I suspect this is my last year of Superstar because I believe that I'm already on the border of ineligibility but I'm trying to suss out exactly where the line is...
Here's the quote: Employees of Paizo Publishing, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible. The top eight finalists of all previous RPG Superstar contests are ineligible. Contestants must provide their real names on their paizo.com accounts. Legal identification must be produced on request.
For example:
Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible.
-I was paid for contributions on a kickstarter from Kobold Press that will be a hardcover for certain, does that make me ineligible next year? Do you mean the front cover, or the inside where the credits always are? I'm certain with names like Wolfgang Baur and Ed Greenwood I won't be on the outside cover but I did hesitate to enter.
Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible.
-I'm currently partnered with d20pfsrd and will likely split my brand off into its own entity this year, will that effect my eligibility? Does it matter if I transition to print? I'm starting my own company but its not likely to pay the bills or be full time for awhile which is why I ask... If I do get to full time I assure you most of that time is spent managing writers, editing, trying to find a decent artist that understands you're poor too and profit margins are narrow, running kickstarters, and pulling my hair out are what I anticipate will take roughly most of my design time away :)
-While I'm at it I have a friend who is a customer service agent for Activision, I know it's trollish to say this but I guess he's out. What about someone who does layout and graphics design for a company that wants to transition to writing? people who have written for Indie companies that went belly up are out too.
Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
-Does wayfinder count, I ask because I have 2 credit there and won't collect a 3rd if that's the case? I'm assuming my 3PP work doesn't count as Paizo despite it being Pathfinder compatible...
I sincerely want to know because reading that made me feel like I felt when I saw This! Which is to say: say what now?
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
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A related question: "game company" is sort of a vaguery. Do you mean a game company that makes tabletop games (like, say, if I were to be employed full-time by White Wolf), or would I be ineligible if I were to have a day job at EA?
Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible.-I was paid for contributions on a kickstarter from Kobold Press that will be a hardcover for certain, does that make me ineligible next year? Do you mean the front cover, or the inside where the credits always are? I'm certain with names like Wolfgang Baur and Ed Greenwood I won't be on the outside cover but I did hesitate to enter.
-While I'm at it I have a friend who is a customer service agent for Activision, I know it's trollish to say this but I guess he's out. What about someone who does layout and graphics design for a company that wants to transition to writing? people who have written for Indie companies that went belly up are out too.
If you didn't write a majority of the book, then you won't be getting cover credit. Participating in a Kickstarter won't make you ineligible to participate in RPG Superstar. Now you're just being silly.
Unless Activision's customer service is writing their games as well, you know the answer to that one too. If you're working full time for a game company as a designer, then you're ineligible.
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I am looking forward to the day when I am no longer qualified to participate, though it still would have been nice to make the top 32 before it happens. But if it happens that this year is the year I become ineligible, I won't complain. :)
I'm not sure its a problem to be upset about.
But it doesn't sound like you're necessarily too close to the line yet Solspiral. The kickstarter is a non-issue. Starting your own company is more of an issue, but if its a small, non-full-time thing, you are likely alright. And Pathfinder compatible, as you surmise, is not the same as having a Paizo design credit.
As I see it, if your company manages to do 6 releases and sell more than 500 copies I think you might no longer want to participate.
But you are not there yet (I think) and even if you were, Paizo will DQ you if they think you broke the rules.
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RPG Superstar 2012 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8
aka FaxCelestis
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Unless Activision's customer service is writing their games as well, you know the answer to that one too. If you're working full time for a game company as a designer, then you're ineligible.
What if I'm a full time designer for a video game company? Vastly different medium, still technically falls under the restriction.
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Unless Activision's customer service is writing their games as well, you know the answer to that one too. If you're working full time for a game company as a designer, then you're ineligible.What if I'm a full time designer for a video game company? Vastly different medium, still technically falls under the restriction.
That particular question has come up in the past. Vic's stated video games don't count.
Participating in a Kickstarter won't make you ineligible to participate in RPG Superstar. Now you're just being silly.
I was paid for my work on the project not the other way around...
As I see it, if your company manages to do 6 releases and sell more than 500 copies I think you might no longer want to participate.
But you are not there yet (I think) and even if you were, Paizo will DQ you if they think you broke the rules.
Not there yet, most definitely will be by next year without a doubt.
It's pretty much as I thought this was my last year...
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I believe the intent of the eligibility rules is that people who have already 'been discovered' are not eligible. (I am not a lawyer, and have no particular insight into why the rules were formulated this way. The following is my opinion and perspective only.)
Breaking it down:
- Employees of Paizo Publishing, their immediate family members, and persons with whom such employees are domiciled are ineligible. - This is a usual limitation on any sort of contest or sweepstakes: anyone who might be able to influence the contest or by winning present the appearance of impropriety or nepotism.
- Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible. - Also fairly self explanatory: if you make a living from tabletop games, you don't need the additional exposure.
- Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible. - Even if you're a part timer or a hobbyist, if you are successful enough you can put out a hardcover (not just softcover or PDF), and your name means enough to go on the cover, you've been discovered.
- Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible. - If you've contributed to 3 Paizo products, then they've seen enough of your work that you're either a regular freelancer or you're not getting called back again. Once again, you've been discovered.
- The top eight finalists of all previous RPG Superstar contests are ineligible. - If you've come close to winning in past years, make room for the new blood. (And usually Top 4 have all gotten some type of work.)
- Contestants must provide their real names on their paizo.com accounts. Legal identification must be produced on request. - Superstar contestants are prospective authors to be credited with their real names. Announcing 'John Smith' makes this sound like a real contest with real stakes: 'Cheeseweasel86' does not. And if your profile is filled out with 'Cheese Weasel' as your first and last name, then it's within Paizo's right to ask you to prove it.*
By a strict reading of these rules, I would have been eligible this year: I'm not currently a Paizo employee. I've never worked full time as a game designer. My name does not appear on the cover of any hardcovers. I am credited as an 'author' in two Pathfinder products, and was accidentally omitted from the 'designer' list in a third. I did not make the Top 8 in any previous year of the contest. I have my real name on my Paizo.com account.
But I clearly am outside the intent of the rules: A misprint and designation as an 'author' doesn't change the fact that I've contributed to three Pathfinder products. I believe the limitation of 'design' credit was meant to allow artists and the like to contribute, or perhaps former Paizo staff/interns who were credited under blankets like 'Warehouse Team'.
Solspiral, I think you're just fine this year: A book that hasn't come out yet and a part-time gig as a 3PP don't make you ineligible. Your friend at Activision wasn't a game designer in any case, and Activision isn't what was meant by 'game company' in any case. People who did 'graphics design' are eligible. People who worked full time (as designers) at tabletop game companies that went under ARE ineligible, but they have experience, industry contacts, and resumes that mean if they want to keep writing they have other ways in than Superstar.
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Anyone with a cover credit on a hardcover RPG book is ineligible.
-I was paid for contributions on a kickstarter from Kobold Press that will be a hardcover for certain, does that make me ineligible next year? Do you mean the front cover, or the inside where the credits always are? I'm certain with names like Wolfgang Baur and Ed Greenwood I won't be on the outside cover but I did hesitate to enter.
"I have a credit in a hardcover" is not the same as "cover credit on a hardcover." Is your name on the cover? Is the book a hardcover? If the answer to both is "yes," then you're ineligible.
Anyone who has been employed full-time as a designer for a game company is ineligible.
-I'm currently partnered with d20pfsrd and will likely split my brand off into its own entity this year, will that effect my eligibility? Does it matter if I transition to print? I'm starting my own company but its not likely to pay the bills or be full time for awhile which is why I ask... If I do get to full time I assure you most of that time is spent managing writers, editing, trying to find a decent artist that understands you're poor too and profit margins are narrow, running kickstarters, and pulling my hair out are what I anticipate will take roughly most of my design time away :)
I think you've answered your own question: if you're working full time as a designer, you're ineligible. Wrangling editors, artists, and such might eat into "full time," but that's a judgment call.
-While I'm at it I have a friend who is a customer service agent for Activision, I know it's trollish to say this but I guess he's out. What about someone who does layout and graphics design for a company that wants to transition to writing? people who have written for Indie companies that went belly up are out too.
As someone else quoted from Vic, we're talking about tabletop, pen-and-paper RPGs, not video games. Being a video game designer doesn't make you ineligible.
Customer service doesn't make you ineligible.Layout and graphics doesn't make you ineligible.
Meeting any disqualifying criteria for a now-defunct indie company does make you ineligible, because the purpose of RPG Superstar is to help Paizo find undiscovered talent; someone who has writing credits in the RPG industry should just email people at Paizo with a list of past work and start a conversation about working for Paizo.
Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
-Does wayfinder count, I ask because I have 2 credit there and won't collect a 3rd if that's the case? I'm assuming my 3PP work doesn't count as Paizo despite it being Pathfinder compatible...
"Paizo's Pathfinder products" means "Pathfinder products published by Paizo," not "products compatible with Paizo's Pathfinder RPG."
Wayfinder is not published by Paizo.Products published by other companies are not published by Paizo.
So... there you go.
Dedicated Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7
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if you are not getting cover credit on a hardback publication then you have no issues. As to being a 3PP, if you are not working at it full time then you should also still be good to go.
FYI, 500 sales is not a full time gig, unless you are making 500 sales on a product with a $60+ price point, and even then you are only looking at about $20k coming back to you max (assuming it is a $60 digital product ... if it is print, then cut that in half).
EDIT: Annnnd ... ninja'd by Ross and Sean ...
yeah thanks to my hard work at freelancing I'm a hundriare :p
Anyone who has a design credit in 3 or more of Paizo's Pathfinder products is ineligible.
Something I've been wondering, and that came up last year with Eric Morton, was whether this means released design credits or any design credits. If you've worked on 5 products, but 0 of them have been released, are you ineligible?
I believe we stated at the time that it refers to stuff that's actually published, not pending publications.
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In that case, I'm a Wayfinder printed issue-aire
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Right there with you. :)yeah thanks to my hard work at freelancing I'm a hundriare :pYou and me both ;)
I was, but then the bills came due...
Anyway, one last question: what is a hardcover? I think it is something similiar to the core rulebook, would something like an adventure path be considered a hardover? Because if it is, I am in trouble....
Right there with you. :)yeah thanks to my hard work at freelancing I'm a hundriare :pYou and me both ;)
Well it keeps paying for my gaming expenses......
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Anyway, one last question: what is a hardcover? I think it is something similiar to the core rulebook, would something like an adventure path be considered a hardover? Because if it is, I am in trouble....
The AP books are what's called a softcover. Hardcovers are literally the hardback books like the core rulebook line of products.
Anyway, one last question: what is a hardcover? I think it is something similiar to the core rulebook, would something like an adventure path be considered a hardover? Because if it is, I am in trouble....The AP books are what's called a softcover. Hardcovers are literally the hardback books like the core rulebook line of products.
I thought so, thanks
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Unless Activision's customer service is writing their games as well, you know the answer to that one too. If you're working full time for a game company as a designer, then you're ineligible.What if I'm a full time designer for a video game company? Vastly different medium, still technically falls under the restriction.
Yeah I asked the same question since I am a Video Game Designer and they said that doesn't count
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Right there with you. :)yeah thanks to my hard work at freelancing I'm a hundriare :pYou and me both ;)
It becomes much more impressive if you think of it in terms of numberof burritos bought.