) - Book of Night Without Moon
Scott Fernandez — Grave Robber (Rogue) - Nightmare Boots
Sean McGowan — Evangelist (Bard) - Singing Bowl of Redoubled Clarity
Some stood completely on their own, some were helped by their Wondrous Item´s quality. Some I got to last because I really didn´t like their Wondrous Items, but was blown away by the Archetype. I´m definitely looking forward to see the work of all of them in future rounds.
So I had some free time and decided to tally the votes from this page so far.
So far Hound Master is leading, with Saboteur coming in second and Evangelist in third.
Full results are on a google doc here
This exit poll is a very small sample size so the results are not likely to be 100% accurate.
I found it interesting, in my own voting, that I wound up picking five of the same people I'd have voted for out the top 32.
I have no idea what that means on any level, but hey, I found it interesting.
Ok, here are mine:
Cody Coffelt — Hound Master (Cavalier) - Flask of Five Fifths
Eric Hindley — Knife Fighter (Fighter), Shadow Falconer's Glove
John Bennett — Saboteur (Ranger), Cocoon Cloak
Nick Bolhuis — Champion of Philosophy (Cavalier) - Assassin's Rose
Marie Small — Tactician (Fighter), Verdant Vine
Sam Zeitlin — Still-Water Meditant (Monk), Book of Night Without Moon
Sean McGowan — Evangelist (Bard), Singing Bowl of Redoubled Clarity
Trevor Merback — Impaler (Fighter), Bag of Holes
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Full results are on a google doc here
This exit poll is a very small sample size so the results are not likely to be 100% accurate.
This is really rather interesting. Even though the sample size is very small, it is evident that - save for a few exceptions - the voters are mostly voting for the same archetypes that the judges generally liked, and vice versa.
Assuming that my observations are accurate and there indeed is a strong correlation between the judges' recommendations and the audience's voting behavior, I would have had a rather good chance at making the Top 16... *sigh*
Anyway, I voted for:
Hound Master
Knife Fighter
Still-Water Meditant
Evangelist
Impaler
This is really rather interesting. Even though the sample size is very small, it is evident that - save for a few exceptions - the voters are mostly voting for the same archetypes that the judges generally liked, and vice versa.
The question for all you psychology types out there...
Are people voting along with the judges because they like the same things, or because it's human nature to to follow an expert? If the judges' thoughts were not revealed first, would the voting/feedback be any different?
There has been several complaints about this year's quality of entries and at the same time the judges unanimously approved only 3 entries out of the 32, with fully half of the entries get unanimously turned down.
So is this merely a consensus (the entries suck), or have the judges' comments planted a seed in the reviewers' subconscious?
...just food for thought/discussion.
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So is this merely a consensus (the entries suck), or have the judges' comments planted a seed in the reviewers' subconscious?
Good points, Jerry. I'm not an expert on sociology or psychology, but I'm certain that the judges' reviews do affect our voting behavior, a lot.
Anyway, I think the judges are trying to set a standard for what a Superstar archetype entry should be like with their comments and recommendations. It looks like they were expecting something very different from the contestants than what they got. EDIT: And it makes sense for the voters to use the judges' input as a benchmark when forming their opinions.
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I'm sure the judge's commentary has an effect.
However, let's assume each judge has 8 votes, and casts them randomly. Turns out you'd expect about 10 of the entries to get no votes just by random chance. Throw in quality (which has at least something of an objective element to it, even though it's hard to measure), and it's not really surprising that with each judge thumbs-downing 24 entries, half got no nod at all.
I think Superstar would be really boring without commentary, by the way :)
Anyway, I think the judges are trying to set a standard for what a Superstar archetype entry should be like with their comments and recommendations.
I suspect you're right, the comments are almost certainly meant as a guide for other readers since most of us have nowhere near the same expertise.
I think Superstar would be really boring without commentary, by the way :)
Ditto! In fact, I probably wouldn't have entered if not for the fact that the judges are so responsive. It's really nice and you don't see that kind of dedication in other forums.
My votes:
Evangelist
Impaler
Hound master
Saboteur
Moon Shaman
Tengu Blademaster
Still waters Monk
Goldfever Alchemist
They did directly correspond to the highest scores of my reviews.
Updated results: Hound master still leads, saboteur has been knocked out of the top 3 so now we have evangelist and impaler coming in second and third.
About the going with the judges thing: People are likely to be influenced by the opinions of both the majority and of experts (despite both being formal logical fallacies). The judges point out what they do not like about the class so they might catch an issue that someone else might not have in a casual read. If people came in here and saw these unofficial results they may also be influenced to simply go along with the group. If you have never heard of it the Asch experiment shows how we conform to majority opinions even when they are clearly wrong. So if you have not voted yet it is best to not look at any results to avoid unconsciously influencing your vote.
Cody Coffelt — Hound Master (Cavalier)
David Vigil- First World Druid (Druid)
John Bennett — Saboteur (Ranger)
Joel Flank- Hedge Wizard (Wizard)
Erik Freund- Moon Shaman (Druid)
Sam Zeitlin — Still-Water Meditant (Monk)
Sean McGowan — Evangelist (Bard)
Trevor Merback — Impaler (Fighter)
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I just finished voting.
As a group, the archetype submissions for this year's 2nd Round of RPG Superstar are puzzling, to say the least.
Many seemed more like subclasses than archetypes, replacing way too many base class features.
Others felt like the contestant was trying to channel the over-the-top awesomeness they had put into their 1st Round submission and instead ended up with some gonzo niche class, and what may have been unique only ended up being unplayable.
There were also 1 or 2 submissions that felt like the contestant didn't begin work on Round 2 until they had found out that they had made the Top 32, which is fine if you've got the talent and extra time during the day to come up with something solid in 3 days but doesn't help. Luckily the rules for Round 2 had been revealed long before the Top 32 were announced so the early birds probably got their worms in this case.
Out of the 8 votes allowed to me, I only voted for 5 archetypes. I'm pretty disappointed that 3 votes went to waste, but I couldn't find 8 archetypes that I truly thought should advance to Round 3, and not for lack of trying; I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading the submissions and the judges' comments and also re-reading each contestant's Round 1 submissions and comments and mulling things over.
This year's 2nd Round was a trial by fire, and some of our contestants got burned something fierce.
I thought I`d note that the history of `exit poll` threads like this from previous Superstars has been marked by usage of them to ascertain which entrants are ALREADY favored to continue to the next round (in this round, Cody`s Hound Master). A `smart` voter who likes more contestants than they have votes can see that whether or not they give the `leader` another vote doesn`t really change whether the leader progresses or not (IF the leader is far and away separated from the entrants near the cut-off line), but COULD be decisive in whether their OTHER favorite, who is at or just below the cut-off line, passes or not. This is amplified when `ties` (at the cut-off line) are resolved by BOTH/all contestants continuing, i.e. more contestants than normally anticipated.
...Which completely runs agaisnt `conforming to the majority`.
I don`t know if that really applies this round as much, because we have a large number of votes, but it very likely will apply in future rounds.
So 3 entrants were unanimously recommended by the Judges. Of those 3, I think I voted for 2, the other unanimous choice of the Judges wasn`t really even a `contender` for me. And I`m very excited about all the others I voted for as well. Partly, this is because this is the first chance we have to vote, so most people (myself included) can reasonably take this as the opportunity to vote for their favorite Wondrous Items as well... (i.e. for each contestant`s body of work up to this point)
I think it`s obvious that some entries went more for `subtle` archetypes, and others had more ambitious changes in mind. But since all of them fit within the word count, I don`t see that as a problem with any of them... I certainly found both `subtle` and `ambitious` entries worthy of my vote. It should be noted that the line between archetype and alt.class just isn`t that well defined, even in Paizo`s own words on the matter. Just look at the current playtest, many comments are `this should just be an X archetype`, etc. Creative vision, and execution of that vision, is what matters here... the game has room for both subtle and shocking.
Just thought I'd pop in to announce that it's official. Already, with 2 days of voting left to go, there have been more votes cast in this year's Round Two than any other RPG Superstar competition to date. Way to go, everyone! This thing just keeps getting bigger and better. And there's obviously a lot of passion for this contest. I, for one, can't wait for the reveal of the Top 16 on Tuesday. And all of you will be the ones to decide who makes it.
Voted enthusiastically for:
Wandslinger
Knife-Fighter
Voted for:
Hound Master
Impaler
Saboteur
Still Water Meditant
Gave second shot to:
Tactician
Exalted Armsman
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Artus Nemati — Charlatan (Rogue)
Cody Coffelt — Hound Master (Cavalier)
Jerall Toi — Tengu Blademaster (Fighter)
John Bennett — Saboteur (Ranger)
Levi Miles — Ivory Guardian (Paladin)
Ryan Marsh — Goldfever Alchemist (Alchemist)
Sean McGowan — Evangelist (Bard)
Trevor Merback — Impaler (Fighter)
I have no votes to declare.
As a long term resident of the Abyss I know better than to be seen voting for 'the wrong candidates'...
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'm sure the judge's commentary has an effect.
I selected mine with a heavy emphasis on how mechanically balanced the archetype was. I tossed out 17 that seemed to be meta-game heavy or munchkin flavored. I only thought 12 were balanced mechanically, but 6 of those had limited appeal or seemed bland to me.
I voted for the ones that I liked the most first, in your vernacular, flavor-wise. Because minor issues in balance or effects can be adjusted, in my opinion. That left 5 more to pick from, those I chose based on whether or not I felt I could make use of them either as NPCs or as allowed archetypes for my players first. Then, since I could only vote for a couple more, I chose based upon whether or not I liked that contestant's wondrous item or not.
In order of listing:
Hound Master (Cavalier) - Cody Coffelt
Knife Fighter (Fighter) - Eric Hindley
Moon Shaman (Druid) - Erik Freund
Exalted Armsman (Cleric) - Ethan Day-Jones
Goldfever Alchemist (Alchemist) - Ryan Marsh
Evangelist (Bard) - Sean McGowan
Death Warden (Paladin) - Sue Flaherty
Impaler (Fighter) - Trever Merback
RPG Superstar 2013
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I could only bring myself to vote for six..and the last couple were a stretch. Just really disappointed in the round and looking for a little dessert in round three!
houndmaster
moon shaman
saboteur
chronologist
wandslinger
champion of philosophy
Alright, votes have been tallied so far:
Nothing has really changed with the leaders, Hound master has pulled ahead by a healthy margin (4 vote lead) and Evangelist/Impaler are tied for second with Saboteur only one vote behind.
For the bottom of the pack these numbers show that it is very close and even the entries that do not show any votes could get into the top 16 (3 votes would put them into a tie for the 14th slot).
Full results Here
My time in the voting booth resulted in:
Charlatan
Hound Master
Impaler
Evangelist
Grave Robber
Hedge Wizard
Saboteur
Still-Water Meditant
Last chance to get your votes in, folks!
The polls close at 2PM PST. And I can tell you it's a really tight race right now. Just a handful of votes either way could tip the scales on who makes the Top 16 and who has to wait until next year to try again.
In the meantime, the competitors should be hard at work on their villains and stat-blocks. Regardless of how the vote shakes out, remember to stick around and give these hardworking folks your support.
I had 1 clear, unmistakable out-of-hand winner: the Hound Master. I didn't connect him to Dragon Age until I read someone's remark to that effect; I thought more of a K9 cop unit and just loved it. This is where the war dog concept came from and is best optimized by; I'd love to see a ranger version for comparison, as both could exist and be brilliantly distinct.
The Evangelist got a vote for being brilliant. The Varisian Carver was another strong favorite, and the Hedge Wizard really sang to me as similar to something I had written previously - yours is better than mine was. The criticism on the Viper Monk sold it to me, honestly; I liked it, but to see it get ripped into, I found myself getting defensive for it. Lastly, the Impaler: I absolutely love everything about the class except the flavor text, and I loathe that (no offense intended).
Either way, vote's in! Good luck to you all!
I read about half the entries. 3 struck out, so those were the ones I voted for: Hound Master, Charlatan, and Sabateur. I wish I had read the Evangalist before now, because that would have been my next vote.
I read about half the entries. 3 struck out, so those were the ones I voted for: Hound Master, Charlatan, and Sabateur. I wish I had read the Evangalist before now, because that would have been my next vote.
you still have 1 hour to go.
I read about half the entries. 3 struck out, so those were the ones I voted for: Hound Master, Charlatan, and Sabateur. I wish I had read the Evangalist before now, because that would have been my next vote.
You can change your vote(s) right up to the end.
I read about half the entries. 3 struck out, so those were the ones I voted for: Hound Master, Charlatan, and Sabateur. I wish I had read the Evangalist before now, because that would have been my next vote.you still have 1 hour to go.
Curse PST vs EST
I read about half the entries. 3 struck out, so those were the ones I voted for: Hound Master, Charlatan, and Sabateur. I wish I had read the Evangalist before now, because that would have been my next vote.
And I will add this to the ever-lengthening list of reasons why I wish my parents had thought 'Aaron' was a better name. ;-)
And I will add this to the ever-lengthening list of reasons why I wish my parents had thought 'Aaron' was a better name. ;-)
No kidding! ;-)
May we respond to our archetype threads at this point?
Yes, you may.
Although you didn't say "Mother may I...?" ;-)