Hi everyone.
I often make a comment in the judges chambers when evaluating items that I thought I would share here in the public forums.
I don't do a good job of explaining it, so if someone smarter than me can figure out a way to say it better please feel free.
Here is the gist of it:
The first round is funny. Our GOAL for the first round is to find 32 contestants, and by that I mean 32 potential designers to compete to win a chance to write a pathfinder adventure. Of course, the best way to do that would be to have a comprehensive in person interview with everyone who wanted the job and read extensive writing samples. But we can't do that, since hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds want to enter the contest. And we can only pick 32. So we came up with a TASK for the potential contestants to work on to help us pick who from all the potential contestants should be the actual contestants. That task is to design a wondrous item, which is a genius task for a lot of reasons.
Sometimes, however, I remind the judges not to be too strict on the TASK because the real purpose of the task is the GOAL of finding the best 32 contestants for the contest. If we could interview everyone we would. But we can't. So sometimes though a submission may have some flaws, sometimes we see some spark or mojo or creativity or design-fu that makes us say, ok, the person did good (but not great) on the TASK but we see things here that make the person really fit for the GOAL we have of choosing the best 32 contestants.
Does that make sense? In short, the "first round" is really more of the interview process to choose who the contestant should be.
I hope that helps some of you see how I think about this first round at least. I will say not every judge embraces my view (though none overtly reject it, I just care about it more). Some are more strict about the TASK than I am, and I respect that.
I know you guys like hearing this kind of stuff. Sorry if I did a bad job explaining it. I hope you understand what I am trying to say.
At the risk of sounding like a suck up, I think this is a pretty genius approach. How else would you be able to review so many candidates from so many places in such a short amount of time? Then, after culling to 32, you get the community (your consumer) to help you judge what is best. Whoever came up with this idea deserves a fat raise.
I think it was Erik, Lisa and Vic. And I'm sure they gave themselves one :) Paizo has used the wondrous item design task for round 1 since the first incarnation of the contest. I had the honor to be a judge that year with Erik Mona and Wolfgang Bauer. The idea for the wondrous item task was already set by the time I was invited to be a judge and told what was going on. I'm pretty sure it was Erik's idea, but I'm not absolutely sure.
But the bottom line is that the first round is funny. Its the round the judges cull from the "entrants" to determine the "contestants". Unlike later rounds where the public determines which contestants advance.
For you sports fans, its like we are the March Madness NCAA selection committee in charge of the tournament bracket. Most get their spots from winning their conferences--"automatic bids," so to speak. Same here. Most of the top 32 are simply the best items we saw. But then as you get to the lower rankings, other things factor in to who get the at large bid to be in RPG Superstar. Though all those things come from the submission and the submission alone. We dont know anything about who the author is.
Just for posterity (and those following along at home), my judging style is that I always go very in-depth. I think everyone can tell that just from my detailed item critiques. But, basically, I do all that because I want to assess the TASK as thoroughly as I can. I want all the analysis in front of me before I make a final decision. And I want as good a sense as I can get about how a potential contestant did at the TASK. Then, I set that aside and examine the GOAL. For every misstep in the TASK, was there enough there (creative mojo, attention to detail, innovative spark, etc.) to override my concerns? And, once I've assessed things from both those angles, that's when I cast my vote.
But Clark is right. As judges, we're attempting to determine which items demonstrate who most deserves a shot at the Top 32...i.e., who can bring the most to the competition. We don't expect everyone who gets this opportunity to have a flawless item submission. Instead, we see enough in their item that we want to see more. We want to see how they grow over the whole experience of competing in RPG Superstar. And, ultimately, we want to see the best designer come out on top. That's a win for them, a win for Paizo, and hopefully a win for the whole industry, as who knows what that designer may go on to do?
Just my two cents,
--Neil
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Star Voter Season 6
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I hope Clark doesn't mind my adding a personal anecdote about GOAL vs. TASK. (Yes, there Matthew goes again, talking about himself...)
When I entered the bracelet, I wasn't expecting to make it to the 32. I was expecting my item to die a horrible little death, get ripped to shreds, and I learn from it. That it did, and that I butchered round two so badly, reflects my lack of preperation,* and likely denied someone who was a bit more prepared than I a shot.
My normal joking attitude caused some friction with the next year. While I was deadly serious about doing my best, some people looked at my humourous comments and predictions of self immolation as me not taking it seriously. I was.**
What I'm saying, in a meandering way, is don't enter unless you're prepared to be writing a 10K adventure in 2012. The bar gets raised every year, as do the number of entries. If your GOAL is to just handle the TASK, and you do make it to the 32, take a bow out and let an alternate step up.
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Developer
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8
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Thank you Clark (and Neil) for providing great insight into the workings of the contest, as always! Balancing goal and task must be challenging, but it always seems like you have a diverse panel of judges who all take the time to look at each item from various angles.
I like how Clark's focus on the "goal" of the contest (paladin!) and Neil's in-depth critiques of the items (wizard!) continue to reflect Sean's "judges as PC classes" idea...
I like how Clark's focus on the "goal" of the contest (paladin!) and Neil's in-depth critiques of the items (wizard!) continue to reflect Sean's "judges as PC classes" idea...
Hah! I never thought about that. But I would totally agree. :)
Dear Clark, Neil, Sean, and Ryan,
It makes me feel good that you provided this small insight into your analysis and critique mind-set. I fervently hope (as I'm sure every entrant does) that something GOOD is seen in my writing this year, as I feel I have learned a great deal from previous years.
But at the same time, I am very aware that competition is FIERCE and that really, only 32 are chosen (alternates notwithstanding).
I almost feel like paraphrasing that *old* "Milk, it does a body good commercial" in which a skinny little kid is pleading with his coach to let him in the game, going on to say he's been drinking milk and exercising, practicing (and while this goes on older and bigger kids take is "place" as we are seeing him grow-up). And at the end of the commercial, the coach sends him in...
Yeah, I feel like paraphrasing that... just not sure how I'd go about it. ;)
Man oh man... still a month and a half to go. :P
Dean
This whole thing is one reason I think it would great if Superstar were split into two different things.
One is a simple contest--it's touted as something fun for everyone, you enter, winners are chosen and get a one time prize. Everyone is encouraged to try so they can get feedback from the experience.
The other is a more serious competition with the intent of finding a new freelance writer at the end of it made very, very clear. Only truly serious applicants are encouraged to try, not just anyone who wants their item judged. And it shouldn't be called something like "Superstar," which makes it sound like a cheesy reality show competition.
That way the people who just want to compete and have fun designing can do so but don't step on the toes who are trying to take the competition as a serious opportunity to get their foot in the door of the game design business.
Just a thought, I realize there's a lot of reasons why it wouldn't hit reality. But I do think sometimes the goal of the competition isn't always as obvious as it should be.
So Goal is the carrot and Task is the stick... but this is the most fun "stick" I've ever been whacked with.
I don't think a "fun only" contest would work, for the simple reason that there is no carrot for Paizo. Might be fun, but there's no goal (except possibly bragging rights). If a fan wanted to put on such a contest, there would be a conflict with Paizo, and if Paizo put it on, no win for them... Take what is given and enjoy it!
This whole thing is one reason I think it would great if Superstar were split into two different things.
One is a simple contest--it's touted as something fun for everyone, you enter, winners are chosen and get a one time prize. Everyone is encouraged to try so they can get feedback from the experience.
You know, as awesome as this community is, there is nothing stopping YOU from organizing such a contest and having the community vote in one big thread. Why not? I think a "for fun" design contest would be cool. I think you should maybe have it be a spell or a weapon or something rather than a wondrous item. Or a feat, maybe.
Great idea! Now, as with any good writer, time to take a good idea and apply work--turn your idea into something real. That's where most people fall down. We can all think something up, the true creators are the people who put in the sweat and toil and do the work.
So, DQ, perhaps we have found in you a community leader and organizer. :)
Everyone wants to enter the Paizo contest. Because they're Paizo. People want to enter Superstar because all the most famous awesome people in the gaming industry ever might look at their entry, and some of their shine will rub off on them.
No one wants to enter the DeathQuaker contest, even if DeathQuaker had staff and time and money to make the DeathQuaker contest happen. Because it's DeathQuaker, and she's stinky and ugly and awful, and who the hell is she anyway? Besides, the only resources I have to provide are cookies, and even there, everyone would rather have Lilith's, and we're back to the point that people want the awesome shiny that Paizo contains.
I still wanted to share the sentiment that I'd appreciate some clarity in the purpose of the contest, and that there is room for more than one contest the resources available. I hope that sentiment remains open for consideration, even if I have disappointed you otherwise.
I know I wouldn't have time to judge a thousand entries, but with the combined effort of a whole bunch of us, it's not something that's impossible. And, maybe it could get run somewhere in the summer months between RPG superstar? A 'practice round' as it were.
Be advised that Kobold Quarterly has been hosting design-a-monster contests at least a couple of times now. I believe Adam Daigle won one of those. So, in some respects, there are other contests for that kind of thing that aren't necessarily a "break into freelancing" type of prize. Though, I'm certain Wolfgang looks favorably upon those who make the cut in such contests when considering pitches from them for actual KQ articles.
And a little off topic (for a moment) another contest that started last year was Dreamscarred Press's Psionic Bestiary and was another way to "break into freelancing". It was a LOT of fun by the way.
But, Paizo got that sort of thing started, and I'd be remiss in my "community member" duties if I didn't acknowledge that. :)
So, thank you Paizo Publishing for giving the "little guys/girls" a chance. (Thank you for inspiring others to host similar contests).
Okay... I now return us to our regularly scheduled RPG Superstar 2012 discussion. :)
/end threadjack.
Dreamscarred's psionic bestiary contest was where I got my start freelancing. It shows you gotta try every opportunity that comes your way, cause you never know when your break is going to be.
RPGSuperstar is more like a chasm than a break, though. ;)