Calling all women gamers: RPG Superstar needs you!

[Sean K Reynolds]

You know what I'd really like?

I'd like to see many women in the Top 32 of this year's competition. We've had a few women in past competitions (yay!) but it would be really nice if we had more (yay!).

Gaming isn't the boy's club it used to be back in the 1980s and 1990s. There are a LOT of women gamers out there, and they can be just as hardcore as the men gamers. They can design cool magic items, too.

If you know a female gamer—and especially if there's a female gamer in your group—please, please, pretty please, encourage her to submit a wondrous item to RPG Superstar.

There's still plenty of time, the deadline is December 18 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Thanks.

[cwslyclgh]

I asked my wife if she wanted to enter (she can come up with some very cool ideas), but she declined simply because she doesn't have the time, patience, or inclination to write a full adventure if she were to actually win.

[Goblinlover]

:) done!!!!!! Steve Fontaine is on the case!!! My GF is JUST taking an interetst!!! It will be cool to see what she comes up with since she doesnt have much influencing her from PAST Roleplaying products! :)

[Coridan]

It would be nice...but I want to win and I am a boy, so girls just gotta settle for second place at best ;)

[Marie Small]

I second Sean. Speaking from personal experience, the community here is extremely supportive, and you'll learn a ton. :)

If you've been thinking about it, do it. Don't second guess. Do it. No excuses. :) I didn't know much beyond character creation rules in RPGSS 2011, but my item made the cut anyway.

Now, not having the time (as opposed to telling yourself that out of fear) is a totally different issue. :D

One last note --:

Do. It. You know you want to. ;)

[Jacob Trier]

Damn straight - the Top 32 guildhall was a major sausage-fest last year. We need more talented women writing and designing rpgs.

[Cat Daemon]

I had to go and double check that I was still eligible. It turns out I am, so I am now wielding an Item Polisher of Superstar Success*

*Not a real item for submission.

[Monica Marlowe]

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

You know what I'd really like?

I'd like to see many women in the Top 32 of this year's competition. We've had a few women in past competitions (yay!) but it would be really nice if we had more (yay!).

Gaming isn't the boy's club it used to be back in the 1980s and 1990s. There are a LOT of women gamers out there, and they can be just as hardcore as the men gamers. They can design cool magic items, too.

If you know a female gamer—and especially if there's a female gamer in your group—please, please, pretty please, encourage her to submit a wondrous item to RPG Superstar.

There's still plenty of time, the deadline is December 18 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time.

Thanks.

But Sean, if *I* enter, who will do the spell checking for my spouse?!

[Andrew Marlowe]

mamaursula wrote:

But Sean, if *I* enter, who will do the spell checking for my spouse?!

True, mamaursula is a big help...but mine's in and submitted! So this is not an excuse. I'll try to persuade her Sean but the giant eye-rolling doesn't really encourage me.

[Monica Marlowe]

Andrew Marlowe wrote:

mamaursula wrote:

But Sean, if *I* enter, who will do the spell checking for my spouse?!

True, mamaursula is a big help...but mine's in and submitted! So this is not an excuse. I'll try to persuade her Sean but the giant eye-rolling doesn't really encourage me.

Truth be told, I wouldn't want to have to sleep on the couch if I won. You were always a sore loser. Oh wait, no, that was me too. :-)

[Mike Welham]

I'm trying to convince my 16-year-old daughter to submit an item.

[Drejk]

Parents shouldn't force their children to complete the parent's unfulfilled dream!

Oh...

Wait...

Spoiler:

:P

[Marie Small]

Mike Welham wrote:

I'm trying to convince my 16-year-old daughter to submit an item.

Is she interested in a "dry run" this year, Mike? We've suggested this to our 16 year old son because he wants to submit an item and doesn't have the grades to convince us he's ready to compete. The design bug might bite her that way. ;)

[Judy Bauer]

Sean K Reynolds wrote:

I'd like to see many women in the Top 32 of this year's competition. We've had a few women in past competitions (yay!) but it would be really nice if we had more (yay!).

+ Several million—especially if this leads to getting women on the development team! :D

(Also, yay for young aspiring designers!)

[Mike Welham]

Marie Small wrote:

Mike Welham wrote:

I'm trying to convince my 16-year-old daughter to submit an item.

Is she interested in a "dry run" this year, Mike? We've suggested this to our 16 year old son because he wants to submit an item and doesn't have the grades to convince us he's ready to compete. The design bug might bite her that way. ;)

That is a good idea. She's got an item idea, but she's worried about the time commitment if she happened to get into the Top 32. Her grades are good, and I think she'd be able to handle the extra work, but a dry run would give her a feel for the competition without the deadline stresses. :)

[Mike Welham]

Thanks for starting this thread, Sean.

[Amanda Hamon]

What a great thread! Let me add my voice to all those calling for more women to enter this year's RPG Superstar. For those on the fence, just give it a shot. It doesn't take very long to design an item, and you just might find a real love for game design.

Now come on, ladies: Let's see all your awesome items!

[Neil Spicer]

My girls are a bit young to submit this year. But rest assured, they've got the Pathfinder bug already. So, it won't be long... :-)

[Kiel Howell]

Age 4 is good right? I mean...I guess I've got a while until she can post. But on the good news front, she loved the Kids Track stuff!

[Clark Peterson]

I absolutely agree with Sean. We really need more women gamers represented in Superstar. I think it would be great to see. We have had some good ones, but I want more! It's a great contest, a supportive environment, a wonderful community. Give it a try!

[Jacob Trier]

Neil Spicer wrote:

My girls are a bit young to submit this year. But rest assured, they've got the Pathfinder bug already. So, it won't be long... :-)

And his wife is pregnant again...oh my God, he's building an army of little Spicer RPG design machines! I don't know I should be excited or terrified about that - probably both...

[Sean McGowan]

Jacob Trier wrote:

And his wife is pregnant again...oh my God, he's building an army of little Spicer RPG design machines! I don't know I should be excited or terrified about that - probably both...

And they shall be called... the Spice girls.

[Neil Spicer]

Sean McGowan wrote:

Jacob Trier wrote:

And his wife is pregnant again...oh my God, he's building an army of little Spicer RPG design machines! I don't know I should be excited or terrified about that - probably both...

And they shall be called... the Spice girls.

Hah!

Spoiler:

They already are. O_O

[Kajehase]

Neil Spicer wrote:

Sean McGowan wrote:

Jacob Trier wrote:

And his wife is pregnant again...oh my God, he's building an army of little Spicer RPG design machines! I don't know I should be excited or terrified about that - probably both...

And they shall be called... the Spice girls.

Hah!

** spoiler omitted **

Spoiler:

So, is the youngest one pleased or disgruntled about not being Baby Spice for much longer?

[CrazyGnomeLady]

I actually wanted to enter, and had already created an item, but then I read the Submission Agreement, more specifically, this:

RPG Superstar Submission Agreement wrote:

I understand that all submissions to the RPG Superstar contest become the sole property of Paizo Publishing and that I willingly forgo any and all ownership of submitted materials and give all such rights to Paizo freely and without encumberment.

As a professional writer, it strikes me as odd to have to give up all rights to a submission just for entering. That basically means Paizo gets hundreds of new items for free, all rights become theirs, and they can do with them whatever they want while the smart creators get nothing (unless they make the cut and still have the chance to get a contract...).

I can't think of any legit writing contest where the entrants give up their rights just for submitting.

I'd really be interested in knowing the reason for this, Paizo, since it's a shame that this submission agreement spoils the fun for me now.

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

[Kiel Howell]

Ooo, please do enter! I have to search for the thread, but they explained that it was basically so they could protect themselves from getting sued by someone. If they published a book of Wondrous Items, and somebody submitted something from 4-5 years ago that is like one of those items, Paizo doesn't want to get sued because the author of the published item didn't know about that submission.

Please do enter!

[Sean McGowan]

CrazyGnomeLady wrote:

I actually wanted to enter, and had already created an item, but then I read the Submission Agreement, more specifically, this:

RPG Superstar Submission Agreement wrote:

I understand that all submissions to the RPG Superstar contest become the sole property of Paizo Publishing and that I willingly forgo any and all ownership of submitted materials and give all such rights to Paizo freely and without encumberment.

As a professional writer, it strikes me as odd to have to give up all rights to a submission just for entering. That basically means Paizo gets hundreds of new items for free, all rights become theirs, and they can do with them whatever they want while the smart creators get nothing (unless they make the cut and still have the chance to get a contract...).

I can't think of any legit writing contest where the entrants give up their rights just for submitting.

I'd really be interested in knowing the reason for this, Paizo, since it's a shame that this submission agreement spoils the fun for me now.

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

It's simply standard legal protection for Paizo. On the offhand chance that one of the hundred or thousands of submissions winds up bearing a passing resemblance to something they have in the works or wind up having in the works at any indefinite point in the future, that clause means a disgruntled entrant can't kick up a fuss and sue. If it weren't there, Paizo wouldn't be able to hold the contest because their asses wouldn't be covered. So while giving up control of your own IP free of charge and with no guarantee of there being any benefit from it, it's necessary for the contest to exist.

My take on it? It's 300 words or less. It's an exceedingly minor investment of your presumably much vaster creative prowess. The chance of competing is extremely worth that investment.

Since this question has come up at least once every year of the contest, here's some more detailed responses that I came up with via a few minutes worth of searching.

Here,

here,

here,

here,

and here.

[Joana]

Not to mention the same standard applies to anything you post on these forums:

Quote:

Users posting messages to the site automatically grant Paizo Publishing the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, nonexclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, sublicense, copy and distribute such messages throughout the world in any media.

It's not just Superstar entries.

[agirlnamedbob]

Well, I'm planning on entering, so fingers crossed my item is good enough to make it to the next round. :)

CrazyGnomeLady wrote:

I can't think of any legit writing contest where the entrants give up their rights just for submitting.

I'd really be interested in knowing the reason for this, Paizo, since it's a shame that this submission agreement spoils the fun for me now.

Also speaking as a professional writer, this wording is extremely common for contests of this nature. More so in recent years. I think it a.) covers Paizo from getting sued if they later end up publishing a similar item or already had one in the works, etc. etc. b.) prevents other publishers from going through the list and yoinking tons of free material.

Yeah, as a professional writer it kind of makes my hackles go up, but I'm so use to seeing it (and striking it from contracts where I can) that it's not really unexpected. Like Sean said, it's a small investment. If it was "Design an entire campaign module and we get all rights, even if you lose, for free" that'd be a little different.

[Kiel Howell]

This was the explanation from James back in January.

They seem to be a bunch of lawful good guys and gals...well...maybe Lawful neutral. :) They aren't looking to steal ideas, and if your submission was good enough to be cause for printing, but it somehow didn't make it to the Top 32, then they still might contact you for freelancing.

[Bbauzh ap Aghauzh]

CrazyGnomeLady wrote:

I actually wanted to enter, and had already created an item, but then I read the Submission Agreement, more specifically, this:

RPG Superstar Submission Agreement wrote:

I understand that all submissions to the RPG Superstar contest become the sole property of Paizo Publishing and that I willingly forgo any and all ownership of submitted materials and give all such rights to Paizo freely and without encumberment.

As a professional writer, it strikes me as odd to have to give up all rights to a submission just for entering. That basically means Paizo gets hundreds of new items for free, all rights become theirs, and they can do with them whatever they want while the smart creators get nothing (unless they make the cut and still have the chance to get a contract...).

I can't think of any legit writing contest where the entrants give up their rights just for submitting.

I'd really be interested in knowing the reason for this, Paizo, since it's a shame that this submission agreement spoils the fun for me now.

Best,
your crazy gnome lady from next door

Every single writing contest I've ever entered (and its been quite a few) the entered material became the IP of the company putting on the contest.

Secondly, its ONE item. If you are a professional writer, then you know you can come up with more than one item, and whatever other project you are working on should never hinge on one item.

Thirdly, I think since they started the contest in 2009 (which means 160 items after this year), like 4 have made a book?

Lastly, If this is a sticking point for you, then this contest is probably not for you.

[Garrett Guillotte]

agirlnamedbob wrote:

If it was "Design an entire campaign module and we get all rights, even if you lose, for free" that'd be a little different.

Notably, Open Design has an unrelated contest that involves submitting a 400-word pitch for a 32-page RPG adventure module, and the rules include "all entries become property of Open Design LLC."

One of the judges for that contest is Wolfgang Baur, who's also a judge for RPGSS 2013.

[Jacob W. Michaels]

Also, not to mention, if my item had gotten into Unlimited Equipment, I'd have been over the moon, regardless of any pay.

Now, if I were generating item after item for Paizo -- or a series of monsters or an adventure -- and never getting paid for it, I might have a problem, but as is, being able to point to something and say, "hey, I designed that and it's actually OFFICIAL!" would be payment enough (for me, at least).

[Drejk]

Mike Welham wrote:

I'm trying to convince my 16-year-old daughter to submit an item.

Actually, are minors allowed to enter the contest at all? Should check the contest rules for that.

[Sean McGowan]

Drejk wrote:

Mike Welham wrote:

I'm trying to convince my 16-year-old daughter to submit an item.

Actually, are minors allowed to enter the contest at all? Should check the contest rules for that.

Yes, they are. There have been submissions in the past by children as young as 8, I believe. No rule against it.

In fact, there's strictly speaking nothing preventing Neil's daughters from entering this year. I mean, he could just let them crawl around on the keyboard and see if a genetic inclination towards superstar material will express itself subconsciously.

[agirlnamedbob]

I think that's the point I was making. It's one thing for a pitch or a short item submission or whatever to become Paizo's (or any other publisher's) property. If they were constantly putting out new books full of submissions from RPG superstar without payment or attribution...People might start to get upset.

That's the other thing, these entries (after the contest is over) are still attributed to YOU as the writer, so if someone sees it and goes "Wow, this person rocks. I wish they'd write for me!" they can contact you. It's been said before that Paizo isn't the only company that watches these contests. Others might see something that maybe wasn't a fit for Paizo, but would fit really well with what they're working on, and then approach a freelancer because of that.

Though I wouldn't get too abrasive over people taking issue with the phrasing. It's a harsh reality of a lot of publishing industries that people, especially those with other professional writing experience, hate. When you make a living off of your writing and your IP, you tend to get ornry when you have to sign it over. But yeah, writing game material is one of those industries where you're going to get your name in the credits, but the actual ownership will be signed over to someone else 99% of the time. Might as well get use to it now.

[Snorter]

Back to the main point of the thread....

I've gamed with Christine Schneider, who won the first contest (with her pitch for 'Clash of the Kingslayers'), and as well as being good company, and an efficient (ie bloodthirsty) player, impressed me when we discussed the design issues she faced in the contest.
Not least being that she was competing in a second language.

So there is a precedent for female entrants doing well. Don't hang back, out of some misplaced belief that the guys will close ranks. Remember, the CEO of Paizo is a woman, and one who's been involved in some of the major RPG projects of the last 25 years.

[Neil Spicer]

Snorter wrote:

Remember, the CEO of Paizo is a woman, and one who's been involved in some of the major RPG projects of the last 25 years.

Some?! I think you mean most...if not all. ;-)

[Neil Spicer]

Kajehase wrote:

Spoiler:

So, is the youngest one pleased or disgruntled about not being Baby Spice for much longer?

Spoiler:

She's still only 3...so, I don't think she's formed an opinion on it yet. Once she's confronted with her new baby brother, we'll see how she adapts. For now, she stands ready to be another pair of eyes and hands in looking after him. With three older sisters (not to mention a fantastic mom!), this boy will likely become the most spoiled child in the universe. It'll be up to dad to whip him into shape. ::cracks knuckles:: ;-)

[Neil Spicer]

Sean McGowan wrote:

...there's strictly speaking nothing preventing Neil's daughters from entering this year. I mean, he could just let them crawl around on the keyboard and see if a genetic inclination towards superstar material will express itself subconsciously.

.

<_<

>_>

O_O

If that worked, it really would establish there's something special going on here in NC.

[Coridan]

I was reminded of this by this thread:

SNL wrote:

Sarah Palin: Just look at how far we've come. Hillary Clinton, who came so close to the White House... and me, Sarah Palin, who is even closer. Can you believe it, Hillary?

Hillary Clinton: [ forcing a hard smile ] I cannot!

Sarah Palin: It's truly amazing, and I think women everywhere can agree, that no matter your politics, it's time for a woman to make it to the White House!

Hillary Clinton: No-o-o-o!! Mine!! It's supposed to be mine!! I'm sorry, I need to say something. I didn't want a woman to be President! I wanted to be President, and I just happen to be a woman!

[Bbauzh ap Aghauzh]

Neil Spicer wrote:

Sean McGowan wrote:

...there's strictly speaking nothing preventing Neil's daughters from entering this year. I mean, he could just let them crawl around on the keyboard and see if a genetic inclination towards superstar material will express itself subconsciously.

.

<_<

>_>

O_O

If that worked, it really would establish there's something special going on here in NC.

Ok, was gonna tell a joke that went:

Quote:

"Put enough of Neil's daughters all in a room with a bunch of computers, eventually they will type out the complete works of Paizo?"

But realized I don't know Neil well enough to know if he'd be offended or find it humorous, if I made an analogy that likened his daughters to monkeys with typewriters.

[Cheapy]

You, ah, might want to qualify that statement so that they will type out most but not all of the complete works of Paizo. He might not appreciate the implications for everything :)

[agirlnamedbob]

I'd love to even see some "for-fun" entries from the kiddies after this whole thing is over. Kids from gamer families say the darndest things.

[Jacob W. Michaels]

Neil Spicer wrote:

With three older sisters (not to mention a fantastic mom!), this boy will likely become the most spoiled child in the universe.

I'm guessing you didn't have older sisters?

[Sean McGowan]

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

Neil Spicer wrote:

With three older sisters (not to mention a fantastic mom!), this boy will likely become the most spoiled child in the universe.

I'm guessing you didn't have older sisters?

Yeah, in this case 'spoiled' might equate to 'viewed as an ideal candidate to see if their old chatty Charlene dolly dress-up clothing fits on the new kid'.

Not that I speak from personal experience or anything like that.

[Sean McGowan]

Bbauzh ap Aghauzh wrote:

Ok, was gonna tell a joke that went:

Quote:

"Put enough of Neil's daughters all in a room with a bunch of computers, eventually they will type out the complete works of Paizo?"

But realized I don't know Neil well enough to know if he'd be offended or find it humorous, if I made an analogy that likened his daughters to monkeys with typewriters.

Actually, one of the unspoken rules of RPG Superstar is that monkeys are always a good idea.

[Jeff Lee]

Garrett Guillotte wrote:

agirlnamedbob wrote:

If it was "Design an entire campaign module and we get all rights, even if you lose, for free" that'd be a little different.

Notably, Open Design has an unrelated contest that involves submitting a 400-word pitch for a 32-page RPG adventure module, and the rules include "all entries become property of Open Design LLC."

One of the judges for that contest is Wolfgang Baur, who's also a judge for RPGSS 2013.

Yes, but the thing is all you're giving them rights to is the bare bones outline of an adventure idea. My submission to that contest is in as well. Let me tell you, 400 words is not a lot. Barely a blip on the radar. No room for statblocks, or involved plotlines, or much of anything other than the basic idea. It's not like you're turning in a fully completed 32 page adventure for free. If you didn't win, you could fully develop that adventure and submit it to another company. All Open Design would own is your 400 word pitch. There would likely be changes along the way that would make the end result a far cry from the initial idea. Things tend to work out that way.

[Jeff Erwin]

I'm not qualified this year, and I've mentioned the contest to my groups. Half of my gamer friends are female, but none of them feel like they can take on the rules aspect of things, and none of them DM.
It's kind of a cliche - women gamers as roleplayers over rules lawyers. I personally think this makes the games I run far better. Is this a gender thing? I don't know. It seems like it's a cultural thing, but it's still a giant problem for entering the industry.
Is it partly the "wondrous item" issue? Fitting an interesting description and (brand new rules-based) effect into a tightly limited word count seems more of an engineering challenge than a storytelling challenge, though it still rewards creativity.
Also the proliferation of magic items favors those of us who can actually familiarize ourselves with what's been already written. I'm confident that my female gaming acquaintances and friends could potentially write some great adventures, but the focus - based on the people I know - would be on the story and setting rather than the mechanics. This is in part, I think, because PF does have a intense, rules-based side to it that harkens more to wargaming than cooperative play.
Even so, there's got to be some geeky, mechanics-interested, creative women out there!

[Jeff Erwin]

Shadowborn wrote:

Garrett Guillotte wrote:

agirlnamedbob wrote:

If it was "Design an entire campaign module and we get all rights, even if you lose, for free" that'd be a little different.

Notably, Open Design has an unrelated contest that involves submitting a 400-word pitch for a 32-page RPG adventure module, and the rules include "all entries become property of Open Design LLC."

One of the judges for that contest is Wolfgang Baur, who's also a judge for RPGSS 2013.

Yes, but the thing is all you're giving them rights to is the bare bones outline of an adventure idea. My submission to that contest is in as well. Let me tell you, 400 words is not a lot. Barely a blip on the radar. No room for statblocks, or involved plotlines, or much of anything other than the basic idea. It's not like you're turning in a fully completed 32 page adventure for free. If you didn't win, you could fully develop that adventure and submit it to another company. All Open Design would own is your 400 word pitch. There would likely be changes along the way that would make the end result a far cry from the initial idea. Things tend to work out that way.

This is true, but it's also why I have two imaginary folders in my head and writing - one is - things I feel I must develop completely on my own, or with significant editorial control - like my Thousand Gods setting, and a scenario I'm currently working on for a 3pp publisher - and ideas I would love to write but don't need to own in that way. Call it art for art's sake and art for hire...

On the other hand, having my own specific obsessive work allows me to put a lot of good ideas in the other pile, since I have far more ideas than time.