Today it looks more clear that my item was among the 400 culled. Still hoping, but more realistically :)
Best of luck!
It does seem like pretty much all of them are confirmed (340/354 currently).
*scrolls through the list*
*does a happy dance*
Exciting! I haven't been culled! I honestly thought my submission this year was a little weak, but apparently people actually like it. That makes me happy. :)
Thank you Paizo community. You have made my day.
Ditto!
=)
RPG Superstar 2015
,
Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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It does seem like pretty much all of them are confirmed (340/354 currently).
I'm pretty certain I've seen the remaining few post cull, but I didn't realize we were doing "x." I opted to not confirm some of them for fear of false hope. I was surprised how many weren't confirmed until this evening.
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Well, we only started confirming about 4-5 hours ago!
Well, it seems that I'm in fairly good company. My item hasn't been seen, so I'm guessing it was culled, too. Ugh. So frustrating, because I realized the mistake I made AFTER I submitted it. It was a rather foolish mistake, too. But, to be honest, it's making voting easier. AND, a huge thank you to John Bennett about publishing to 3PP's. It gives me, a relatively new-comer hope to one day be published.
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My item did not make the Cull either. I will not lie. It IS disheartening, even though I utterly never expected it to make top32 (though I had some hope for top100, not having seen critiques that seemed aimed at it).
At the very least, I expected to make the Cull.
That said, I obviously did not expect the Cull to be so wide.
And I think that is a mistake.
Right, now, I do not feel like trying my chance again. I do not even feel like keeping on voting. It all seems empty.
If other would-be designers, far more gifted than I am, feel the same way, then that is a bad thing for the industry.
So, I feel that keeping the Cull to the lesser 25% would have been wiser.
So that 250 more would-be designers could feel that they have at least succeeded at surviving the Cull.
I know that I have seen many of the items on my Keep list lost to the Cull. Especially the humorous ones.
I fervently hope that the designers of these items will post on the Critique my item thread so that I can at last tell them how wonderful their creation was to me.
I will likely put my item there too, together with the many reasons I guess at for not making it through the Cull.
Sorry for the down note guys, but I needed to speak my heart on this.
Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9
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My item did not make the Cull either. I will not lie. It IS disheartening, even though I utterly never expected it to make top32 (though I had some hope for top100, not having seen critiques that seemed aimed at it).
At the very least, I expected to make the Cull.
That said, I obviously did not expect the Cull to be so wide.
And I think that is a mistake.
Right, now, I do not feel like trying my chance again. I do not even feel like keeping on voting. It all seems empty.
If other would-be designers, far more gifted than I am, feel the same way, then that is a bad thing for the industry.
So, I feel that keeping the Cull to the lesser 25% would have been wiser.
So that 250 more would-be designers could feel that they have at least succeeded at surviving the Cull.
I know that I have seen many of the items on my Keep list lost to the Cull. Especially the humorous ones.
I fervently hope that the designers of these items will post on the Critique my item thread so that I can at last tell them how wonderful their creation was to me.
I will likely put my item there too, together with the many reasons I guess at for not making it through the Cull.
Sorry for the down note guys, but I needed to speak my heart on this.
I reiterate...
My heart genuinely goes out to those whom did not survive the cull. Just remember:
If it is your dream to write and design for fantasy roleplaying, or to write and design for anything for that matter...
...your dream is to have your name on a front cover, with the confines of the book's bindings relentlessly teeming with the fruits of your labor and the shimmer of your creative prowess...
...or even if your dream is to be that guy behind the scenes that grins in satisfied modesty as hundreds, if not thousands, of people fervently discuss something of your design...
...mark my words:
Once you have that dream, nothing can stop you. So keep reaching for it, and let nothing hold you back. It takes a special bravery to put something you've created on display for the world to see. Be proud of yourself: you have taken a step that countless others fear and wouldn't dare.
Don't despair I encourage you to hone your skills and try again next year. This is a fantastic community, and it will benefit you greatly to immerse yourself into it. You will be doing yourself an incredible disservice if you just chuck your motivation to the wind because of a small pitfall. Like I said before, Fear will imprison your creativity.
I'm dealing with fear, too. Everyone wants to be noticed and accepted, myself included. You just have to keep reaching for it, and let nothing stand in your way.
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My item did not make the Cull either. I will not lie. It IS disheartening, even though I utterly never expected it to make top32 (though I had some hope for top100, not having seen critiques that seemed aimed at it).
At the very least, I expected to make the Cull.
That said, I obviously did not expect the Cull to be so wide.
And I think that is a mistake.
Right, now, I do not feel like trying my chance again. I do not even feel like keeping on voting. It all seems empty.
If other would-be designers, far more gifted than I am, feel the same way, then that is a bad thing for the industry.
So, I feel that keeping the Cull to the lesser 25% would have been wiser.
So that 250 more would-be designers could feel that they have at least succeeded at surviving the Cull.
I know that I have seen many of the items on my Keep list lost to the Cull. Especially the humorous ones.
I fervently hope that the designers of these items will post on the Critique my item thread so that I can at last tell them how wonderful their creation was to me.
I will likely put my item there too, together with the many reasons I guess at for not making it through the Cull.
Sorry for the down note guys, but I needed to speak my heart on this.
This thread is one that made me feel the way you are now. It is attached to a really rough review. I'm still working on updates to that product beyond what I could immediately fix but that was basically an evisceration of a product I was proud of written not only by myself but some of my dearest friends. A rough review to say the least. I thanked Theo for that... Go ahead read that, I'm still embarrassed by it but I'll wait.
I'm comforted by the fact that Paizo isn't perfect either, try reading the Wrath of the Righteous boards for awhile if you do not believe this. Every Paizo contact not only accepts the negative feedback but thanks their critics and explains how they will do better next time.
I've felt that gut punch you're feeling now. I feel it when I missed top 32 last year and in all likelihood will feel that way again this year. Feeling that way is not a problem, it can even be good for you if you are the type to strive to become better.
If you want to be a writer/game designer you need to accept not everyone will get you. Not everyone will love your work. Early critics called William Shakesphere a hack that was ripping off Andrew Marlow (and they were at least partly right.)
There are at least 3 designers that got culled I'd take submissions from because I saw some talent. If one of them was you, this post would leave a bad taste in my mouth and I would not bother. No 3PP has time for hand holding a writer's fragile ego. It's worse because you can't have a writer that's going to throw a fit on a public board, that person is a liability.
I'm not the only one that looks at these boards in that manner. I know of at least 2 other 3PPs (one of which is run by a former judge) that will at least notice posters on these boards.
Please don't see this as an attack it's meant in the spirit of imparting perspective. Don't give up on your dreams come back stronger next year.
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The Black Raven, I hear you.
I know that feeling. It is a deep gnawing sensation at the back of my head. WE CAN'T LET THAT FEELING WIN. Push on, and be MORE AWESOME.
I understand the cull was much bigger this year than in previous.
You made it the first step. And as GM_Solspiral said, there are some HE WOULD SIGN ON that didn't make the cull. Which means, there are some seriously professional material out there. It's very possible, that you count among the professional material that had been culled.
While that single item is now Paizo's to do with as they please, the 3PP publishers are here scouting talent as well. Voting may feel empty, and if your heart isn't in it, you probibly should take a break from voting for a while.
But when the Critique threads open up, Place your item there, and help brainstorm what may make the item better. Explain your decisions as thoughtfully as you can, and evaluate those decisions honestly, as well as any suggestions to other designers.d
Fun is subjective, and it's an elusive concept to find. Everyone has different versions of "Fun", and that's the challenge of Game Design. Finding that nugget of fun in Math, Problem Solving, Tool-Building, and Story reading. It's such a fascinating subject.
Perhaps, your reasoning will bring you to the attention of a 3PP publisher, or Paizo itself. Take a break though, build yourself up. You earned it. It is a very tough competition, and you put yourself out there. You did the hardest part, and for that, you have a reason to be proud.
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stuff...
I empathise with you whole heartedly. If it is any consolation, after eight years of trying, I can confirm the disappointment is no less than it was that first time.
I am burying myself now in some 3PP work I have acquired through becoming noticed on the forums. I am also turning to look at Wayfinder 14 work now that call has been posted. I am getting back on that bike as they say.
I have seen some very tight well balanced items join me in the cull - maybe one of them was yours. I do wonder at times if the competition not been open vote based, would they have been contenders for Top 32 under the old judge selection. I believe some of them most certainly would have.
The open voting is fun, you learn a lot from it, but it is also very much a mood based participation sport with all the randomness and fluctuations that entails. In short, you are trying to be one of the fish in a very big barrel. A writers life is moments of exhilarating joy interspersed with the sadness of rejections, so all of us wanting to be designers must develop that never say die attitude, must keep on reaching for that goal.
If you have the designer heart, you have to take these disappointments and be honest with yourself. Look hard at your entry, real hard. Make reviews of those that did make it - why did they make it and why did the judges select that item as top 32 out of those in the top 100 or so?
This competition isn't the only way you can get noticed, submit proposals for the PFS scenarios calls, Wayfinder, approach 3PPs and tout for small items of work to get the chance to prove yourself on a one to one basis.
I have been trying the competition now for 8 years, but only really trying hard and seriously for around the last 5 - that was when the fan-boy excitement of taking part got replaced with a realization that I could actually do this, and that I really wanted to. That's when I started knuckling down. I have even seen posts from industry pro's who openly admit they couldn't place in this competition. Take heart from that.
As for my item, I have decided not to share this year for the first time ever. My reasoning is this. I created it, considered game balance, had a cool visual. I am happy with it. I know where I made mistakes ( yes, even I can slip up occasionally :), so I am turning now to working on my craft again, in earnest. I am starting to have confidence in my abilities.
AFTER I had submitted my item this year, I took a very cheeky and very big gamble and contacted SKR. I found that he was not involved in the competition in any way this year, so I cheekily asked if he would consider looking at my item and giving me private feedback. He did so! THAT is how highly he regards the entrants of this competition. He took a look and gave me more of his honest feedback...
Six years ago, my Proliferating Pocket Purse gave him a headache and sent him home (yes - that WAS my feedback on that item, it was also the kick in the pants I needed to really start working hard), this year, my item received a summary of "neat item" from him.
I can't describe how that made me feel - like all the hard work was coming together at last. Ok, he didn't say wow, or great. But I knew that getting neat item from him was a good indication of growth in my design skills. I KNEW my design was solid from those words. The best item I have ever done. And... it was culled.
So please don't give up, you might never get a Superstar tag, I have come to accept that this year and that is a hard thing to accept - everyone believes they are superstar material, it's perfectly natural.
Don't let this disappointment stop you from getting noticed and becoming a games designer if that is your dream. You just have to pick yourself up, soldier on and work for it. It is one item in the grand scheme of things. Not every item you ever design will get used by a publisher.
Come on, crack on, join me in the chase to being published in a hardback and becoming recognized as a games designer!
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OK, let's talk about the harsh cull this year. This is my opinion from two previous years with a much wider margin of acceptance:
It's a good change.
Please understand: these ideas "not DQ'd", "survived the Cull", and "Top 100" are all NEW. For the first five RPG Superstar competitions, these did not exist. What happened was the submitted items were piled onto the judges who had to sluice through tons of drek in the hopes of deriving a Top 32 with 4 alternates. We never saw this process, and only learned of the judges opinions of submitted items if the writer asked to have the comments made available on the discussion thread boards.
Effectively you submitted an item and—unless you were willing to have the judges shred your item publicly—not making it to the next round meant never knowing what went wrong.
That changed two years ago with the introduction of the voting algorithm. This program allowed the public and the submitting contestants to sort through all the entries and give the judges a short list of decent to excellent items. It worked brilliantly. People got to see their items and compare them directly to other entries; and sometimes the comparisons were not kind. If a competitor was honest with himself, he could learn a lot just from the voting process. I know I sure did.
I have voted somewhere over 6000 times this year I think (I stopped counting after reaching Champion) and I saw all but 5 or 6 of the items not immediately DQ'd by Paizo for rules violations. I selected a number of items I thought were very well designed or quite good in concept. I made a list of Top 20 and an extra 12 to round out my personal Top 32.
Nine of them were cut.
Nine items I considered better in either concept or design to everything out there, over 800 entries. That is almost a full third of my items.
A few duds definitely made it through the cull. This is most likely because they were randomly put up against some of the really questionable items a lot and so got a significant number of up-votes. It is unlikely any of them will make top 100, and even further out there to reach Top 32.
Aside from those, however, the item selection is now decent to great on almost every single vote. It is taking more effort out of me to vote each time because auto-votes are almost non-existent now. I have to carefully consider almost every single vote. This means the Top 100 this year will be even better sorted by the votes and consideration than the past two. The best items will rise and the designers will get their breaks.
With the voting this much better I find myself more confident that if someone puts up a very good entry they will have their shot. And yes, that will mean that less than perfect executions of otherwise great items will be removed earlier than the past. But those items never used to even see the light of day without author consent in the first place.
If you didn't make the cut, vote enough to get your own Top 32 list and trade with others. See what they liked and learn from that as you vote. Trust me when I say that if you find out that your item is on somebody's Keep List, it will make your day! :)
Please put your item on the Critique My Item thread as The black raven and others are intending to do. The feed back may be blunt, but it will be polite and generally constructive. It will help you for next year.
All-in-all, this later deeper cull has impressed me and made voting so much better. Not making the cull this year is not a criticism like it was in past years. A lot of them are items made by excellent designers.
You are all in good company! :)
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I can't describe how that made me feel - like all the hard work was coming together at last. Ok, he didn't say wow, or great. But I knew that getting neat item from him was a good indication of growth in my design skills. I KNEW my design was solid from those words. The best item I have ever done. And... it was culled.
I've been rooting for you for 3 years... That frankly sucks.
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I can't describe how that made me feel - like all the hard work was coming together at last. Ok, he didn't say wow, or great. But I knew that getting neat item from him was a good indication of growth in my design skills. I KNEW my design was solid from those words. The best item I have ever done. And... it was culled.I've been rooting for you for 3 years... That frankly sucks.
Count me on that to, Anthony. I wanted you through more than anybody. :(
I'm 100% looking forward to critiques. Can't come soon enough.
I'm 100% looking forward to critiques. Can't come soon enough.
I'm hoping to not do any because of the gag order, but if I am not gagged I will do my usual good, bad, and ugly routine
I'm 100% looking forward to critiques. Can't come soon enough.I'm hoping to not do any because of the gag order, but if I am not gagged I will do my usual good, bad, and ugly routine
If we get selected are we barred from critiquing other items? I suppose it could be seen as currying favor. In that case I would promise to review as last year when the gag order is rescinded and then save the reviews in txt file format, ready to go! :)
I plan to comment on every item offered for critique. It's fun and educational for me to do.
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My item did not make the Cull either. I will not lie. It IS disheartening, even though I utterly never expected it to make top32 (though I had some hope for top100, not having seen critiques that seemed aimed at it).
At the very least, I expected to make the Cull.
That said, I obviously did not expect the Cull to be so wide.
And I think that is a mistake.
Right, now, I do not feel like trying my chance again. I do not even feel like keeping on voting. It all seems empty.
If other would-be designers, far more gifted than I am, feel the same way, then that is a bad thing for the industry.
So, I feel that keeping the Cull to the lesser 25% would have been wiser.
So that 250 more would-be designers could feel that they have at least succeeded at surviving the Cull.
I know that I have seen many of the items on my Keep list lost to the Cull. Especially the humorous ones.
I fervently hope that the designers of these items will post on the Critique my item thread so that I can at last tell them how wonderful their creation was to me.
I will likely put my item there too, together with the many reasons I guess at for not making it through the Cull.
Sorry for the down note guys, but I needed to speak my heart on this.
If getting rejected once is enough to make you quit this might not be the job for you. Its a lot of rejection. the cull was larger this year because it was done so late in voting. This helps spread the pack out. take out most of the not so good items and people have to start comparing decent items as opposed to obv better to obv worse. From what I understand it was roughly 50%. That means that somewhere between 400-500 items where ahead of yours. It isn't bad for the industry, it's good for the contest.
My item did not make the Cull either. I will not lie. It IS disheartening, even though I utterly never expected it to make top32 (though I had some hope for top100, not having seen critiques that seemed aimed at it).
At the very least, I expected to make the Cull.
That said, I obviously did not expect the Cull to be so wide.
And I think that is a mistake.
Right, now, I do not feel like trying my chance again. I do not even feel like keeping on voting. It all seems empty.
.....
Sorry for the down note guys, but I needed to speak my heart on this.
I feel for you. As a now eight year veteran of this competition I'll tell you that rejection stings, but it stings a little less each time. Every year that I fail, I learn another lesson.
The fact is, our hobby is very subjective and we all have different play styles and differences of opinion when it comes what we like in our games. It is hard to have your finger on the pulse of the gaming community at large, and this even changes from time to time. I didn't make the cull either, but then the change from wondrous items really took the wind out of my sails and I was not confident in my item when I submitted it. I expected to make the cull though.
That being said, I think you are right about a large cull being a bad idea. I voted like mad right after the cull not accepting that they cut so many and that my item wasn't among the survivors. Once I accepted that the list was not growing and they really did cut that many, I've voted maybe four or five times is all. I'm just not that interested now that I know I will not see my own item (I never did see it pre-cull either). Is there anyone here that got culled and retained their interest in voting? There is usually and uptick in voting right after the cull no matter how many they cut. But if they had made a smaller cut, would more people still be enthusiastically voting? I'd say yes, and that would be a good thing. The best will still rise toward the top. I'm NOT NOT voting out of spite. I'm just not that interested now until the top 32 are announced. Also a smaller pool of items means a single up vote has more power and you are more likely to be able to up vote you and your pit crew's items more often. It is just a bad idea for multiple reasons. If they were to do two smaller culls, that might be alright. Say 25% after 1/3 the voting time, and then 25% of the remainder 2/3 of the way in. More than 50% all at once is excessive and will kill many voter's enthusiasm for voting as well as for the competition in general.
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If we get selected are we barred from critiquing other items? I suppose it could be seen as currying favor. In that case I would promise to review as last year when the gag order is rescinded and then save the reviews in txt file format, ready to go! :)
You are not barred from critiquing other items (I wouldn't comment on any other Rounds until afterward), though you should arguably be busy working on your future designs. You should also be careful about how you critique: In 2012, IIRC, some people were upset with a couple contestants who they thought were making critical comments in a bid to highlight their own strengths.
Last year, I did post in a few of the other Top 32's items how much I liked them; I also critiqued a few items in the critique thread that I had really strong feelings on, but the truth is you're far too busy to do much. IIRC, I caught up on the big critique thread much later or in down moments at work where I had enough time to read some posts but not to do more intensive research/work on my own entries.
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stuff
Last year, for a different occasion, but similar outcome, I wrote a piece called Running On Disappointment.
And if mid-length blog prose isn't your thing, there's always this little bit of doggerel:
Rage and swear and rant and roar
Fume and fuss and stomp the floor
Cry and cuss and slam the door
Then sit down and write some more.
This...is...awesome!
Rage and swear and rant and roar
Fume and fuss and stomp the floor
Cry and cuss and slam the door
Then sit down and write some more.
Shucks, thanks!
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Regarding the wider range on the cull, I think there are two issues to consider
1) The voting period prior to the cull went on for an extended period of time prior to culling compared to the previous years. That in and of itself allowed more time for all entries involved to amass a greater amount of votes for sorting and ranking, which was to the advantage of all who entered, and not just the top 75%;
2) If an item got culled because it was in the bottom ranking 50% (as opposed to 75%), it doesn't seem statistically likely to me that- with only 1 week remaining- said item would have fared substantially better than it had in the previous weeks of voting, at least not enough to bump it up into the top 100 from which the judges will make their final selection. I suppose it's possible, but it seems highly statistically improbable to me.
Also I'll add 3) as no actual rankings other than the top 32 are ever provided, there is no particular reason to worry that an item didn't make the cull, I shouldn't think. Didn't make the top 400? Maybe the item was actually 401, maybe it was 900? (hypothetical numbers). If the cull was extended to the top 750 instead? If an item made the cull, one still wouldn't know where it had ranked in that- whether it was 101 or 223 or 749 (or maybe it was 751 if it got culled, or still 900).
Consider, too, that these numbers and rankings are based entirely on votes by other forum members (essentially your peers) and not by the designers and developers themselves. Is it still disappointing to know that you didn't "make it"? Of course, but hopefully not so much that it should keep you from pursuing trying again next year, or even just submitting directly to the people in charge- the designers and developers at Paizo, at Wayfinder, at 3PP.
Given the above, I have no problems with the wider range for the cull this year. Based largely on what I'm seeing in the voting now, I think there will be a pretty good selection of items (and designers) that make the finals.
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If they were to do two smaller culls, that might be alright. Say 25% after 1/3 the voting time, and then 25% of the remainder 2/3 of the way in. More than 50% all at once is excessive and will kill many voter's enthusiasm for voting as well as for the competition in general.
That's actually a pretty interesting suggestion. I think one of the detriments of the contest is falling in the holiday season where planning the cull (or multiple culls) gets a bit tricky. I'll add this to our list of things we can improve/revisit next time around :)
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Also, one other thing to add:
No one loses anything by entering the contest. They may feel some pangs of disappointment (maybe severe ones), but try not to take them as personal slights. As items are anonymously submitted, perhaps people can find some comfort that they weren't personally and publically raked over the coals for some reason or other*. If you're determined, as others have suggested, submit your item to the Critique thread when it opens, or just ask some other posters you respect to provide private critiques if you don't want the public scrutiny.
But try hard not to let it discourage you entirely, if writing and designing for games is what you want to do. No one loses anything by entering, even if they don't succeed. At most, you gain an opportunity, a foothold that you still need to demonstrate the ability and determination to follow through on, but you didn't lose anything by trying.
There are many opportunities, both through this contest, and elsewhere (many of which just involve participating and interacting with others during the course of this contest). So don't lose hope. :D
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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If they were to do two smaller culls, that might be alright. Say 25% after 1/3 the voting time, and then 25% of the remainder 2/3 of the way in. More than 50% all at once is excessive and will kill many voter's enthusiasm for voting as well as for the competition in general.That's actually a pretty interesting suggestion. I think one of the detriments of the contest is falling in the holiday season where planning the cull (or multiple culls) gets a bit tricky. I'll add this to our list of things we can improve/revisit next time around :)
You could also perhaps move it to January?
I see having the ability to separate yourself from your work enough to take criticism in stride as the mark of a writer/artist/designer with high potential.
Based largely on what I'm seeing in the voting now, I think there will be a pretty good selection of items (and designers) that make the finals.
Well this would be true no matter how many items are in the voting pool. The cream will rise to the top. The first two years of public voting, the judges looked at the top 100 items after voting, but infrequently found anything worthy of top 32 near the bottom end of that list.
It is my understanding that the first cull (RPGSS 2013) was not planned, but the judges decided to do it to clear the worst of the worst and reinvigorate voting. To me, the cull should do just that. Most of us know the really bad items when we see them. Blatant bad jokes and written for past rules systems. Game breakers and near DQ's. Bad english skills and poor grasp of basic rules. This is what should be cut.
This year, favorites of many people were cut. Are the pairings better now? Sure. But I think there was likely a shallower cut that would have still vastly improved the pairings while not cutting competently designed items from the pool, even if they statistically had a poor chance of making the top 100. And possibly disenfranchising a good number of very enthusiastic supporters of RPGSS. Only the statisticians on the other side of the screen will have a real clue if the large cull had a detrimental impact on voting (a decrease in number of post-cull votes or if self/group voting has a greater impact with smaller numbers).
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Some things about being sad...
<cue motivational music>
I am a freelancer that is lucky enough to be able to make a living off of my work (albeit mostly through technical writing). It took me a long time to get to that point. I used to be hurt by rejection like you obviously are right now. There were times that I would not even submit things, because I was scared of rejection. Long story short there were some people and some cliché advice fit for an episode of Oprah, only far more offensive and needed at the time. Blah, blah, blah I changed. Fast forward twelve years and I am doing work for a number of the same companies that rejected me the first time that I submitted work to them way back in the days of butt hurt.
I'll give you a little of the above mentioned advice that I was given. As I said it was harsh and I only relay it to try to help not to insult. A very successful and well known author once told me, "Maybe you should give up, because you don't really want this job bad enough. You want the good parts, but you sure as <expletive deleted> don't want the whole thing... Do you want to find out why you weren't good enough? Do you want to learn what the audience wants? Of course you don't and that's the problem... Now prove me wrong!"
I look forward to seeing your item on the critique my item thread. Keep your head up and good luck to you in future years.
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I assumed mine would be culled - one week lead time, on the road during that time, didn't fully process the "terms and conditions" (I had designed a weapon, a staff, AND a ring, and was surprised that I couldn't submit more after the weapon... doh!), and (in my haste) formatting mine incorrectly.
So, mine was doomed... DOOMED!
But, I did submit, and it was my first go at the Superstar process. Next year, readier (one hopes), I'll make a more determined effort.
(And I can use my designed items in home games...)
If I can just edge up one category per year...
Maybe it's just me, but based on the general quality of items I'm seeing (and seeing paired together), I really feel more like post-cull I'm voting to rank the top vote getters.
Hrm. I get the opposite feeling.
I keep seeing what I feel like are most peoples weak keeps.
I wonder if the pairing each person sees is based on information the website needs, or a pairing pattern assigned per user?
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32
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Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mechaPoet
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I wonder if the pairing each person sees is based on information the website needs, or a pairing pattern assigned per user?
I keep seeing people wondering about how the voting algorithm functions, and for the most part I assume it's about specifics that aren't answered in the FAQ.
But just in case you missed it, they actually say how it works in the FAQ, which is neat!
Items are presented to voters in random pairs, biased toward items which have been viewed the least. Every item will be voted on before any item is selected for voting again. We'll use the votes to determine the most popular items, and present those to the judges for ranking.
They also provide the mathematical method used:
A Condorcet method is used to determine the results, via a Schulze beatpath strength calculation.
I read through that link, and it seems neat, although it was mostly over my head as someone who doesn't speak much Math. [/english major 4 lyfe]
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Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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You could also perhaps move it to January?If they were to do two smaller culls, that might be alright. Say 25% after 1/3 the voting time, and then 25% of the remainder 2/3 of the way in. More than 50% all at once is excessive and will kill many voter's enthusiasm for voting as well as for the competition in general.That's actually a pretty interesting suggestion. I think one of the detriments of the contest is falling in the holiday season where planning the cull (or multiple culls) gets a bit tricky. I'll add this to our list of things we can improve/revisit next time around :)
As a corporate accountant, that would kill me. The contest already borderline falls during what would be blackout time for me for freelancing, but pushing it any later would mean I'd just have to pass on it completely.
I'm a Tax Accountant. I feel your pain. January thru April are my death-months.
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My item did not make the Cull either.
My item made it through the cull, but I'm fully prepared for it to not make the top 32. Don't let setbacks get you down.
The call for Wayfinder 14 just went out and with the theme being "monsters", this issue is wide open for a variety of ideas. Shuck off that existential feeling and start working on three entries for this issue.
It will take your mind off your disappointment and get you right back to being excited about creating again!
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So please don't give up, you might never get a Superstar tag, I have come to accept that this year and that is a hard thing to accept - everyone believes they are superstar material, it's perfectly natural.
Don't let this disappointment stop you from getting noticed and becoming a games designer if that is your dream. You just have to pick yourself up, soldier on and work for it. It is one item in the grand scheme of things. Not every item you ever design will get used by a publisher.
Come on, crack on, join me in the chase to being published in a hardback and becoming recognized as a games designer!
Agreed. Some words of encouragement to all who were culled: Once you have an item that is good enough, there is still a strong intangible factor, almost random, even, in making the Top 32. It doesn't mean that the Top 32 are not talented, but it does mean that many who did not are also talented. I submitted to this contest for several years, and I never made Top 32. I think if I had, I would have aced future rounds that did not involve maps, but that first step is the hardest, and failing to reach it shouldn't discourage you (look at me now; if I had let not making Superstar Top 32 dissuade me, I wouldn't be a Designer here at Paizo).
To those who were culled: I read your item before it was culled. I read every item. I knew we needed to be selective, so I selected only 40 items out of all the submissions that I didn't want to weak reject or reject. A select group, nearly as much so as the Top 32. 7 of those 40 were culled. They might be you, in which case you may have been culled, but you still had a pretty big accomplishment in my book. (on the plus side for me, that leaves me with 33 that survived the cull, which makes narrowing to a personal Top 32 much easier)
Yea, with public voting there's just no algorithm to account for personal taste when determine whats "best".
Yea, with public voting there's just no algorithm to account for personal taste when determine whats "best".
Next year's item
Widow's Lamentation
Widow's Lamentation
I swear that item was submitted in a previous year.
EDIT: I'm thinking of Victoria Jaczko's Bitter Widow's Veil from last year.
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Yea, with public voting there's just no algorithm to account for personal taste when determine whats "best".
Even with judge voting, sometimes it depends on which judge sees your item first and what mood that judge was in. If the first judge to see your item completely loves it or hates it, it'll naturally make the other judges more timid to express the opposite viewpoint.
Should judge voting be blind then? They get all the files emailed to them, which they should draft responses to prior to checking out the thread? Or just email them to a helpful staff member who will put them up.