Superstar has sure generated some amazing talent over its few years. From amazing freelancers to Paizo employees. It really opens doors. And time has shown that you don't have to be the winner to get a lot out of entering.
First, there is just the success and confidence of finishing an item and submitting. That in and of itself is worthy of praise.
Second, after submitting, participating in the amazing discussion here, even if all you do is read. This is a high level discussion here at Paizo. This isn't a "you can't have a +6 sword" kind of newbie discussion (my letter to TSR back when I was like 11 or something). The superstar discussion boards are basically an online masterclass in game design. So log in, read, participate, get your online degree.
Third, participate in the "Clark critique my item" thread we have every year (that also inevitably totally overwhelms me at about item 200 and becomes "Neil and Sean finish critiquing the items for Clark" thread not to mention the amazing critiques from the other fans.
Fourth, maybe you get some feedback that you were close and you can use that for further design.
Fifth, maybe you made the cut to top 32. That process alone gets you a forum tag, which doesnt even come close to showing what an amazing accomplishment that is. To quote Charlie Sheen, if you are top 32 you are "winning."
Need I even mention advancing further in the rounds? Just look at the names. And they arent people who were names before. Superstar has really become a showcase and proving ground for some people who have used that to go on to some massive RPG design presence and industry impact. You know the names, you don't need me to tell you.
So don't just look at Superstar and say "I can't win the whole thing, so why try." I hope I've pointed out a whole slew of reasons why just entering is enough, let alone everything else that might come after.
Please, if you are on the fence...GET OFF and ENTER! Why not try? I guarantee you that you will feel amazing when you hit that submission button with your item, even if you don't make top 32. Plus, you might surprise yourself. And even if you don't, you will certainly learn something that you can use to be better at this game we all love.
I'm so glad to be back judging and I really cannot wait to help and to see everyone take a swing for the fences in what I think is the best thing going in this industry. I totally believe in both Paizo and RPG Superstar. I can't wait to see what you guys send in.
So start working on some of those items. :)
Clark
All right, all right, I'll enter!
...so, when do we start?
Youch. :-/ Sorry to hear. I confess I'm surprised; you've hid your bitterness well...
Now I'm curious to see the items you sent in...
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Youch. :-/ Sorry to hear. I confess I'm surprised; you've hid your bitterness well...
Actually, no. I'll beg to differ on that one. Charles generally doesn't hide his bitterness well. Every year around this time he comes up with a post along these lines as a cautionary tale to counter the messages of optimism offered by Clark. It's become a tradition as much as anything else related to the contest now. :-)
My primary concern is that people who listen to his advice defeat themselves long before the contest even gets underway. And then they miss out on a unique experience and a golden opportunity as a result. It's the difference between optimism and pessimism.
Dang! Does this mean I need to be surprised by his post again next year?
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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So don't just look at Superstar and say "I can't win the whole thing, so why try."
I'd add another reason - while I don't expect to win (as much as it would be awesome), I want to enter every year I'm able to, and give it my best. Not only for all of the reasons Clark has mentioned, but I know that the winners and top competitors write for Paizo on a regular basis. As a consumer, I want to make sure that I raise the bar as high as possible to make sure that whoever wins is a better designer than I am. That helps ensure that future Paizo product have a strong stable of talent that will write the kinds of products I want to see.
Contributor
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Boxhead
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Clark speaks the truth. I feel like I've gotten better every year and still hold hope that I'll win (though I still don't expect to, yet). But there's tons to learn here, especially from mistakes (yours, mine, or anyone's). You can see what people like, be they professionals who started before I was born, brand new players or everyone in between.
The important thing to remember is if you enter, you may not win; if you don't enter, you can't win.
I like participating each year regardless of not breaking into the top 32 (yet!) because I get progressively better at making wondrous items each time I give it a shot - an area of design with which I was abysmally inexperienced prior to RPG Superstar. When I look back at what I submitted in year one and compare it to what I tossed out last year, and the items I've made for my own games, I can see them getting better. My players also seem to enjoy the recent wondrous items I've designed and placed in treasure hoards more now than the ones I did before, and giving them the best experience I can at the table is what this hobby is all about to me.
Also, every year, there's at least one entry in one round or another of the contest that's so cool that I have to use it in my game. (It's how the chaitrakhan became a household word among my gaming friends - particularly the necromancer who made about a dozen of them into undead minions in a high level game.)
I learn a lot, and I get to read and critique some really interesting game material. Chalk me up in the "there's something for everyone, even the losers" column. Ricky Bobby I ain't!
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Contributor
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[I beg to differ]
Umm, no: I can report that entering items has only brought me disappointment and soul-corroding despair, remorselessly hammering away with a message that if I have any sense of decency I should go away and kill myself. That is what entering RPGSuperstar has done to me the three times I have made the stupid mistake of submitting my attempts at real items.
[/I beg to differ]Edit:
All that admitted, I grant it probably makes sense for anyone with the time to try to enter at least once to find out just how much the experience sucks or exhilarates in their own context.
I'm sorry it's been a negative experience for you, Charles. For what its worth, rejection and criticism are big parts of any professional creative endeavor. I've had plenty of adventure proposals that I thought were great shot down, article rejected, and so many edits and tweaks and changes to my writing that has been published that I've lost count. This almost always makes for a much better final product, even if it hurts at the time.
Please don't let yourself get discouraged. Even if you don't win, pushing yourself to write and create and think critically about your own works and others' is a victory in itself.
I've entered each year and I cannot deny that excitement, hope, despair and frustration are all part of RPG Superstar. You are excited about your item, hope it will go far, despair when a judge mentions a meme that popped up this year (and fits your item) and you will be frustrated when someone edges your item out of the top 32.
BUT, and I cannot stress this enough, it is FUN!
Every year I learn something new, every year my items get better (except for year #3 when it ended up sucking ;>) and it is good writing practice! For in the end, people who enter this contest want to do something with game-design and that means writing.
And even though Charles has found out that RPG Superstar isn't for him, he did try it three times and since then found an approach that works for him.
So do enter, don't reject yourself, we've got judges for that :-)
I'm certainly going to enter this year... I've been working, thinking, and polishing the item that "feels" best to me... that really resonates within me... and I really feel confident about it (and my chances) and as so many before have said, there is nothing to lose, but so much to potentially gain from the attempt.
Last year was a good year for me. I may not have gotten into RPG Superstar 2011, but I had the good fortune to break into freelance RPG design... and I have learned a great deal.
I am geared up and completely psyched for RPG Superstar 2012!
GAME ON!!!
Dean
DEFINITELY entering this year! I may not be the most experienced GM or game designer out there, but I've got ridiculous attention to detail. If I can create an entry that is at the very least well-worded, typo-free, rich in flavor, and conceptually tight, then I'll consider myself as having won in some way, even if I don't get into the top 32.
I hope people are taking the time to review the entries from the past few years, and really pay attention to the judges' comments. (Especially important in my view is Sean's "Auto-Reject" thread. Can't go wrong reading that over a few times.)
Developer
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8
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I'm very excited to participate again! I've had a blast the past two times even though I didn't actually "get in," but I've come close and I'll do my best again this year. I agree that even the losers are usually "winners." We all have the chance to show our creativity and the potential to work with Paizo. I think it's great that Paizo hosts this contest and it really helps to show they're involved in the gaming community!
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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I have been increasing my board presence for the past 12 months, and working on my rules-Fu in preparation for this. I don't expect to win, because this board houses the most remarkable gaming geniuses ever, but I want to try my hardest to do something amazing.
Now to start working on my list of possible Wondrous Items.
Right now Round 2(Create a New Organization) and Round 4(Design an Encounter with Map) are the ones that worry me the most.
I really need to figure out how to make maps online. :(
Right now Round 2(Create a New Organization) and Round 4(Design an Encounter with Map) are the ones that worry me the most.
I really need to figure out how to make maps online. :(
I appreciate the advanced focus, but you'll have time for that. Time to get a winning wondrous item!
I appreciate the advanced focus, but you'll have time for that. Time to get a winning wondrous item!
3rd time's the charm, I hope. :)
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 can't believe it's already that time again! Last year my wondrous item had been banging in my head for nearly 4 years before I got up the courage to throw it into the ring. Gotta few doozies up my sleeve this year to see if I can repeat!
Just remember...
- follow the template
- concept, concept, concept
- Read the Wondrous Item Auto Reject thread by SKR!
- watch that passive voice
- use wordcount wisely (good balance of flavor vs mechanics)
--So you wanna be a Vrock Superstar
I actually entered last year. I thought out my idea as well as I could. I had no expectations in the positive as to what would happen. I am used to being treated negativly when I come up with an idea..."Oh now that is just plain stupid..." I actually got that from a company I submitted to. So when I came up with my idea for an item I girded myself for the inevitable negative comments about things outside my submission.
I entered the item and...eventhough I took some small amount of negativity from particular arrogant people in another online location...The comments from the only person who offered a critique were well thought out, non-derrogatory and actually helpful. No by the way I did not win and when I saw the caliber of the other entrants I did not begrudge those who won. They did damned fine work.
Honestly; time will not allow me to enter this year and oddly enough I feel sad about this...However If I, as a non winner, can offer a suggestion: You get treated the way you treat others so if you don't make it and actually want a critique then write a respectful email and please remember that these folks are busy..they have other entrants to sift through.
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Director of Game Development
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Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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Considering some of the posts upthread, this seems like a good place to drop this link.
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Considering some of the posts upthread, this seems like a good place to drop this link.
Thank you Adam, that was the perfect thing for me to hear at this point, and the best advice I have heard in a long time.
The thing is, I had heard things along those lines before, but it never sunk in because I wasn't at the point Mr. Glass is talking about. I was instead at the point where I wasn't committed, and therefore I was cranking out tons of brilliant stuff because I was doing it for my own enjoyment, not planning on pursuing a career in it. It was almost effortless.
Now that I've made a conscious decision to make writing (whether fiction or journalism or for RPG games, whatever pans out) a career, and having received some great advice and done a lot of research, the actual amount of work I am able to complete has gone from a flood to a trickle. I'm at that gap.
Last year was the first year I participated in RPG Superstar, and after I didn't make the Top 32 I was distraught but relieved. I was a little bitter, but the rejection was expected given my natural pessimism.
After a week or two curiosity overcame bitterness, so I posted in the "Judges Please Critique My Item" thread and then left it alone. About a month later I checked the messageboards, and the revealed critiques from the judges turned all of that bitterness and rejection right on its head.
From what I could glean, I had almost made the cut. The main problem with my submission seemed to be that after a few read-throughs the judges decided that the item was under-priced and over-powered. So I learned that, although I was sure that I had done my homework and took my item and compared it to items of similar power and/or ability, it is probably better to err on the side of overpricing an item if it can be discerned as more powerful than other items that do the same thing for one reason or another.
I also learned that, although I had a story behind why the item had multiple abilities, it was too close to a "Swiss Army Knife" without crossing the line. I knew I was trying to tie all of the item's abilities together in order to complete the theme I was going for, but I went just a little bit too far and tried to do too much with it.
So for me, a wondrous item submission of the same quality that was more expensive and less complicated would have possibly made it.
Now, I have another chance. And while I am still stuck in that gap, I cannot give up. I will submit my item for this contest and any other contest I can, and if I don't make it or if I do make it I will save up all of the critiques and advice I can get and use it to make myself a better writer. I will use my free time to do whatever I can to channel that energy that flowed so freely when I had nothing to lose, but now seems so elusive, until I can get where I need to be. It may take years, it may take decades, but if I give up I will never even have a chance of finding out.
[I beg to differ]
Umm, no: I can report that entering items has only brought me disappointment and soul-corroding despair, remorselessly hammering away with a message that if I have any sense of decency I should go away and kill myself. That is what entering RPGSuperstar has done to me the three times I have made the stupid mistake of submitting my attempts at real items.
[/I beg to differ]Edit:
All that admitted, I grant it probably makes sense for anyone with the time to try to enter at least once to find out just how much the experience sucks or exhilarates in their own context.
I appreciate the warning, but I've already gotten my quota of writing-induced soul-corroding despair out of the way for this year from having a 30k word anthology submission I spent months working on rejected via form letter. A 300-word wondrous item is not likely to break me.
LET'S DO THIS!
(sorry, just trying to get myself into the proper mindset, as I really did just shake the emotional aftermath of the aforementioned rejection and another one right on top of it)
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Good luck to everyone this year, and I'll chime in and likewise suggest to read Sean's autoreject advice on wondrous items. Actually read any advice that Sean gives and take it to heart, not only because it's damn good advice, but because if you don't follow it, he's apt to corner you at GenCon and draw on your face.
Ah here we go again. :) I'm looking forward to it.
I plan to enter. Even if I don't do well the excitment is just to much. That 'what if' dream or feeling just gets me.
Brace yourselves.
I know last year my item was not fully thought out. Thank you Mr. Peterson for the uplifting battlecry, and I will definitely take Jim Groves advice to heart this year...*deep breath* Let's do this!!!!
If I find the time to write something up before the deadline, I'll take my chances again. Anyway, good luck to all contestants!
My friend once urged me to take part in the contest (it was last year), but I declined. Sure, I seem to be a walking, talking idea machine at times, but sometimes I just lack focus, and I was too cynical about my view on stuff, and I was pretty sure that my ideas are far too wild and different to be accepted as "good" material for Pathfinder. Even impartial judges are biased, since by the end of the day, we are all human after all.
Well, this is a dilemma.
On the one hand, I'd be very interested to put in an item and get feedback on it. It sounds interesting.
On the other hand, I don't want to compete. That is, I am not actually interested in winning the contest. I'm too busy for freelance work of any sort, and likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future. In the event that my item got selected for the top 32, I would feel horrendously guilty for having taken a slot away from someone who wants the work.
So, is there some way to do an "exhibition only" entry that would not be formally judged and ineligible to proceed to round 2?
Last year there was a Voluntary Rejects thread on the forum where people posted the items they'd made but not submitted (for one reason or another) and gave feedback on each other's items.
If you're absolutely certain you don't want to compete, you might be better starting a thread like that after entries close for this year.
As for me, I guess I'll be trying for 4th time lucky.
Rejection is part of the game. First thing you need to learn as a writer (or game designer) is that it's not personal, not a comment on your ego, not a bash, etc. If you can't accept it, by all means, don't try again, because it will tear you to pieces in the end.
If you can, however, take it as a criticism on your work intended to improve your work, you will grow.
Quote from Stephen King: How to be a writer: first, you have to write a million words of S***.
Okay, this will be my first year to try this... hard to really come up with something original/different/useful that does not tilt the game balance. Love reading through the previous years submissions...
To all of you still sitting on the fence, I'd recommend you to look at me as a perfect example of what Clark means when he says "you don't have to 'win' to 'win'".
Last year was my first year entering. It took a lot of guts, but I decided to enter, and stick around to get feedback. I didn't win. I didn't even make the first pass of the keep pile. But you know what, I learned. And when a thread came up on these boards asking for entries to Dreamscarred's bestiary, I hit that running.
And you know what, I didn't win that either, but it did get my foot in the door. And now, I'm published and one of my adventures is for sale here on the site. In fact, because I entered this competition and gave it my all last year, I don't even know if I still qualify as a newcomer to the industry.
If I hadn't submitted items to this competition, I never would have read all the "judge my item" threads. And if I never read those threads, I would have missed the psionic bestiary contest. And, if I never tried for that - even after failing here - I never would be sitting here trying to determine if I still qualify for this very competition a year later.
I lost RPG Superstar, hard, and I still won - even harder.
So to all of you who do undoubtedly qualify for this competition, don't beat around the bush. Hit the bush with a maximized fireball, and hit the ground running. You might fail. Statistically, only a tiny percentage will make it through. But, you don't even have to make the keep pile to win. Some people might knock participation, but you'd be surprised what a little extra effort can give you.
And remember that Neil Spicer didn't make the Top 32 his first year. Just because you don't make it into the Top 32 doesn't mean you're not good.
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RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Star Voter Season 6
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"Just because you don't make it into the Top 32 doesn't mean you're not good." - I'd disagree with that, but that wouldn't get us anywhere.
Besides, I'm starting to feel like whatever I could come up with is either too "different" or is already taken as an idea right now.
It's way to early to bum yourself out. If you're getting burned out take a day or two away from the design table and do something else.
As I and others have said, inspiration can come from anywhere, from fantasy (which is a clever trap, you can lose points if you stray too close to the original) to absurdity (The Marx brothers) to just something you hear or see that strikes a cord. (My lahamu sprang from the thought that popped into my head "It doesn't have to chew, it just likes the taste.")
Also remember that sometimes it's a new spin on an old idea. My shield bracelt is ugly compared to more recent submissions. What carried it was that it was a new angle to metamagic that caught attention. What caught the judges eye on the tankard was that it played with the 'off hand' mechanic. I'm sure the other items you can gleam similar insights, but I remember mine best, of course ;-)
What I learned from the last time I entered was as follows:
1) Don't let critiques sway you *too* much. I ended up listening to a friend last year and not submitting an item I really liked and put a lot of work into, ultimately submitting something inferior.
2) First appearances matter quite a lot. The judges have a lot of things to go through. If you create a wondrous item in the shape of a ritual dagger or a walking stick, they're likely to go "it's a weapon, reject" or "it's a staff, reject" even though the actual function and purpose of your item is not those things.
3) It's great to get involved in RPG Superstar and have fun, but don't overinvest in it. Don't let it be the end of the world if it ends up going poorly for you or if you don't get through. At the end of the day, the primary goal is to enjoy and improve RPGs.