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Eric Morton RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16, 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka Epic Meepo |
This is the place for the 2012 Top 32 (and alternates) to hang out, talk shop, and basically blow off some steam. And, as always, once the class of 2012 is revealed, past finalists are welcome to stop by and say hello.
Unless, of course, the world has been destroyed in a Mayan Apocalypse since the creation of this thread, in which case posting herein has become rather passe. Seriously, alien archeologists, have you no better relics of human civilization to play with than this silly, little thread?
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Eric Morton RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16, 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka Epic Meepo |
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I'm back, baby! Looks like I may have been a Golden Ticket this year, but I'll take it.
Edit: Because I've been waiting for three years for a chance to compete in a monster design round, and practicing for three months.
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Jacob W. Michaels RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
![Kobold](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/d1_avatar.jpg)
Congrats to everyone. I'm still (very, very happily) stunned.
However, there's a downside: I'm at work and I still need to help put out a newspaper tonight, but all I want to do is read everyone's items and keep hitting refresh to see the comments.
And of course start working on my organization.
It's probably too late to call in sick...
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Eric Morton RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16, 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka Epic Meepo |
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Alexander Bennett RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka artofcheatery |
![Valeros](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/Pathfinder1_Fighter.jpg)
Congrats to everyone. I'm still (very, very happily) stunned.
Right there with you Jacob.
I don't have work right now (actually, I don't have work for over another week) but it took me a half an hour to calm down enough to check the comments on my own item. I suspect I won't be able to work on my organization until tonight at the earliest.
Probably a good thing I don't have work right now.
-Xander
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![Biter](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/PZO1126-Biter_90.jpeg)
Congratulations everyone! I'm pretty sure that my being in the Top 32 heralds the end of the world, especially since it looks like I received one of the "golden tickets".
I don't look forward to going up against you in the monster round, Eric. If I make it that far, that is. :)
Good luck in the future rounds!
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Jacob W. Michaels RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor |
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Jacob Trier RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 |
![Kobold](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/d1_avatar.jpg)
*Top 32 fistbumps all round*
Wow, this is...wow. Congratulations, everyone, and best of luck. May the one with the most awesome to distribute win.
Well, time to buckle down and shake off the shock. Which I will do by going to bed and trying to get some sleep (fat chance). Curse you, time zones, curse you. *shakes fist*
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Daniel Rust RPG Superstar 2012 Top 8 |
![Aboleth](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/A4-Gate-to-the-Plane-of-Sh.jpg)
Daniel, I had the same thought. I was holding off so I didn't get my hopes up too high, though I couldn't help but daydream/brainstorm this morning as I was walking the dog. She may get some really long walks in the next couple days as I finalize my next submission.
Yeah, I've had my hopes dashed before so I didn't want to get too carried away. Like you, I couldn't help jotting a few things down this morning (just in case), so I'm not going to be starting entirely from scratch. Just mostly.
However, I'm now going to have to join the other Jacob in going to bed as it's late and I have an annoying thing called work in the morning.
(And when I say join him I don't mean, you know, join him.)
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Eric Morton RPG Superstar 2009 Top 16, 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9 aka Epic Meepo |
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Jacob W. Michaels RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor |
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Clark Peterson Legendary Games, Necromancer Games |
![Black Dragon](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/PZO9258-BlackDragon_500.jpeg)
Congrats, guys!
This year had our highest number of entries in the history of the contest, and as I have said the general quality has been increasing.
So making Top 32 this year is very impressive.
You guys are like the top 2 or 3%
Think about that.
So instead of worrying about ranking yourselves or thinking one is better than the other within this group of 32, don't do that. You all start with a clean slate. There are no rankings in the top 32. The vote will start with the next round.
Literally, any one of you could win this thing. It is time for all of you to have that confidence and to show it. Believe in yourself.
Great work!
Clark
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![Sahuagin](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/314.jpg)
Hey, this place is really nice when there's no pressure on you. Congrats to everyone who made it this year. Here's a few pieces of advice:
Don't think you've got the next round locked down, no matter how good your initial reviews are. Put the pedal the metal from the get-go and try your best, swing for the fences.
Go a little gonzo, but know where the line is. Some people love the oddball stuff, some people pride themselves on running the same campaign since 1975. Both audiences vote...
Have fun, this contest really is a blast, no matter how stressful each round seems. Just go with it!
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Russell Vaneekhoven RPG Superstar 2012 Top 8 aka Ottovar |
![Boggard](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/PZO9034-Boggard.jpg)
Hey Congrats once again to all here (and to all who have gone before!) This is my second year entering and both times a little voice (in Aklo) kept reminding me of how sharp the community here is and who was I to submit an item?
Luckily, I have no ranks in Linguistics...
And I played an Elf.... When it was a class :)
Cheers
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Matt Goodall Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 |
![Howler](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/TSR95053-54.jpg)
Good luck everyone! A small bit of advice, as you probably already know, the time you had for Round 1 is a luxury you won't have again in this competition. I really recommend getting as much time off work as you can.
@Will Cooper: the afternoon work meetings probably aren't that important. But then again I would say that. :-)
I'd also advise not getting distracted by checking the boards continuously. Save that for after the deadline for each round. That said, I’m always interested in where people are from. So maybe jump in here to let people know a little about you and update your account profile. (After the round is over :-)
Big important thing, sleep! Get some between rounds because the brain doesn’t work nearly as well if you don’t. (And you will almost certainly be pulling all-nighters as the deadlines loom.)
Lastly, remember to enjoy the ride, this is an awesome competition!
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Chad Bartlett RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
![Valeros](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/Pathfinder1_Fighter02.jpg)
*joins in the fistbumps* Hi, everybody! Is this crazy, or what!? It's cool they give us our own "Guildhall," lol!
My Facebook post today read like this: "Holy @#$%! I made it into the top 32 of RPG Superstar!" It was an absolute thrill to pull up the website today and see my name on the list.
I hope we all have an awesome Round 2. I'll try my best creatively, but I'm not super competitive about all this. I just want to have fun and run with it. I hope we all find the time, feel inspired, and do our best work. Good luck to all of you, mi amigos! :) I sincerely can't wait to see what you all design!
I asked my wife tonight, "So, have you always wanted to make love to an RPG Superstar?" She just rolled her eyes. Hahahaha!
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Jacob Trier RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8 |
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Jacob W. Michaels RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor |
![Kobold](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/d1_avatar.jpg)
I'm glad that it sounds like I wasn't the only one who woke up two to three hours early, couldn't get back to sleep, and figured, "well, let's go look at the boards (and think more about my organization)." This, of course, after staying up a little late doing research.
I'm not sure I can make my Will save to keep from checking the boards constantly, but hopefully I can find a version of one of David's clockwork consciences to help.
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Greg Monk RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7 aka Monkster |
![Ghlaunder (Symbol)](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/25_Symbol_of_Ghlaunder.jpg)
The best of luck to all of my fellow finalists! :) This is my third time entering, and it's totally awesome to finally make the top 32!
+1.
And, also like others here, I wish I'd had a bit more confidence in my entry, and worked more on my Organization - I'm in a conference in Orlando for IT in schools, stuff I usually find interesting - and can't think of anything but, "hmmmm..., wonder how this tweak would affect my entry..."
Hope my boss isn't a Pathfinder fan.
Once again, congrats to all of you [joins the communal fist bump] - some tough competition out there! And oh, yes, we WILL be using some of these entries in our local group.
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Andrew Newton RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 aka Stormfriend |
![Ninja](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/25_adventurer_final.jpg)
Hi guys, congratulations to everyone. I can't believe how lucky I was to squeeze in at the last minute there... Of course this is a super-busy week at work and I'm knackered, but what's new?
I'm trying to decide how gonzo I go in the next round. Even though my wondrous item was completely serious a few people saw it as a joke entry, so I may need to play it a bit safer in round 2.
Is round 2 still anonymous for the voting process, or do people know who submitted what? My most gonzo, and I think interesting, submission relates to a messageboard post I made a while back so might accidentally identify me as the author. If it's an anonymous process until the voting is over then I'll need to do something different.
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Neil Spicer Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut |
![Silver Dragon](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/SilverDragon7.jpg)
It won't be anonymous to the judges (i.e., we'll know who submitted what this go-around--and in all future rounds of this year's competition). But, while you're working on your next submission, it should remain anonymous to the voting public. They don't get to see it until the next reveal on Tuesday at 2PM PST.
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Andrew Newton RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 aka Stormfriend |
![Ninja](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/25_adventurer_final.jpg)
But when the general public see it on Tuesday, I take it they'll know who submitted what before they vote for it? I can keep a secret, but it sounds like I don't need to worry about people identifying me from the submission itself, once it's posted. That's good to know.
I just don't want to accidentally disqualify myself having got this far :-)
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Jacob W. Michaels RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor |
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![Mite](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/PZO9256-Mite_90.jpeg)
Thomas, great, now I'm thinking of a Newspaper Guild. That does NOT seem Superstar, though (and based on my experience, they'd all be out of work or have the union broken post-haste). : )
I was thinking the FOX Network myself. Damn Kitsune! Only 10 points to become a FOX Affiliate...
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![Night Wyvern](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/A7_Wyvern.jpg)
But when the general public see it on Tuesday, I take it they'll know who submitted what before they vote for it? I can keep a secret, but it sounds like I don't need to worry about people identifying me from the submission itself, once it's posted. That's good to know.
I just don't want to accidentally disqualify myself having got this far :-)
Each rounds entry gets attached to your name with a list of what else you've done before in the competition underneath it. So voting public will know who it is from and who they are voting. Just don't go speaking about your entry at all to anyone in public before voting ends. You can ask for votes come next week but make sure to bite your tongue and don't speak about your item beyond thanking them for their input.
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Neil Spicer Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut |
![Silver Dragon](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/SilverDragon7.jpg)
+1 to Joshua's assertion.
Go back and read the FAQ for Round 2. It lays out what's acceptable (and not acceptable) with regards to commenting about your Round 2 submission when it goes live for the voters to see. Essentially, your work should stand on its own. So, there's opportunity to qualify, beg, plead, or otherwise sway people for their votes. After the voting is done, then you can comment about any prior round's entry. Of course, that's assuming you're already well ahead on your next round's assignment.
But regardless of all that, your name will be associated with everything you submit from this point forward. There's no more anonymity. So, people will always know whose work they're voting for...
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Joshua Murphy RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7 aka Teth Evik |
![Hand](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/Plot-mark.jpg)
Delighted and dazed being here. I'm very happy to be in such company as you lot, and I am really excited for all of us.
Some mutual entrants and I were at our 2nd Annual RPG Superstar Bitterness party when the results were announced. We went from 0 to *squee* in seconds flat. I do have a bit of luck in that my boss is in my game group, and also entered the contest, though he didn't move on.
He said, "I order you to work only on your Round 2 entry while you are at work for the next few days..."
Then he added, "...when you are done with everything you are normally assigned." So I got permission to work on it in my free time?
See everybody the next time I look up from the Inner Sea World Guide.
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Neil Spicer Contributor, RPG Superstar 2009, RPG Superstar Judgernaut |
![Silver Dragon](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/SilverDragon7.jpg)
Though my boss isn't a gamer by any stretch of the imagination, in 2009 when I informed her I'd made the Top 32 in a creative game design contest and that my next round submission was due in 3 days, her first words to me were, "What are you doing here? Go home! And get to work on your next round's assignment!"
You gotta love that kind of support. And, as a result of sharing that information with her, many of my co-workers followed along with my progress...and helped vote me through from round to round, as well. I have no doubt their support and enthusiasm helped inspire me to keep going and to give each round my best shot.
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![Griffon](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/gryphon.jpg)
Thanks, that's clear now.
My boss is a great guy but I can only dream of being allowed to work on an rpg competition during work hours...
I live in Cincinnati and work retail. I had to be at work at 4 yesterday, an hour before the announcement. I took my notes for round 2 *just in case* and my Kindle to check results. At 5 o'clock I check the page...HOLY---! Spent the rest of the night scribbling frantically between customers. That and giggling insanely.
I don't normally giggle.
My co-workers didn't mind either (even if they didn't get it.)
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Jacob W. Michaels RPG Superstar 2014 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9 aka motteditor |
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![Kobold](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/d1_avatar.jpg)
I just started dating a woman a couple weeks ago and hadn't yet told her about my gaming hobby. So last night I sent her an email about the contest (at the same time, she was writing me an email with the subject line "talk nerdy to me," though hers was about plecental nourishment and Schrodinger's cat...).
She came over today and the first thing she wanted to do was look at the item -- I was trying to explain the entire concept of role-playing games to her at the time (so she didn't really have a clue what she was looking at), but I was pretty psyched with that reaction.
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![Kobold](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/d1_avatar.jpg)
I'm a little late to the thread, but congrats everybody! I'm still in blissful disbelief that I made it in!
I just started dating a woman a couple weeks ago and hadn't yet told her about my gaming hobby. So last night I sent her an email about the contest (at the same time, she was writing me an email with the subject line "talk nerdy to me," though hers was about plecental nourishment and Schrodinger's cat...).
She came over today and the first thing she wanted to do was look at the item -- I was trying to explain the entire concept of role-playing games to her at the time (so she didn't really have a clue what she was looking at), but I was pretty psyched with that reaction.
Kind of reminds me of my wife's reaction; not being a gamer herself, she didn't really fully understand my item or remember what it was, but when I told her I made it through Round 1, her response was something like "Well, yeah, I assumed you would." Isn't spousal confidence the greatest? :)
Fun fact: I didn't really think I'd make it, and for a very specific reason. Ironically, I was almost right about not making it, but the thing I thought would knock me out seems to have never even crossed the judges' minds. Go figure, eh?
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Chris Shaeffer RPG Superstar 2015 Top 16, RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16 , Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9 aka Hodge Podge |
![Austrailan Diver](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/13_austrailan_col_final.jpg)
*Puts on Gauntlets of Epic Brofist. Proceeds with knuckle-bloodying*
When the time finally swung around, I was sitting at my computer refreshing the page periodically. On my first glance over the contestants, I missed my name completely and felt relieved, in a way.
Then I went to peruse the entries and almost fell out of my chair.
I feel that even though I got a few weak keeps, I'm still an underdog this year, so hopefully that will spur me on to shuffle with you guys toe-to-toe!
I did a little prep work for the round 2 organization, but like a lot of you, I really didn't go all out, because I wasn't expecting to get in at all.
You guys are all great designers, and I feel both humbled and proud to be working towards your eventual demise. >:D
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Alexander Bennett RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32 , Dedicated Voter Season 8 aka artofcheatery |
![Valeros](http://cdn.paizo.com/image/avatar/Pathfinder1_Fighter.jpg)
How we found out stories?
I tried to refresh the page, but it was taking longer than usual (being 2:05pm) then I remembered that we get emailed too so I looked my email checker and I had a new one, and the email was from Paizo... it was notification for my copy of the Inner Sea World Guide. So I thought "I'm in, or they just gave me free campaign setting book cause they like me. Either way, awesome!"
And then the page loaded. The rest is history.