Well, it's been a long road, but we're finally here. The last voting round for RPG Superstar 2011 is about to commence and almost all of the judges' commentary is in place. I wrapped mine up last night and put some finishing touches (and elaboration) on a few points this morning. The competitors poured a lot of work and creativity into their proposals. Some landed pretty well with the judges and others didn't. I've recommended two for consideration of the final prize, but it'll really be up to the voters to decide what they want Paizo to publish.
Remember again that all of you following along still have a role to play in this contest. Your vote never counted as much as it does now, because it'll result in a finished product that will eventually sit on store shelves. Also, these designers will all be given an opportunity to write something, including three new Pathfinder Society scenarios. So, make sure you chime in and give them feedback. Their learning process continues through this round, and there are a lot of great minds out there with creative suggestions and individual insights the designers could use. Make sure you share them. But please do so in a respectful, supportive fashion. Constructive criticism should rule the day...
Best of luck to the competitors and I look forward to what the voters decide. In fact, I'll be casting a vote alongside them...as I want to see something awesome produced by Paizo the same as everyone else.
My sincere two cents,
--Neil
I think we all look forward to seeing what you guys have to say. I wonder if it will be as varied as last round. It seemed all the judges liked different locations for different reasons.
I think we all look forward to seeing what you guys have to say. I wonder if it will be as varied as last round. It seemed all the judges liked different locations for different reasons.
Oh, we certainly split on a few things here and there. And that's completely okay. It helps widen the discussion and the analysis of what each submission entails. It also gets more information with different perspectives out there for the voters to consider as they form their own opinions.
I really think there's a lot of very useful feedback provided by the judges this year...especially from James Jacobs, the guest judge for this round, and ultimately the Creative Director for how the final adventure takes shape. Pay attention to what James says. Always. It gives you tremendous insight into what Paizo looks for in adventures.
Mark also gives some great feedback from the perspective of the guy who's going to develop everyone's designs...whether it's the final 32-page adventure or the PFS scenarios. Pay attention to what Mark says. He's the guy who will make your final product shine. And you should honor your developer. Always.
I also thought Ryan gave some really cool insight into how each adventure proposal would play from a commercial/publishing/marketing perspective. And that's pretty important, too...because, this isn't just your opportunity to write something for the masses. You want to write something that will sell well for Paizo, thereby making you look good (as the author) and them look good (as the publisher). And, as a freelancer, you should always look for ways to make your publisher look good. It leads to further writing opportunities.
Sean also gives his usual crystal-clear insights into the design aspects of adventure writing with very specific examples on what doesn't work and why. He was also my developer for Realm of the Fellnight Queen and it was an awesome experience working with him, both in that capacity and now as an RPG Superstar judge.
Lastly, I throw in my usual long-winded two cents for everybody. Hopefully, someone finds something useful out of all that feedback and constructive criticism. And, for anyone who manages to read through all of it, I tip my hat to you. I aimed for making sure no one could say they didn't get their money's worth...
But that's just my "normal" two cents, ;-)
--Neil
I really think there's a lot of very useful feedback provided by the judges this year...especially from James Jacobs, the guest judge for this round ...
And you know what that means.
Director of Brand Strategy
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Mark also gives some great feedback from the perspective of the guy who's going to develop everyone's designs...whether it's the final 32-page adventure or the PFS scenarios. Pay attention to what Mark says. He's the guy who will make your final product shine. And you should honor your developer. Always.
And that, folks, is why Mr. Spicer's name is followed by the tag it is. He throws a lot of copper pieces around, but this is the most valuable of the bunch.
Mark also gives some great feedback from the perspective of the guy who's going to develop everyone's designs...whether it's the final 32-page adventure or the PFS scenarios. Pay attention to what Mark says. He's the guy who will make your final product shine. And you should honor your developer. Always.
True, Mark put in a lot of very subtle changes to CotED where I wasn't certain which way to go, or wasn't sure how close to go with RL references.
This year it is tough to decide. All of the pitches have things I like about them. All of them have things that would normally push them into my personal "reject" pile. So with all of them rejected, and all of them having redeeming qualities, which do I vote for? While I'm sure whichever one is selected will develop into an amazing adventure, none of them seemed to pop out as superstar to me. For example, last year I voted for Doom of the Dream Thieves because I really love planar adventures, but Cult of the Ebon Destroyers was a close second.
I may have to go back and weigh all the previous rounds before making a final judgement.
Good job all. Making it a tough choice means you must have done something right. ;)