There's still a couple hours to go in the Pacific Time Zone, but it's November here in the East, which means (assuming it's at the same time as usual), Superstar's almost here.
Looking back at last year, Clark's first post in the General Discussion forum exhorting people to enter was Nov. 15, which is just over two weeks away! (Though it looks like the contest actually started Dec. 4; the previous year it was Dec. 5.)
Oh dear lord!
Better get cracking with my save list then!
December 3 is my guess, but was going to wait until Tuesday to make any predictions :) Note: last year had a smaller window for entries than previous years.
My other prediction:
For those wanting to get some practice prior to this year's contest, I saw this thread yesterday in the Compatible Products from Other Publishers section. Not only can we work up our item design skills, but we can earn the equivalent of a cheeseburger for doing so! That, my friends, is a win-win situation.
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It just so happens I was contacted by Paizo a week or so ago about a certain event... :) and here I am looking in the Superstar forums. Hmm. Seems I might be getting that itch again. It must be getting near Superstar time.
Almost there.........
Welcome back Clark.
It's not truly Superstar time until we know you are about :)
Of course, now that you have posted, the excitement truly begins, it must be almost Christmas now - grin.
Not sure what my role is this year. I sure hope I'm one of the primary judges. But that is up to Paizo.
Clark, I think they'd be crazy not too. You've done a great job promoting and contributing to this contest over the years.
On another note, as we're now probably about three weeks and a day away from the contest being announced, what are people expecting for Round 2?
Granted, they could change, but 1 (wondrous items), 3 (monsters/villain), 4 (encounter) and 5 (adventure) have been pretty standard.
Round 2, though, has changed the most. Not counting 2008, which had an extra round, over the years we've had create a villain concept, create a monster concept, create an archetype, create an organization, and create an archetype again.
I suspect we won't see the create-a-concept rounds again, though I can see merit in seeing how the designers adapt someone else's idea into rules mechanics. Still, it feels just a bit redundant. Looking back on Sean's "What can we do better next year?" thread, he said concept-only rounds aren't as helpful to him as full mechanics and showing rules knowledge.
Archetype seems the most likely to me (and I thought last year's was far better than the first one as people got more familiar with archetpes and it had the Golarion "descriptor"). On the other hand, I still wonder whether there's a feeling that it's a bit too rules-intensive for the voters -- I think looking at last year's comment count, it was much less than the previous year's organizations (even ignoring the Monster Reformation Alliance thread). I don't know how much that matters to Paizo, but my gut feeling says it does.
Sean said he hadn't found the organization round that useful, though I really enjoyed it. I still think doing it and adding in, maybe, a feat or other mechanical bit would be fun and maybe add some use for him while perhaps keeping a few more people invested in the contest because it's easier for them to judge from home than the mechanics-heavy archetypes.
I think archetype will happen frequently but not in back-to-back contests. Anything that explores the world (and really that could be anything) is fair game. Spells, feats, organizations, PrC, that would be Golarian unique (ie fireball would be different than a Chelaxian diabolost flaming burst). No guesses on my part :)
It would be nice to have a smaller word count entry for round 2. 32 entries with 1000 word countries is hard for the average voter (I wish I had thought of that when SKR asked :). It does add to the awe I hold the judges in.
Create a New Race per the builder in the Race Guide?
Create a Downtime Event per the Ultimate Campaign book?
Chases, Haunts, and Hazards, all from the Advanced Topics section in the GameMastery Guide?
Round 2 is the hardest round to judge. You really need a task that keeps the output from the contestants in a very tight range so that it is easier to compare them against each other. I've commented on that before (if I can find it, I'll repost it).
I'm hoping something Mythic related :)
Here are my prior comments on round 2:
Some thoughts on round 2.
While the project itself was somewhat limiting to a degree, I fully support Sean's reasoning for the task. Remember, the goal is not to give you, the readers, 32 fun things to read. It is to help Paizo winnow down the best freelancers.
And, to some degree, the second round has historically been one of the hardest to judge. So you really want the submissions to be very comparable to each other. It can't be, for example, "design a monster," because then the votes will slant to the higher CR cooler monster. So the limitation on this round really helped us from a judging perspective.
I also thought we got a tighter grouping of shots, so to speak.
For instance, I really thought there were about 5-6 really strong submissions (ones that I just loved), about 4-5 more very, very good ones, then about 6-8 more that were very good but all lumped together and difficult to distinguish from each other, then the rest were all good--just not quite as good in my view as the rest.
Dang I am really getting excited for this year's Superstar. I know, I know, I say that every year. But I also mean it every year. It is always such an interesting journey. And while I sit there as a judge, I learn a lot from the contest, too. I really do. There are so many things to take away from participation in an event like this, all you have to do is turn a critical eye on the process and think about it. "The unexamined life is not worth living." Superstar is a chance for me to examine many things, not just each round's submissions. Maybe that's getting a little metaphysical for a contest on RPG company forums, but it's true. This contest is a truly great experience.
Indeed it is Clark.
For what they are worth, my predictions are ( totally "out there" most of them ;) )
1) Round 1 - Wondrous Item.
Prediction: Sean invents a new auto reject just for me as I've learnt all the others now :D
2) Round 2 - Describe an otherworldly realm from which Mythic creatures and sources originate, pulling out a villainous mythic overlord as a main focus of a small part of that realm. Include the stat block.
3) Round 3 - CR 7 Monster targeting the forthcoming Mummy's Mask AP - something like define a new monster that might be found inside a pyramid, capable of surviving eons of years beneath the desert sands.
4) Round 4 - Describe an encounter inclusive of environmental threats for a frozen tundra (or scorching desert, or the ether of a landless plane of existence, etc). Include a new monster of your design as the encounter center piece. The encounter should be suitable as a final encounter of the fourth book in an AP series.
5) Round 5 - Propose a new Adventure Path - detailing the theme, location and unique challenges presented by this proposal. Include a mini synopsis of all 6 chapter books. It must be so good a proposal that Neil demands to be given a chapter (or two) :P Include a statement of which chapter you would like to write the most and why.
It does add to the awe I hold the judges in.
Even more so using this maths... it's very scary this...
32+3 alternates = 35,000 words on average for round 2 BUT
300 words x 900 entrants not auto rejected (lots of rounding here so its a rough estimate) = 270,000 words for Round 1.
So just to get to Round 3, those poor fellows used to look critically at some third of a million words on average.
Annually - and some items more than once!
So Clark, for example, has seen getting close to 2 million words of items in his years in judgement!
Awe just isn't strong enough a word really.
...I learn a lot from the contest, too. I really do. There are so many things to take away from participation in an event like this, all you have to do is turn a critical eye on the process and think about it...
This has been one of the best parts of the contest for me and I've learned much, much more from reading the feedback on everyone's entries rather than just from the bit of feedback I've received. Every year there are really good submissions that don't make the cut, and even the ones that do advance still receive constructive criticism. Taking the time to digest that feedback has greatly improved my understanding of what a company is looking for in a freelancer and what makes for a good designer. Getting any feedback from a publisher is great, but getting to read everyone's feedback is amazing and it's what makes this contest so enjoyable, IMHO.
This has been one of the best parts of the contest for me and I've learned much, much more from reading the feedback on everyone's entries rather than just from the bit of feedback I've received....Getting any feedback from a publisher is great, but getting to read everyone's feedback is amazing and it's what makes this contest so enjoyable, IMHO.
Well said. And well realized. Every year I caution folks who are so eagerly looking for feedback on their item by telling them the evaluation of their single item will never compare to what they can learn by reading everyone else's critique. It's not enough to just know what you may have done wrong with your one submission. Instead, a potential Superstar should be absorbing every single lesson on display. That's what the Superstar forums are for...and they go all the way back to the very first year so you can even learn how the contest has grown and changed over time.
But that's just my two cents,
--Neil
After re-reading the last 3 years worth of Critique My Item threads and the Top X threads...I'm getting pumped for this year!
It does add to the awe I hold the judges in.So Clark, for example, has seen getting close to 2 million words of items in his years in judgement!
Awe just isn't strong enough a word really.
& Neil has probably WRITTEN 2 mil words about items in his tenure as judge. :)
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That's just a single year, Curaigh...
I'm ready. It can't come too soon this year. Well, unless it starts tomorrow. That's too soon. I'm busy tomorrow. Other than that, yeah, bring it on.
Even more so using this maths... it's very scary this...
32+3 alternates = 35,000 words on average for round 2 BUT
300 words x 900 entrants not auto rejected (lots of rounding here so its a rough estimate) = 270,000 words for Round 1.
So just to get to Round 3, those poor fellows used to look critically at some third of a million words on average.
Annually - and some items more than once!
So Clark, for example, has seen getting close to 2 million words of items in his years in judgement!
Awe just isn't strong enough a word really.
Holy cow! And to think just today I confirmed to Sean that I am in to be one of the main judges. Maybe I need to rethink that :) Of course, as I told Sean, at this rate the number of times I've volunteered to do this may meet a DSM-IV diagnosis. "Paizo-affective disorder". Maybe I am crazy after all.
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2 million. Wow. That is really starting to sink in.
That is a ton of work.
Thank goodness for the staggeringly generous stipend they pay us judges, not to mention the life time supply of Paizo products and the 4 round trip tickets to Hawaii (all inclusive) to a resort of my choosing.
If I didn't get those perks, I'm not sure I'd be willing to do all that. I mean, can you imagine what an idiot someone would have to be to do that for free? Hah! What a loser!
Clark, I'd hold out for a Marathon Voter title on the forums as well. Stand firm; demand what you deserve!
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Yeah, Ziv, YEAH!
Stand up! Fight the man! Get what I deserve! Oh wait they already gave me a forum title. Hey, uh...solid gold dice! Yeah, that's it. That's what I want!
You must think I'm a joke! I ain't gonna be a part of your system! You can't buy me, hotdog man! The moral of this story is: you can't trust the system!
My wife got me some dice, which didn't survive long, not even a single session...
Once they rolled their first 1, they got eaten!
Yes, eaten.
But they were made of chocolate! :D
I wonder if the Round 2 challenge could be a hybrid class (or archetype of one of the ten) a la the upcoming Advanced Class Guide playtest...
... Maybe I am crazy after all.
Better not mention the 60+ thousand thread posts over the years, there's probably a few more million there :P
Holy cow! And to think just today I confirmed to Sean that I am in to be one of the main judges.
Yay! woo-HOO! This is excellent.
Paula's back! ;-)
Paula's back! ;-)
I used to fight that description. Now I just give in to it :)
Go team! Rah rah rah! Everyone is wonderful and a special snowflake!
Paula's back! ;-)I used to fight that description. Now I just give in to it :)
Go team! Rah rah rah! Everyone is wonderful and a special snowflake!
In the UK, that probably makes you Louis Walsh then :D
As an aside - as there are usually a similar number of judges...
The four horseman of the apocalypse - who, would you say, is who out of yourself, Sean, Wolfgang and Ryan? :P
You must think I'm a joke! I ain't gonna be a part of your system! You can't buy me, hotdog man! The moral of this story is: you can't trust the system!
PREACH IT
Ah, the smell of RPG Superstar in the air... it's like early Christmas, and people are already starting to arrive at the party. :)
I know the Blazing 9 thread has been busy (congrats to you guys for keeping up with that), but I love seeing other activity in the RPG Superstar forum and reading the new threads as they pop up. I'm really curious to see who makes the cut this year, and looking forward to the public voting!
Now go study (some more) for RPG Superstar 2014 and keep your creative juices flowing!
Wohoo....Judge Peterson takes another year on the bench! (we never doubted)
Excitement level rising...judge confirmed...YEAHH!!!!!!
If I didn't get those perks, I'm not sure I'd be willing to do all that. I mean, can you imagine what an idiot someone would have to be to do that for free? Hah! What a loser!
Oh wait, I forgot, they don't actually give me any of those things. I do this for free. :)
If I didn't get those perks, I'm not sure I'd be willing to do all that. I mean, can you imagine what an idiot someone would have to be to do that for free? Hah! What a loser!Oh wait, I forgot, they don't actually give me any of those things. I do this for free. :)
We know - and that's why we worship you and the other judges like mythic-level demi-gods you are. I think everyone remembers the mental trauma of sorting through hundreds of poorly-written items during the voting last year. And you guys have been doing that for several years running.
Thanks for putting up with us another year, Clark.
Thanks for putting up with us another year, Clark.
Seconded.
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This will be my first year making an attempt at this contest, and I have to say I am pretty pumped up about it. One of the guys in our playing group did a good job of hyping it up, and I think the whole group is looking forward to it. We have all put in plenty of time doing research and doing our best to learn how to avoid the pitfalls of a poorly designed item.
In that research, it is quite obvious how much time and effort the judges put in. You don't know me, but let me just say thanks. What an awesome thing your tireless effort allows little inconsequential me to be a part of.
If I didn't get those perks, I'm not sure I'd be willing to do all that. I mean, can you imagine what an idiot someone would have to be to do that for free? Hah! What a loser!Oh wait, I forgot, they don't actually give me any of those things. I do this for free. :)We know - and that's why we worship you and the other judges like mythic-level demi-gods you are. I think everyone remembers the mental trauma of sorting through hundreds of poorly-written items during the voting last year. And you guys have been doing that for several years running.
Thanks for putting up with us another year, Clark.
+1
Welcome aboard, Papasteve. Best of luck -- the contest is lots of fun and plenty of first-time entrants certainly get in.
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Always good to have new blood in the mix. You know, it's been long enough I'm actually looking forward to the voting again (well, and the humorous threads that will arise to let off steam about voting.)
Thanks Jacob!
I am looking forward to the voting actually [Ducks all the naive newb jokes]
Quite frankly I am looking forward to the whole thing, it all just sounds like fun.
Here's hoping to crack my voting record from last year, at least. Aiming for the top-tier title this time around.
Oi...the top tier. Marathon was exhausting enough!