The New Viewer's Guide to RPGSS

[Monica Marlowe]

Tripp Elliott wrote:

Monica Marlowe wrote:

See how lucky the Season 9 people are to get their rules prior to finding out if they're going to advance? Now get back to practicing plain ole flat maps, theheadkase!

We had this in 2014.

Yeah, that was one of the big shake ups from last year, we didn't get the rules for the round until we knew if we were in the round or not. I feel kind of like that old man who talks about having to walk uphill both ways to the contest in the snow, but there you have it :-)

[Anthony Adam]

But when you return, its on the bike, no brakes, freewheeling all the way down with your legs stuck out both sides. Ow, my knees still hurt when I remember those fun days!

[Feros]

Anthony Adam wrote:

But when you return, its on the bike, no brakes, freewheeling all the way down with your legs stuck out both sides. Ow, my knees still hurt when I remember those fun days!

I've always considered it a wonder more of us weren't killed doing that sort of thing. :)

[Tripp Elliott]

Feros wrote:

Anthony Adam wrote:

But when you return, its on the bike, no brakes, freewheeling all the way down with your legs stuck out both sides. Ow, my knees still hurt when I remember those fun days!

I've always considered it a wonder more of us weren't killed doing that sort of thing. :)

I'm surprised how many of survive adolescence and make it to adulthood at all. When I consider the number of fatal near misses I, and my friends, experienced growing up I gave to say, "there but for the grace of God go I."

[Jacob W. Michaels]

Monica Marlowe wrote:

Yeah, that was one of the big shake ups from last year, we didn't get the rules for the round until we knew if we were in the round or not. I feel kind of like that old man who talks about having to walk uphill both ways to the contest in the snow, but there you have it :-)

Of course, back in Neil's day, they didn't even know what the challenge would be each round. Nowadays, we generally know that at least well in advance (I was wondering if they were going to go really old school when I first saw the schedule, but apparently not).

[Feros]

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

Monica Marlowe wrote:

Yeah, that was one of the big shake ups from last year, we didn't get the rules for the round until we knew if we were in the round or not. I feel kind of like that old man who talks about having to walk uphill both ways to the contest in the snow, but there you have it :-)

Of course, back in Neil's day, they didn't even know what the challenge would be each round. Nowadays, we generally know that at least well in advance (I was wondering if they were going to go really old school when I first saw the schedule, but apparently not).

I think that the problem with that old school form of the contest was that while testing at least once for a short deadline submission was a worthwhile test, it wasn't necessarily a test that you should see every single round. Short deadlines are most definitely a thing that exists, but they wouldn't be the norm. While that level of difficulty made for an interesting contest, I'm not sure it was conducive to the primary purpose: finding new talent.

[Monica Marlowe]

Mere hours before the reveal and almost everyone's wondering if they will be the Season 9 RPG Superstar.

Way over in Seattle, Wa some of the Paizo people already know and they're quickly getting all the judges reviews together so when 12pm PST rolls around they can post the results of the voting, sometimes it even happens without mishap. And then the site will crash. Then people will be left wondering who the Top 32 +4 are until about 5pm PST. So, if you come back at the appropriate time and there are only goblins here, be patient, it's an RPG Superstar tradition for us to crash Paizo's servers.

[Monica Marlowe]

Feros wrote:

...

I think that the problem with that old school form of the contest was that while testing at least once for a short deadline submission was a worthwhile test, it wasn't necessarily a test that you should see every single round. Short deadlines are most definitely a thing that exists, but they wouldn't be the norm. While that level of difficulty made for an interesting contest, I'm not sure it was conducive to the primary purpose: finding new talent.

Nice Champion tag, btw :-)

[R D Ramsey]

I'm sure Neil has already written 5000 words on each of the Top 32, all the alternates, and half the cull survivors.

[Isaac Volynskiy]

Monica Marlowe wrote:

Mere hours before the reveal and almost everyone's wondering if they will be the Season 9 RPG Superstar.

Way over in Seattle, Wa some of the Paizo people already know and they're quickly getting all the judges reviews together so when 12pm PST rolls around they can post the results of the voting, sometimes it even happens without mishap. And then the site will crash. Then people will be left wondering who the Top 32 +4 are until about 5pm PST. So, if you come back at the appropriate time and there are only goblins here, be patient, it's an RPG Superstar tradition for us to crash Paizo's servers.

If someone *does* load in before the crash, would you kindly update the Items Seen List?

[Monica Marlowe]

Monica Marlowe wrote:

Mere hours before the reveal and almost everyone's wondering if they will be the Season 9 RPG Superstar.

Way over in Seattle, Wa some of the Paizo people already know and they're quickly getting all the judges reviews together so when 12pm PST rolls around they can post the results of the voting, sometimes it even happens without mishap. And then the site will crash. Then people will be left wondering who the Top 32 +4 are until about 5pm PST. So, if you come back at the appropriate time and there are only goblins here, be patient, it's an RPG Superstar tradition for us to crash Paizo's servers.

Oh sheesh, somehow I feel responsible for the one day delay.

However, it did not actually occur to me that they had the reveal date set for a Monday, which is NEVER the case. The contest has traditionally had turn overs on Friday, reveal of judges thoughts and voting beginning on Tuesdays, so my guess is Owen had the wrong calendar page open. *runs to the guildhall and haunted house to hide*

[Kobold Catgirl]

So, when can we expect a joke item thread to be put up?

[Monica Marlowe]

Kobold Cleaver wrote:

So, when can we expect a joke item thread to be put up?

That usually happens during the voting portion of the Top 32. I don't participate in it, so I don't follow that thread closely. If it hasn't started yet, you certainly could try, but I think we've missed that window for Season 9.

[Monica Marlowe]

Maps are up, Feros and I are both apparently agog and failed to update the beginner's guide!

The solo map round was new last year, so this is only the second time we have seen maps without accompanying adventures. Last year this round really frightened me because we'd never seen it before, so the 2015 blazed a new trail on this round.

These maps are turn over maps, not cartographer maps. No one expects the designer to be able to craft a cartographer quality, print ready map. However, the map should be able to convey all the things you want it to have when it gets to print. That's very hard to do if you, like me, mostly draw in stick figures.

Most of the maps this season are better resolved than last season's, mostly because 2015 set a decent bar and now everyone needs to achieve or exceed what was considered acceptable.

Maps should be exciting and intriguing. No one needs a map of a room that is 20 ft. x 20 ft., has a fire place on the east wall, a door on the west wall and a chair in the middle of the room. These maps need to be of places that your party wants to explore, of a place that the GM wants to reveal. A beautifully rendered map of a room, with a door, a chair, and a fireplace is probably not going to be that place.

Keep in mind that a hand drawn map can be every bit as exciting as a map rendered on professional mapping software. Look at what you're being shown, is it a place that sparks your interest? Do you want to suit up and head out? Does it tickle your inner adventurer?

We vote through next week, Monday I believe, and then the Monster Round contestants are revealed next Tuesday.

[Feros]

Agog, no. Asleep, yes.

I would like to take a time-out of the contest to discuss individual time commitment to RPG Superstar. We encourage everyone to get involved as much as they can, comment on the entries, discuss the contest with friends, and generally be a part of the fun. But all this comes with a very big caveat: only do what you are capable of doing with the time you have available.

When this season was first announced, I made the statement that my involvement would not be as great as the timing—for me personally, not necessarily for anybody else—was terrible. I work in a horticultural nursery and vineyard. I grow flowering and decorative plants for landscaping and grow grapes to make wine. As such my time is very limited whenever there is no snow on the ground. The contest has in the past been held in the winter in my region each year when I have more time than I know what to do with. Hence my large amount of posting and comments in past years.

But once the contest got going, I decided to go for Champion voter once again. I figured out timing on the votes plus my normal life and work. I even figured that I would sleep a little less, but still every night. What could be the harm?

Harm. Not hospitalization level harm, but harm nonetheless. I sadly sometimes forget that I am not in my twenties or thirties anymore. At 46 I still find myself trying to do things like I did ten to twenty years ago. You'd think after two hernia operations I would have learned my lesson, but no.

I have spent the last two weeks dealing with the effects of mild sleep deprivation while still working 48-50 hour work weeks. The Labour Day weekend was a godsend and has helped me recover. But I have been unable to think clearly enough to post anything more sensible than silly things as Master Pugwampi and a few simple statements that required little brain power.

Put simply I got the Champion voter tag at the expense of being involved with the contest in any meaningful way since. It was a dumb move and I wish I hadn't done it. I'm glad to have kept my title, don't get me wrong. But it was a Pyrrhic victory in that the price I paid wasn't worth the reward. Marathon this year would have been fine.

So what should we take from my stupidity? Do what you can do with this contest in what would be your normal leisure time. You don't have time to comment on everything or post in a thread or two? Don't sweat it. The whole point of the contest for the audience is entertainment. We are voting so that we can participate in giving a new storyteller an opportunity to give us something fun to play with. It's serious business from the contestants and Paizo's side, certainly. But for us this should be just fun.

If you go beyond what you should be limiting yourself to you can screw yourself up a bit. Take it easy and get involved as much as what works for you.

Well with that maudlin piece of self-reprobation out of the way, I am feeling better and it looks like I will be stuck doing data entry tomorrow on account of rain. So expect a lot of posts (I HATE data entry) and a long one addressing what appears to be an unprecedented triple disqualification in the 2nd round.

[Monica Marlowe]

Feros wrote:

Agog, no. Asleep, yes.

Mediocre!

In all seriousness, after having competed last year, without a full time job, it was easily one of the most exhausting experiences I have ever endured. RPG Superstar isn't a sprint and the current Season's competitors are working hard right now (or at least they should be) on monsters, but I hope they're each taking time out to relax and unwind. There were many nights when I tried to go to bed, only to find myself back up unable to sleep and still needing to get the thoughts down on paper.

Take care of yourself, Feros!

[Curaigh]

Feros wrote:

Put simply I got the Champion voter tag at the expense of being involved with the contest in any meaningful way since. It was a dumb move and I wish I hadn't done it. I'm glad to have kept my title, don't get me wrong. But it was a Pyrrhic victory in that the price I paid wasn't worth the reward. Marathon this year would have been fine.

I am glad you went for Champion even at the expense of other comments since then. You only get one chance to go quadruple Champion, but your insight can be shared at any time. :)

I felt a similar bit of don't let the streak die. There were about 12 entrants who were 8 for 8 & with the seasonal change, I figured some folks were going to miss it. Some of them have not been on the boards since Monica was crowned and now there are only 5 or 6 of us left who have submitted to every RPGSS (granted some can no longer submit & they are still involved :).

Congratulations on ChampChampChampChampion!

[Curaigh]

To divert from this thread a bit. One RPGSS tradition is to welcome all the first time entrants, but so far no one has started a first-time entrant's thread. So I am going to ask a favor of one the new folks. If you are a first-time entrant you should start a new thread for all the newcomers to announce themselves. Weirdly, this 'tradition' rests on someone unaware of the tradition to start it up :)

[Feros]

So it has never happened before, but we have seen three alternates move into Round 2 this week from participants disqualifying themselves. This is astonishing. After all the hard work, careful considerations, and opportunities to get it right three contestants failed to understand or read the rules completely. I talked about the need for these rules up-thread for those of you interested.

I understand missing something or screwing up on a template. My very first entry did not include the item’s name in the body of the text! This didn’t DQ me as I was not close enough to the word limit for it to have an effect. But this was a result of me not using the tools and information provided by Paizo and the community to check my work before submitting. Had I just used a preview button, I would have seen the problem before it became an issue and corrected it.

I get it. Eagerness, distractions, and any other number of things can cause a slip up on an entry. So the loss of one map for not including a scale—an essential part of any of the submissions—is understandable. This is just a sad oversight.

The other two DQs have a little less excuse, but both did so in an innocent way. One copped to an error in his map while the other tried to clarify some misunderstandings that had cropped up. Both were correct and really didn’t do much to change their entry. But their entries have to stand on their own merits without further explanation. This is Rule #5 of the whole contest and it applies to EVERY round.

Both contestants who DQ’d themselves have tags that suggest this was their first time involved in the contest. If that is the case (which seems likely) it is also pretty understandable: we make a lot of noise on the boards about this sort of thing but someone new to the contest may not have read the RPGSS threads enough to see that pitfall before they step into it.

Actually, I often wonder how many people actually read the threads while participating in the contest each season. Obviously I think it would be wise for anyone interested in competing to read up on the past competitions and what people are thinking as well as how they are voting. But not everyone might realize that this resource actually exists or is as extensive as it has become.

As always, I look at incidents like this as learning opportunities for everyone. The first thing we can learn from this is that both the general contest rules AND the round rules apply as each round is unfolding. Mamaursula has spoken of this before now and it really should be repeated often: READ THE RULES. All of them. Completely. Even the fine print. Know what you are doing and compare that to the rules. Make sure you are in compliance with the rules.

Sadly I expect that we will continue to see DQs on into the foreseeable future as people either run right up to the edge of what is allowed or mistakenly overlook a crucial part of their entries. People are people and there ain’t one of us perfect.

[Monica Marlowe]

Feros wrote:

... Mamaursula has spoken of this before now and it really should be repeated often: READ THE RULES. All of them. Completely. Even the fine print. Know what you are doing and compare that to the rules. Make sure you are in compliance with the rules...

Most importantly, when in doubt, don't ask your question or make your statement publicly. Something that this contest does in a sneaky way is it tests your ability to keep your mouth shut. As a freelance writer you are given a backstage pass into the upcoming publications of a company that is looking to make money on whatever it is you've written. They have a plan for how they want that information to be publicized and if you steal that opportunity from them, you will not be given that chance again.

PLEASE DO NOT TALK ABOUT YOUR ENTRIES. Even if you think it's okay, it's not.

[Oceanshieldwolf]

As a voter I have been very confused by this year's contest.

For some reason I thought I would be voting on the Top 32 as in years precious (even though we had publically voted FOR that 32 out of some 600+ entries) as it was inconceivable to me that I'd have to peruse and then choose from 32 maps - I was expecting a more manageable round of 16. Ridiciulous!!! So then I was shocked to see contestants commenting and answering feedback on their Round 1 items, which has not been allowed in previous years.

Now it appears the restriction is on during the voting period, but I wonder is it really that one should refrain throughout the competition from commenting on one's own or others (apart from very general "Your item/concept/personage is fantastic, good luck!!!!").

[Jacob W. Michaels]

Contestants have always been allowed to speak freely about their R1 items.

The rules are very simple -- you're not allowed to elaborate on your design in any way while voting is active. You could talk about others', but there's no reason to (voters will likely take any criticism of another contestant's choices as poor sportsmanship and hold it against the person commenting) publicly (if you really like someone's design and you're in the contest, shoot them a PM). As soon as voting on R2 ends, the contestants can respond to every comment on their threads, though of course they should be smart about how they do so.

Voters have always had 32 entries to peruse in R2. Choosing from 32 maps is still probably easier than from 32 archetypes or other, longer rounds. Even organizations (which I understand wasn't a super valuable skill to exhibit for freelancers, but which I thought was a quick read and a good way to judge creativity) took time to go through.

[Monica Marlowe]

Oceanshieldwolf wrote:

As a voter I have been very confused by this year's contest.

For some reason I thought I would be voting on the Top 32 as in years precious (even though we had publically voted FOR that 32 out of some 600+ entries) as it was inconceivable to me that I'd have to peruse and then choose from 32 maps - I was expecting a more manageable round of 16. Ridiciulous!!! So then I was shocked to see contestants commenting and answering feedback on their Round 1 items, which has not been allowed in previous years.

Now it appears the restriction is on during the voting period, but I wonder is it really that one should refrain throughout the competition from commenting on one's own or others (apart from very general "Your item/concept/personage is fantastic, good luck!!!!").

No one was allowed to speak about their items in the open voting after the open call - you weren't allowed to speak about the item you entered and neither were the 600+ other people.

As JWM points out, once the voting has ended and that Round's winners are announced, everyone may talk about their entries, until that time, no one who has an item in the voting pool may speak about their items.

Speaking as someone who has recently been through the process, it was incredibly easy to not talk about my entry, because I wanted to win and talking about it would get me disqualified and I would get to talk about it once the voting was completed. Once voting ends on this round, all 32 contestants will be able to discuss their maps, just like every season before.

Last year we also voted on 32 maps for Round 2. In years past it was 32 long entries of reading, which was hard. Judging 32 pictures is much more manageable. This season has taken everyone a little by surprise, but this was not one of those surprises.

[Thomas LeBlanc]

Feros wrote:

Actually, I often wonder how many people actually read the threads while participating in the contest each season.

I don't read the threads for each submission after the later rounds begin until after I have voted. I don't want to be influenced by any of the posts and like to just base my choice on the submissions themselves. I usually end up voting for a few that don't get judges recommendations, but I liked what was submitted.

[Oceanshieldwolf]

@ Jacob - thanks - seems like my memory of previous years AND Rounds is off...I also think wading through 32 Archetypes much more fun and, ironically much easier to distinguish between good and poor design.

With maps there is a lot more subjectivity and scope for making allowances. Personally, although there has been advice not to vote on aesthetics, as a shallow aesthete who can draw this is precisely what I do, as well seeing through poor drawing skills where great creativity is evinced.

I'm not a fan of this map round at all - I can see Paizo think it important, but I see it as the weakest Round both in the reasons given for making it, and in gettig both contestants and voters to understand just what it is/how it should be approached. I find advice NoT to vote based on aesthetics absurd, not just because of the visual medium - I find aesthetics in base mechanics, math, wrtitten words - but also because we should not be enjoined to vote or not vote in any particular way. If someone wants to vote entirely randomly they should not be made to feel that this is somehow invalid.

I vote for what I like, and what constitutes "what I like" changes by subject, Round, time and a bajillion other factors. Like whether I see or care about variously depending on each concept: balance, creativity, useability/abuseability, gonzo or lack of, fierce bravery, designer's forum behaviour, future possibilities that this might allude to as a designer
etc etc etc...

@ Monica - I'm not sure everyone has been taken by surprise... I welcomed the timing (until I didn't get around to making my item, but that could easily have happened in December...) and I'm sure others did too. Mostly it seems like the same old same old...

[Oceanshieldwolf]

Then there was the Plush Toy. Seeing that make it past four culls was disheartening. Not surprising. Sure there were mechanics that made sense there, and were it to be reskinned completely it was a fairly ok item. But still... ;p

[Monica Marlowe]

Oceanshieldwolf wrote:

Then there was the Plush Toy. Seeing that make it past four culls was disheartening. Not surprising. Sure there were mechanics that made sense there, and were it to be reskinned completely it was a fairly ok item. But still... ;p

Can we please keep this thread focused on the things that are new for the contest? This comment belongs on one of the critique threads or elsewhere. Thank you.

[Oceanshieldwolf]

Sorry Monica, but New Viewers may not be aware that sometimes threads get slightly derailed. Then again, I'm pretty sure a Plush Toy making it so far in the competition was new...

[Owen K. C. Stephens]

Oceanshieldwolf wrote:

I'm not a fan of this map round at all - I can see Paizo think it important, but I see it as the weakest Round both in the reasons given for making it, and in gettig both contestants and voters to understand just what it is/how it should be approached.

"Important" is actually an understatement. "Crucial" might be more accurate.

And this is only the second time we've ever done this round. It doesn't have the tradition and polish that comes from 9 years of seeing how people respond to an idea. each year. it'll be clearer and easier for everyone to understand.

But all discussions I have had about it internally make it pretty clear it's not going away, and I strongly believe that's the right call.

[captain yesterday]

It better not go away, I have big big plans for next season :-)

[Jacob W. Michaels]

I think maps are important (crucial) obviously, though I do sort of agree with OSW. I continue to worry that it's as much about artistic talent as mapping itself.

Would having it be a Location round, with an encounter-scale map of/in the location work? Let the authors have 250 words to show their Golarion knowledge/imagination/ability to craft a cool place and let that be balanced with the maps... I think that would still be not too onerous to read while focusing on key freelancer skills.

Then R4 becomes more focused on building an encounter.

[Taylor Hubler]

I think that the artistic ability and cartagraphy skills are going to be something voters focus on in all future mapping rounds no matter what, which is unfortunate but possibly unavoidable. Another solution would be to make sure there were as many opportunities to learn how to draw an aesthetically pleasing map as there are opportunities to learn how to create a superstar magic item. It does not take much for a competitor to make a map look good and be of a cool location for an encounter, we just need to offer the opportunities to learn how it is done.

When this round is over and when I have time, I want to write and compile a mapping guide. A very basic how-to guide that covers the fundementals and could be used to create a good map that meets the requirements of the contest. If I do end up doing this I may also be looking for others to write sections on how to use photoshop to do more complicated things, like coloring and adding in patterns.

We don't need to encourage people to turn over master cartographer quality maps, we just need to teach the basics and point out what looks good and what does not.

[Owen K. C. Stephens]

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

Would having it be a Location round, with an encounter-scale map of/in the location work?

No, it would not.

Voters have proven they will vote for a cool encounter with a terrible map and the same would be true for locations. Indeed, it's more likely the 50 words of context we added this year will go away (or be pared down) than that we would add any.

Being a Superstar game designer is about more than writing. You must be able to conceive of, plan, and execute map sketches we can send straight to a cartographer, with no further explanation on our part, or you are missing a crucial skill.

We can't force voters to ignore artistic talent, and in some cases, "artistic talent" is really just a sign of creating something complex enough to need a map and clear enough for everyone to know what it is.

Honestly, good mapping skills are much, much more important for an adventure designer than being able to create a perfect magic item.

A bad map can cause an adventure to be almost entirely rewritten. If an adventure assumes all the action takes place inside interlocked hollow spinning gears in the elemental plane of earth, and the maps aren't clear and don't make sense, the developer must either redraw them (and sometimes they aren't clear because the concept can't be mapped well enough in the space we have), or rewrite the adventure for an entirely different premise AND draw new maps.

If the designer provides maps of areas that totally don't need them, we must either waste the space in the book with bland uninteresting maps, or rewrite the encounters to they need more interesting maps, or have fewer maps and come up with hundreds or thousands more words of adventure text without anything feeling padded.

A bad magic item is at most an object of desire or a solution to a single problem, and a developer can much more easily replace either. The same is true of monsters or even whole encounters.

Nor is this a random concern. Adventures HAVE had to undergo this level or rewrite because the designer was unable or unwilling to provide map sketches that were appropriate, necessary for the adventure, in the proper format, and clear. The map sketches must be an integral, integrated, beneficial part of the adventure text creation, and thus falls to the freelance designer to make.

And that's why we're almost certainly keeping a round that tests as-close-to-exclusively map sketch creating skill as possible.

[Robert Thomson]

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Oceanshieldwolf wrote:

I'm not a fan of this map round at all - I can see Paizo think it important, but I see it as the weakest Round both in the reasons given for making it, and in gettig both contestants and voters to understand just what it is/how it should be approached.

"Important" is actually an understatement. "Crucial" might be more accurate.

And this is only the second time we've ever done this round. It doesn't have the tradition and polish that comes from 9 years of seeing how people respond to an idea. each year. it'll be clearer and easier for everyone to understand.

But all discussions I have had about it internally make it pretty clear it's not going away, and I strongly believe that's the right call.

As a contestant in this round, and as someone who the mapping was probably my least favorite round to have to execute on...I highly recommend NOT dropping this round. This stretched me in different ways than any other round has or will. I think it's not just huge for Paizo, I think this is huge for contestants. Items had a been there, done that kind of feel. All of the feedback I got during workshopping and after voting were things I already had thought about and considered. Although I learned things, it was limited on how much I was going to learn from that experience. Comments on maps during workshops changed my whole outlook of how to approach my map, and the comments after submission have given me a lot of things to think about as well.

Should I be lucky enough to advance, I know we'll get into rounds where the actual experience of executing the round will be easier, but I doubt there will be a round where I get as much brand new insights.

[Monica Marlowe]

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

I think maps are important (crucial) obviously, though I do sort of agree with OSW. I continue to worry that it's as much about artistic talent as mapping itself.

Would having it be a Location round, with an encounter-scale map of/in the location work? Let the authors have 250 words to show their Golarion knowledge/imagination/ability to craft a cool place and let that be balanced with the maps... I think that would still be not too onerous to read while focusing on key freelancer skills.

Then R4 becomes more focused on building an encounter.

As I told one of the people who asked me to review their maps for this round - Do not rely on those 50 words. They are a crutch for a weak map, not a bonus over last season's introductory run. I personally feel that the 50 words are not necessary and potentially distracting and detrimental to the round.

With only the results of last season's run and not this seaons's votes to further support my opinion, I feel that there were several maps that lack polish or even attractive aesthetic that were engaging and presented excellent gaming locations that carried/will carry their contestant through to Round 3.

The mapping round is crucial, speaking as a person who just had to come up with 4 pages of maps for a 32 page adventure. This round should not go away and it would be a disservice to future RPG Superstars to not test their abilities to convey in images what they are able to craft in words. Fortunately in my case, two of my maps for my adventure were already "done" because of the way the contest limited things to a theme. That may not be the case for this season's contestants and they will need to be ready and able to provide what is likely a full page map of a location, 4-6 flip maps, and possibly another full page map. That's a lot of real estate in a 32 page adventure that has previously gone unvetted.

[Donald Robinson]

Monica Marlowe wrote:

As I told one of the people who asked me to review their maps for this round - Do not rely on those 50 words. They are a crutch for a weak map, not a bonus over last season's introductory run. I personally feel that the 50 words are not necessary and potentially distracting and detrimental to the round.

With only the results of last season's run and not this seaons's votes to further support my opinion, I feel that there were several maps that lack polish or even attractive aesthetic that were engaging and presented excellent gaming locations that carried/will carry their contestant through to Round 3.

The mapping round is crucial, speaking as a person who just had to come up with 4 pages of maps for a 32 page adventure. This round should not go away and it would be a disservice to future RPG Superstars to not test their abilities to convey in images what they are able to craft in words. Fortunately in my case, two of my maps for my adventure were already "done" because of the way the contest limited things to a theme. That may not be the case for this season's contestants and they will need to be ready and able to provide what is likely a full page map of a location, 4-6 flip maps, and possibly another full page map. That's a lot of real estate in a 32 page adventure that has previously gone unvetted.

Definitely know what I need to spend my time on before next season.

[captain yesterday]

I thought the module line was bumped up to 64 pages.

[Owen K. C. Stephens]

captain yesterday wrote:

I thought the module line was bumped up to 64 pages.

Yes, a couple of years ago at this point.

[Jacob W. Michaels]

captain yesterday wrote:

I thought the module line was bumped up to 64 pages.

But it's not 64-page adventures. It also includes typically a gazetteer, plus monsters and magic items (at least the Superstar modules).

[Monica Marlowe]

captain yesterday wrote:

I thought the module line was bumped up to 64 pages.

The book itself is 64 pages, the RPGSS does not write all the content of the book. My portion of the book by word count was approximately 32 pages without art. The other pages are made up of monsters and items from the other Top 32 contestants at this time. Sorry about the confusion.

[Isaac Volynskiy]

Mapping is hard but important. I dreaded this round but would not wish it away if I could.

I used GIMP (for the first time) to make my map because I knew I needed layers, and this was a free software that had them.
It took a considerable amount of googling to make GIMP do what I wanted, but I do recommend it to people that are looking to make maps digitally (unless you have access to a better software).

@Monica: I can see your point, but I liked the addition of the 50 words, and hope it's kept for future contests. 50 words isn't enough to prop up a weak map, but it's just enough to support mapmakers to take greater risks.

[Oceanshieldwolf]

Just to be clear - I'm not in favor of removing the map from Round 2 - I was pumped for it last season. This season I was much less enthused mostly due to the ban on isometric views.

[Feros]

Welcome to Round 3, the Monster Round! So what should we be looking for in each of the entries? Well, the judges have a pretty good handle on that and everybody should read their commentary in order to have a better grasp of what is being looked for in the design.

That said, most of these votes involve personal taste. People like what they like and dislike what they don't. Nothing, not even a judge's perspective, will change this(although it has been argued elsewhere that the judges do influence what people think about the entries). It really is up to you in the end to select what you think are the best monsters moving forward.

What do I look for? First I try and imagine what the monster looks like and what a combat with the creature would look like. If that image is cool, the entry has a much greater chance of getting my vote than if the imagery is staid or overused. Rule of Cool people, Rule of Cool.

One big brute is often very much like every other big brute out there, so originality in the combat abilities is the second thing I look for. Does this bring a fresh perspective and a new experience for the players? If not, why bother with the monster in the first place? This is a very important consideration.

The third item is mechanics. Does the monster play well at the table and do its mechanical abilities match up with the visual image? This may seem to be the most important, but the way I see it the mechanics can always be adjusted; the core concept can't.

The final thing I look for is template issues and writing style. This is the professional icing on the cake. A designer who has met the first three standards and fails at this level may still get my vote; a designer who nails all four criteria will ALWAYS get my vote.

So there is my method for judging Round 3. Everybody has their own perspectives on this, so don't be worried if yours doesn't dovetail up to the judges or anyone else's method. Build you own criteria out of your own experience and what you pick up from reading other reviews. And don't be afraid to tell people about it.

[Thomas LeBlanc]

Entries After Round 1
When reading the posts below an entry, you will see some designers have defenders of their work. While the designer may not speak directly to defend their item, nothing prevents them from speaking through a friend. So take comments defending design decisions or explaining an entry with a grain of salt. Judge based on your impressions and if you are in doubt, read the round judges and use their impressions. Entries should stand on their own and not require clarification.

In my book, the more explanation required, the poorer the design.

[Jacob W. Michaels]

I think that's unfair, Thomas. Why shouldn't people who may have no connection to a designer like his/her work and defend it? Just because someone likes something doesn't mean he/she is a sock puppet for the designer. I appreciated when people have liked my designs and defended it, and I've defended designs of people I've had no connection to (Scott LaBarge's map in Superstar 2015, for example, was a favorite of mine; I had absolutely no connection to Scott before I championed that map, though he did ask me to look at some of his later entries because of my comments).

Instead of taking the arguments with a grain of salt, I'd say read them and then come to your own decision on whether you like it or not. Sometimes the missteps may be too much for you, but other times you may decide that the core idea is good enough in an entry that you want to vote for it even if it would need a little tweak in development as one of the other voters suggests. Even better, I'd urge people to add to the discussion.

I posted a link in one of the threads to eventual Superstar winner Mike Welham's Monster Reformation Alliance, which ended up with 130+ comments as people weighed in back and forth on it. I think that type of discussion is great for the community.

If you see something in a monster (or any other entry) that appeals to you, go tell everyone about it!

[Thomas LeBlanc]

Jacob W. Michaels wrote:

I think that's unfair, Thomas. Why shouldn't people who may have no connection to a designer like his/her work and defend it? Just because someone likes something doesn't mean he/she is a sock puppet for the designer.

I am not saying everyone (or even the majority) defending an item is a sock puppet. I am saying it DOES happen and since this thread is for new viewers, to inform them that it occurs.

[Mikko Kallio]

I agree with Jacob.

Like it or not, people will read other people's comments, and every so often it happens that someone (who thinks he understands the rules better than he actually does) attacks a design with something that's not true, or presents an opinion as a fact. If no one stands up to refute the claim, it affects the voting. It's so easy to think "yeah they've got a point there" without checking the facts.

So, if anything, I recommend that the voters read all comments critically.

[Kiel Howell]

Mikko Kallio wrote:

and every so often it happens that someone (who thinks he understands the rules better than he actually does) attacks a design with something that's not true, or presents an opinion as a fact.

I resemble that remark!! :)

But, yes...at the end of the day only the judges are the true professionals with years of experience commenting on things. Everyone else's should be read but taken with a small grain of salt. And even the judges have misread or misremembered things while commenting.

[Monica Marlowe]

Feedback is critical to all designers, freelance or otherwise. Sometimes the designer fails their communication check and sometimes a reader fails their comprehension check . It is a smart designer who looks at what is said about their work and tries to learn something from the feedback, even if the failure to accurately communicate doesn't really fall on the writer.

Readers have a reasonable expectation that the writer will convey information easily and clearly. That kind of skill comes from practice. RPG Superstar is Paizo's way of finding people who are creative and untried, so as a by product of the design of the contest, the contestants are not going necessarily going to have honed this skill. But, they also cannot defend the choices they've made, by the contest rules. It does't make their design weak, it may simply mean that their communication skill is not as high as it could be.

There is no shame in having a reader not understand your work, the shame is not listening to that feedback and not trying harder the next time. I have sighed more than one sigh of relief for some stranger coming to the defense of my work during the last season because someone didn't understand something I did. I don't feel it made my design weak, it just meant that a misunderstanding was cleared up and I didn't have to sweat it. I may not be so lucky when my adventures get published, so I take all comments to heart and I hope that this season's contestants and voters do too.

[Jarrett Sigler]

Monica Marlowe wrote:

Readers have a reasonable expectation that the writer will convey information easily and clearly. That kind of skill comes from practice. RPG Superstar is Paizo's way of finding people who are creative and untried, so as a by product of the design of the contest, the contestants are not going necessarily going to have honed this skill. But, they also cannot defend the choices they've made, by the contest rules. It does't make their design weak, it may simply mean that their communication skill is not as high as it could be.

I can agree with Monica on this. Three year's ago, I wrote in what my current girlfriend declares as "Jay-eese". IT was a particular brand of English that only those who had the fortune or possible misfortune of knowing me very closely could understand.

It was a trait I picked up in many years in a corporate world of tricking people of thinking I was way more important than I was. I would say EXACTLY enough to evoke questions, and create a need to have someone communicate with me. Thus improving my importance.

This does NOT help in the world of game design. I have spent three very long years, trying to break that habit. I know of only one way to do it; and that's have complete strangers go over your work. It helps.