Yeah, I just finished a draft too, although I really fear I'm biting off more than I can chew. But copious hours spent converting 2D maps into 3D papercraft actually seems to be helping out quite a bit! Who knew.
And Jeff, I certainly had a different emotion collecting a new set of papers to grade this morning than usual, all thanks to Superstar :p
So who's going to tell their students about all this insanity?
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Marathon Voter Season 9
aka ChesterCopperpot
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Thirded. But man, week 1 of class is a tough week to have to learn cartography.I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!It's excellent to see so many of us!
This is the final week of our semester. I'm up to my eyeballs in essays and exams.:p
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I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!
Where my IT professionals at?! :(
Panic is turning into desire to put off finishing... must fight, must fight!
Good luck everybody.
On the teachers.... my parents were teachers. Never seemed like they stopped having papers to grade. Always thought that was a hard profession--though worthy!
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka CalebTGordan
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I don't have a scanner at home so I had to go and scan it at my in-laws. Now I have digital and physical copy of my rough draft and I need to get to detailing, polishing, and inking.
But not until tomorrow. Tonight I have to play some Skull and Shackles. Azikewe, my character, died last session and had his soul taken by an angry ex-girlfriend. His body was thrown overboard and the party failed to recover it. Tonight, he rises from the waves but only in physical form. Ogu Farnea, a powerful voodoo spirit, has possessed it and now seeks revenge against the ex-girlfriend. Azikewe's soul was his to take and she should not have been so bold in taking it from him.
I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!Where my IT professionals at?! :(
I'm an IT trainer, so both a teacher and an IT professional. :-)
I'm an IT trainer, so both a teacher and an IT professional. :-)I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!Where my IT professionals at?! :(
Oooo, half-breed. :P
Not gonna lie, wish I didn't have so much work to do this week so I could actually just try to do this. As it is I've been sketching between calls at my desk, but nothing's really popped for me. :\
I'm an IT trainer, so both a teacher and an IT professional. :-)I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!Where my IT professionals at?! :(
FYI...I too am an IT professional. So, that's two RPG Superstars with that kind of background. You're in good company, Ben! ;)
FYI...I too am an IT professional. So, that's two RPG Superstars with that kind of background. You're in good company, Ben! ;)I'm an IT trainer, so both a teacher and an IT professional. :-)I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!Where my IT professionals at?! :(
Yay! *is too tired/stressed by map-making to put together more coherent response*
Yay! *is too tired/stressed by map-making to put together more coherent response*
I feel ya man! I got less than 2 hours of sleep last night and I am here spinning my wheels. xD
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Yay! *is too tired/stressed by map-making to put together more coherent response*FYI...I too am an IT professional. So, that's two RPG Superstars with that kind of background. You're in good company, Ben! ;)I'm an IT trainer, so both a teacher and an IT professional. :-)I love how many educators we have in the top 32. Teachers rule!Where my IT professionals at?! :(
I'm a technical writer and a tier 2 analyst/technician. Also a Ben!
Considering my job involves writing the documents used to train our teams on proprietary software. That means I'm arguably a writer, an educator, a Ben, and an IT professional. I feel like I'm right on the edge of all of the popular Top 32 categories this year, but only if you squint really hard.
Got one mondo, crazy idea that's very ambitious.... and one smaller, more reasonable idea. I'm going for the reasonable one, because I simply don't feel I can pull off the mondo one on one page, with the limitations in play...
I'm hoping I don't regret this or feel that I went for the 'safer' choice. It's not that I think I'm playing safe; there's elements where I definitely think my smaller idea is just more fun and enjoyable to me. I feel I have sound reasons that aren't essentially cowardice, ha.
But man, if someone else submits that mondo, crazy location for their map, I'm gonna be kicking myself all the way to the reject pile. >>>___>>>
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I would like to formally apologize if I ever insulted a cartographer or implied their job was easy.
FYI...I too am an IT professional. So, that's two RPG Superstars with that kind of background. You're in good company, Ben! ;)Where my IT professionals at?! :(I'm an IT trainer, so both a teacher and an IT professional. :-)
Software developer here! o/
I study computer science at the university, BA done, MA "on going". Lately I've been just working.
RPG Superstar 2014 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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Dedicated Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
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I'm a technical writer and a tier 2 analyst/technician. Also a Ben!
Considering my job involves writing the documents used to train our teams on proprietary software. That means I'm arguably a writer, an educator, a Ben, and an IT professional. I feel like I'm right on the edge of all of the popular Top 32 categories this year, but only if you squint really hard.
I have a technical writing background, and nowadays I'm an information architect.
Skills related to writing, editing, information structures, databases, terminology, illustrations, typography, layout, publishing, etc. really come in handy in RPGSS and freelancing.
Never worked with IT, though I did have to learn a fair bunch of programming and technical writing while working with live graphics for broadcasting (which oddly enough requires careful user experience planning).
My background is in advertising with a focus on art direction/motion graphics, but I've done a tiny bit of copywriting, too.
But enough! let's hear more about you, class of 2015. :D
I've got to choose between a riskier thing that if it pays off shows better potential design ability... and a safer thing that has more of a storied feel but is less challenging in terms of design.
I may just go for risky... seems like it might be best to just go for it. It's hard though!
Good luck everybody. This is definitely a challenging round.
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Time to introduce myself, I guess.
My real-life name is Maria Smolina, but most of my offline friends and online readers know me as Mechtatel, or even Dreamer M., author of a couple of fiction books (in Russian) and owner of a blog (http://dreamer-m.livejournal.com) with a bunch of fiction stories and some linguistics. I might eventually switch my forum name to this one.
I’ve been playing TT games for about 20 years by now (sounds like really a lot when I start counting!), starting with AD&D 2ed. and proceeding through a bunch of game systems. Both a GM and avid player, I regularly design adventures and all kinds of play-related material for my own use. I haven’t been paying much attention to gaming-related forums and official companies until recently, and this is my very first year I actually attempt participating in the RPG Superstar competition. I guess I am crazily lucky for a beginner (especially for a beginner whose native language is other than English), to get into the Top 32 that fast.
...I guess I am crazily lucky for a beginner (especially for a beginner whose native language is other than English), to get into the Top 32 that fast.
It's not unheard of. There've been a few over the years to pull off that feat. The very first iteration of the contest in 2008 resulted in Christine Schneider (of Germany) winning the whole thing, and English wasn't her native language either. So, it's not only possible to make the Top 32, but you can make it all the way if you apply yourself.
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka Mozenrath6
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Hello Everyone, and congratulations to all my fellow competitors!
I'm John and I started gaming when I was 7 with Palladium's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, and then Heroes Unlimited and from there quickly moved on to D&D and everything else I could find. I spent a lot of time in the hospital when I was younger so RPGs really helped to fill a lot of the boredom of long recovery times. Now I love to run them, and am running several APs, and live action games with the NYC LARP Troupe and local conventions.
I'm also excited over all the educators we have this year. I'm a Speech Language Pathologist, and also work in a school settings. I've worked for several schools but mostly a school for inner city special needs students in NY, where I started them playing Pathfinder, and PFS, which my students loved. Sadly the school recently closed do to budget cuts, but that at least has given me some time for this!
I've been entering RPG superstar for a few years now, and I'm glad I've been able to develop over the years to make it into the top 32. I'm still giddy over the fact that I'm in this year! Sorry for the late into post, but I've been working on this map, I don't know where the rest of you found time to post!
Best,
John Laffan
I've got to choose between a riskier thing that if it pays off shows better potential design ability... and a safer thing that has more of a storied feel but is less challenging in terms of design.
I may just go for risky... seems like it might be best to just go for it. It's hard though!
Good luck everybody. This is definitely a challenging round.
My personal belief is that, as long as the expectations are kept realistic, it's better to go for the risky. As a consumer, I'd rather spend money on something where the artist took risks but didn't quite meet the goals than on something where there were no risks taken and the result was a mediocre product.
Hey everyone, congratulations and best of luck in the rest of the competition! More posts to come once I finish my map, I promise!
RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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I've got to choose between a riskier thing that if it pays off shows better potential design ability... and a safer thing that has more of a storied feel but is less challenging in terms of design.
I may just go for risky... seems like it might be best to just go for it. It's hard though!
Good luck everybody. This is definitely a challenging round.
Go big or go home baby! Take the risk! This is RPG SuperStar! Not rpg somesomething.
UGHH I just finished a zoomed-in detail bit of the map, only to realize that my initial sketch broke a rule -- it was landscape, not portrait. So now I gotta re-orient EVERYTHING and re-think about how I'm going to shape things...
Also realized that the grid scale I'm using for the zoomed-in detail bit won't match the rest of the map!
haha ugh I mean I have 8 hours tomorrow to work but fadslfjdljfjdf
AND NOW I'm also wondering if my map is even "risky!" I mean it's cool to ME, but
aaaaaaaaaaa
DOES MY MAP EVEN MAKE SENSE
THIS IS RIDICULOUS WHAT AM I DOING HERE
I'M IN THE WRONG STORY
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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UGHH I just finished a zoomed-in detail bit of the map, only to realize that my initial sketch broke a rule -- it was landscape, not portrait. So now I gotta re-orient EVERYTHING and re-think about how I'm going to shape things...
Also realized that the grid scale I'm using for the zoomed-in detail bit won't match the rest of the map!
haha ugh I mean I have 8 hours tomorrow to work but fadslfjdljfjdf
AND NOW I'm also wondering if my map is even "risky!" I mean it's cool to ME, but
aaaaaaaaaaa
DOES MY MAP EVEN MAKE SENSE
THIS IS RIDICULOUS WHAT AM I DOING HERE
I'M IN THE WRONG STORY
Repeat after me - "WE MAKE THE MAP, WE MAKE THE RULES!!!"
You want it Landscape? BOOM! Landscape!
Go big or go home!
UGHH I just finished a zoomed-in detail bit of the map, only to realize that my initial sketch broke a rule -- it was landscape, not portrait. So now I gotta re-orient EVERYTHING and re-think about how I'm going to shape things...
Also realized that the grid scale I'm using for the zoomed-in detail bit won't match the rest of the map!
haha ugh I mean I have 8 hours tomorrow to work but fadslfjdljfjdf
AND NOW I'm also wondering if my map is even "risky!" I mean it's cool to ME, but
aaaaaaaaaaa
DOES MY MAP EVEN MAKE SENSE
THIS IS RIDICULOUS WHAT AM I DOING HERE
I'M IN THE WRONG STORY
I feel you man. I'm having pretty much the exact same reaction at the moment. The only thing that's keeping me from actually running around like a madman, is that I'm at work. @.@
That whole "you can do landscape, but maybe keep in mind everything we print is portrait..." threw a bit of a spanner in my works. :\ I know it's not going to DQ me, but seems like needlessly possibly handicapping myself.
Alright, now I'm set for round 2, so time for introductions!
My name is Chris Wasko, I've been playing Pathfinder for a few years now. I've been getting my feet wet with design work this past calendar year, after making it to the top 16 in last year's RPGSS contest (and even though my encounter didn't advance, it did get a thumbs-up from John Compton, which I count as a big mark in the W column). I've been an active contributor at Mike Kimmel's online design forum, the Freelance Forge, and I've had a small publication with Raging Swan (via the Broken Freelancers II contest), plus some more in the pipeline with Fat Goblin Games and Outland Entertainment.
I do a lot of collaborative designing with my twin brother Nick, another major Paizo messageboard contributor and potent freelancer. Although he hasn't yet cracked top 32 in RPGSS, he jointly won Raging Swan's Broken Freelancers II contest and the recent Here Be Monsters contest hosted by A Sword for Hire, the blog of one of this year's round 3 judges. He's my chief editor and sounding board for my designs.
I had a ton of favorite items this year, and I'm thrilled to be competing alongside so many talented designers!
Ross: Not really.
Just changing the orientation to north doesn't fix issues of layout on page regarding things like where your key is, or how some things look visually, especially if you're using faux-isometric view for some features of your map. It took me about 20 minutes of fiddling to be finally happy with the shift in my map to a portrait landscape.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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Ladies (and gentlemen) just because it calls for an 8.5"x11" piece of paper does not mean you have to make it portrait. Make your map your way. It does not say in the rules what kind of orientation is required.
While mine is portrait, that's only because I started writing on the paper in that orientation first and just kept with it. Maps only have an "up" because you tell us where N is.
Ladies (and gentlemen) just because it calls for an 8.5"x11" piece of paper does not mean you have to make it portrait. Make your map your way. It does not say in the rules what kind of orientation is required.
While mine is portrait, that's only because I started writing on the paper in that orientation first and just kept with it. Maps only have an "up" because you tell us where N is.
Nah, in another thread, a judge VERY HEAVILY IMPLIED that doing landscape won't disqualify you, but it WILL penalize you.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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Ladies (and gentlemen) just because it calls for an 8.5"x11" piece of paper does not mean you have to make it portrait. Make your map your way. It does not say in the rules what kind of orientation is required.
While mine is portrait, that's only because I started writing on the paper in that orientation first and just kept with it. Maps only have an "up" because you tell us where N is.
Nah, in another thread, a judge VERY HEAVILY IMPLIED that doing landscape won't disqualify you, but it WILL penalize you.
I found the post and while I understand why everyone is going portrait.
No, it doesn't say that in the rules, but if Owen makes a point of saying they the majority of stuff they publish is portrait, I am going to assume that having a map be landscape-oriented makes it something where the map then has to be that much better to compensate for being irregular in that fashion?
I also think it's a good exercise to be able to redesign things to fit a different printable space. Sure, that's going to be much more the part of a graphic designer/layout artist than for an RPG writer, but I think being able to work with the 'standard' layout is a good thing.
edit ninja'd by TD
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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No, it doesn't say that in the rules, but if Owen makes a point of saying they the majority of stuff they publish is portrait, I am going to assume that having a map be landscape-oriented makes it something where the map then has to be that much better to compensate for being irregular in that fashion?
I also think it's a good exercise to be able to redesign things to fit a different printable space. Sure, that's going to be much more the part of a graphic designer/layout artist than for an RPG writer, but I think being able to work with the 'standard' layout is a good thing.
edit ninja'd by TD
It is a good thing to be able to do, I just haven't been on these forums because I've been making a map for 3 days and thus missed the conversation. :-)
It is a good thing to be able to do, I just haven't been on these forums because I've been making a map for 3 days and thus missed the conversation. :-)No, it doesn't say that in the rules, but if Owen makes a point of saying they the majority of stuff they publish is portrait, I am going to assume that having a map be landscape-oriented makes it something where the map then has to be that much better to compensate for being irregular in that fashion?
I also think it's a good exercise to be able to redesign things to fit a different printable space. Sure, that's going to be much more the part of a graphic designer/layout artist than for an RPG writer, but I think being able to work with the 'standard' layout is a good thing.
edit ninja'd by TD
That's fair!
Go big or go home!
Personally, I hope to go big AND go home. I like home. It's all, you know, homey.
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Speaking from the experience of having provided several, initial, map turnovers for Paizo products, the landscape versus portrait analysis usually runs along these lines for me...
Are you designing a map...typically, an overland map...which is likely to go on the front or back inside cover of an adventure or campaign setting product? If so, the chances for accepting it in a landscaped format goes up.
Are you designing a map...any kind of map (overland, indoor, doesn't matter)...and you expect it to appear inside a product (typically as a location map accompanying an adventure or campaign setting product)? If so, and if you're talking about a full-page map, the chances for accepting it in a landscaped format goes down. That's because a publisher typically wants these kinds of maps to have an orientation which matches the text appearing before and after it. The image naturally flows for the reader's eye as they turn through the pages, and they literally don't have to turn the book 90-degrees in order to pause and take in the map.
However...
Are you designing a map...again, any kind of map (overland, indoor, doesn't matter)...and you expect it to appear inside a product, and it only has to be a half-page? If so, these maps tend to have a wider footprint in relation to its length down the page. As such, the chances for accepting it in a landscaped format once again goes up. Not always, of course. But it's easier, because, unlike the full-page, landscaped maps which typically appear inside the front or back covers, you don't have to reorient the book to view them. A half-page, landscaped map can still be viewed with the same orientation as the text, just like a full-sized, portrait map.
Now, for the purposes of this RPG Superstar assignment, you've been asked to do a full-page, 8.5" x 11" map. Thus, you're probably just looking at the first two kinds of mapping situations I've described, above. And, the half-page, landscaped map is probably off the table.
In my opinion...and take it for what's worth, because it's only my opinion...a true RPG Superstar should be applying a tremendous amount of savvy by researching the types of full-size maps which have appeared in Paizo products over the years. And, then, after performing that level of due diligence and research, settle on the type of orientation to pursue for the contest assignment. And, once you've got that logistical choice made, emulate...as best you can...the style of existing Paizo maps you've found which fit that format...and, couple that with whatever awesome Golarion location you've decided to map. Though this direction isn't necessarily in the rules of the contest, it's one of those unwritten rules that no one will tell you. As someone with Superstar potential, you have to demonstrate that level of wisdom in your design research and implementation to show that you can find the unwritten rules and give a publisher something which matches what they're already doing in their products. Because, unless you're truly trying to turn everything upside down on a design, you want to color within the lines as they've defined them in their existing material.
So, these types of choices and overall decision-making are what ultimately leads to a better assessment of RPG Superstar competitors and how "ready now" they are to become a freelance designer for Paizo (or any other publisher). And, in addition to that, how well they deliver on this round's assignment in terms of producing a map with compelling content (i.e., with hints towards cool encounters, tactical setups, BBEG villain insights, geographic enhancements from a campaign setting perspective, etc.) as well as how well they produce something a cartographer can work with to render an even more artistic and eye-catching product for publishing...will ultimately help assess their skill at map-making.
And, keep in mind, that's only one of the major skills a Superstar needs to bring to the table. There'll be many others tested and assessed over the course of the competition. So, smart contestants should look ahead and gauge what skills the various rounds of the competition are putting under the microscope. And, once you've got a sense of that, put together a game plan for how you'll showcase yourself in the best possible way...both to catch the eye of Paizo (for future opportunities no matter the outcome of your run through RPG Superstar) and, then, of course the voters (who will absolutely control the outcome of your run through RPG Superstar). You've got to stand out to both audiences with how your work portrays you AND your capabilities.
But that's just my two cents,
--Neil
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ARghldjfjldf
/rolls around in a pile of crumpled map paper, foaming at the mouth
Any of my fellow amateur cartographers want to go for drinks as of Friday night? I could really use a beer after this one.
After a drink or three I may find I enjoyed this, but right now...ho-boy.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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If nothing else, this is a completely new experience for me.
"No, keep those! Think of them as head starts on your portfolio!" Says the woman drowning in saved stuff she'll never need.
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RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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Marathon Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Marathon Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka mamaursula
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Any of my fellow amateur cartographers want to go for drinks as of Friday night? I could really use a beer after this one.
After a drink or three I may find I enjoyed this, but right now...ho-boy.
Why wait? Let's start *now*. I'm sad I live with the only local (former) RPGSS contestant to me and he doesn't drink.
For DPI, the thing that matters the most, like 99.9% of the concern, is that one edge of the image is 1275 pixels long and the other is 1650 pixels long.
To see the DPI/PPI* of an image:
Windows Explorer in at least Vista and newer (and probably XP too) will list the resolution when you right-click on the image file, select Properties, and look under the Details tab for Dimensions (image size) and the Vertical and Horizontal resolutions (dpi/ppi).
OS X Preview shows the size in pixels if you open the image, go to Tools -> Show Inspector, and look under the General Info tab for Image size and Image DPI. As long as the image is 1275 pixels by 1650 pixels, it's the right size. That's 8.5 inches by 11 inches at 150 pixels per inch.
If the image size is 1275px x 1650px but the DPI isn't 150, you can change that without modifying image quality. Make a copy first, just in case:
If you have Photoshop, open the image, click the Image menu at the top, and click Image Size. Enter 8.5 inches for the width and 11 inches for the height (or vice versa if you're submitting a horizontal map) and 150 pixels/inch for the resolution. (If it won't let you do this, your map doesn't have the same proportions as a letter sheet of paper. Change the canvas size under the Image menu to make the page size 8.5 inches by 11 inches at the current resolution, then try setting the Image Size again.)
If you don't have Photoshop and you're on Windows, try Paint.NET, which offers the same relevant tools as Photoshop for this task. See this SuperUser post for help. There's other tools that can do this too, but PDN is free, easy to install, and straightforward to use. I don't recommend MS Paint for this as it does not allow you to directly change an image's PPI. If you have no other option, try using this...
Belated thanks for this extraordinarily useful post, which I noticed a while back but was too busy freaking out over my map to acknowledge properly at the time. And, I heartily second the recommendation of paint.net. There's even a plugin that will let you add a grid in seconds, which is fantastic for this project. With that, the thing is easier to use for RPG maps (at least small-scale ones) than some dedicated mapping programs, and WAY more flexible.
Well, the program I was using to make my map decided to s$&+ the bed this morning. Thankfully, I had like four back up versions as .jpgs. So, I've submitted and now play the waiting game.
Good luck everybody, I'll be at the bar in Canada if anybody wants to join me.
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If I get my submission done before 5 (eek) and if someone else isn't done yet, I hereby offer my Photoshop services to make sure your images are correct.
Once I'm done, I will be at MAGFest. If anyone else is there, please feel free to buy me food (I'm trying to quit drinking so no booze, please). I'll be dressed as Tuxedo Mask tonight, Razputin Aquato tomorrow, and (a very small, feminine, and not at all Jack Black like) Eddie Riggs on Sunday.
Is MAGFest worth it? I have nothing to do this weekend and it's only a few hours down the road...