Modules Overlord
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We're doing a lot of things differently this year. Some of it is to try to specifically fix problems we have noticed about process and even private feedback in the past, other things are to see if we get a better result in areas where we can only guess. And one or two are because I'm new to running this and I just missed something.
In this case, the choice to not release a list of the top 100 is intentional, and considered. I'll absolutely consider changing my mind about that for future years, but I'm firmly settled on it for this year.
I can understand wanting to know if you made the top 100, but that isn't a core element of this contest. We're focusing on the top 36 (32 plus alternates). And if we did release a top 100, that would only be new information for a small set of contestants - folks from 101 to 900+ still wouldn't know where they placed. The difference between 100 and 101 is statistically negligible - we took the top 100 this year because it was a manageable number, not because there was a huge dropoff in votes at that exact number.
If you want to know how to improve your item, and your skills as a game designer overall, the most important question is not "how close was I" but "what still needs improvement." We have a mechanism in place for that, and Mark Seifter is spending a lot of time making it extreme valuable. I hope to spend some more time there myself (though in some cases my comments are already being summarized by Mark).
People who make the top 32 and even the top 16 aren't always able to repeat that in later years, so being out of the top 100 one year and in the top 100 the next is not a sure sign you're actually improving overall. However, comparing your feedback one year to feedback the next is a great way to see if you are closer to the mark.
The top 100 list helped me last year.
In the three years of player voting, my progression has gone like this -
2013: Didn't get culled.
2014: Made top 100
2015: Alternate
This is the second time I've seen someone mention a top 100 from last year. I was not aware they did that. Where is this posted? Did they do it every year?
Also, add me to the list of people wanting to see a top 100. I've been hearing all along that this would happen, and to suddenly change that now, after the fact, leaves me with a bad feeling. But in the end, it's your contest, I guess.
Dedicated Voter Season 7, Dedicated Voter Season 8, Dedicated Voter Season 9
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The top 100 list helped me last year.
In the three years of player voting, my progression has gone like this -
2013: Didn't get culled.
2014: Made top 100
2015: AlternateThis is the second time I've seen someone mention a top 100 from last year. I was not aware they did that. Where is this posted? Did they do it every year?
Also, add me to the list of people wanting to see a top 100. I've been hearing all along that this would happen, and to suddenly change that now, after the fact, leaves me with a bad feeling. But in the end, it's your contest, I guess.
2014 wasn't "last year" -- it was 2 years ago (ie Season 7). They did have a Top 100 in season 7.
2015 (Season 8) was the year that they didn't have a Top 100.
Technology is not being my friend. I tried posting again, almost immediately after my last post, and was unable to, twice. My computer is still thinking.
Ill try that again later, as its too long for my phone...
Ph unballanced:
My bad. Let me rephrase. Ive entered this contest 7 times. Are there any links to any top 100s?
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To be clear:
This thread began for Superstar 2015, which is over and had Monica Marlowe as it's winner. That was the first year I ran Superstar, and I decided not to release a Top 100 in that year. I stand by that decision, and I never changed it. All my comments higher up on this thread are from January or earlier, and refer only to Superstar 2015.
For RPG Superstar Season 9, we WILL be releasing the Top 100 (items 37-100) in no particular order, just as I originally announced. There's been no change to that decision, either.
To person #37: Ouch. (And great job!)
still having technology issues. Had to go back to my phone to delete my last post. Unfortunately, my phone is displaying text in giant-mode, and I'm unable to reduce it. Viewing this way, I missed the dates. My apologies for my confusion. I deleted what I could.
I've done my best to read through all of the posts on this thread. Which, considering the nature of it, all of them are valid. However, there is one point I haven't seen yet that I think is worth considering, or at least saying "hmm, interesting point."
The criteria to be an eligible contestant in Round 1 of this contest is less than 3 authoring credits through Paizo (if I am wrong, please correct me).
Bearing this point in mind, quite literally, you got the guppies swimming with the giant gar of developed writing talent of this game we all love so much.
I don't know about the rest of you, but if I was competing the same year as when Neil Spicer won the contest, damn straight I would want to know how I ranked.
Why? Because those of us who do not have the time to immerse ourselves to find a professional place in this industry, will try through this contest. If we didn't make Top 32, did we make Top 100 (ie Honorable Mention List). This is important, and it's been said, there isn't a single person who's posted on this thread who can say they don't need acknowledgement, kudos or whatever, and that the absence of recognition wouldn't affect the quality of their work. That's like saying, as a GM, seeing your group go off the wall having a good time with your unique scenario didn't spur you on to create something even better. These are benchmarks towards developing into something better than what you are now. If this is something that is commonly absent in the industry, then that's a really sad thing. If this contest is about finding desirable creative talent to keep your product line fresh, what does it cost you to post the people who made the Top 100 in alphabetical or phonetic order, whichever works best. Why is this a valid point? Because we are also the demographic who is spending a crap ton of money buying your product, and we want to enter a contest to help you sell more of it.
And now the "hmm, interesting point" part. Before I make this next point, I apologize if I offend anyone, but I think it must be at least mentioned. Doesn't it seem strange that the professional criteria for participating is so loose? I mean, professional freelancers vs. working single parent of 2, for example? As Owen and other have mentioned, with the current structure of the contest, they have a massive plethora of entries which are very time consuming to go through / vote on? If for example this contest was to discover a new, fresh unknown talent, shouldn't it be that? I dunno. I think maybe refining the contest to make it more focused on what you are looking for might be in order?
I can't deny I'm very disappointed at the lack of a Top 100 this year. I'm not going to say not including it was a good or bad idea, but as someone who always likes more information about things, this lack of information about something I both worked hard on and spent a lot of time voting on is disappointing to me, personally. Maybe it's for the best.
Eric, I think that the critique my item thread will allow each individual designer to do just that in a way that is even more directly useful to them. Ask for your judge feedback, and I'll supply it. The more and longer, more comprehensive negative bullet points on the judge feedback, the more likely you failed to impress the judges (and you get to know why too, in detail). The fewer the comments (and especially if they are more generally neutral or positive, but either way), the more likely that it was the voters you failed to impress. You don't get to know why, as well, in that case, except as much as the voters help you by critiquing your item too.
I'm really curious at how everyone keeps bringing up Seifter's critique as a superior alternative to the Top 100. How do we get that critique? Is that really something available if we ask for it?
Oh, I just noticed the dates on everything here. Ha ha. Don't mind me. Please don't mind me.
I've done my best to read through all of the posts on this thread. Which, considering the nature of it, all of them are valid. However, there is one point I haven't seen yet that I think is worth considering, or at least saying "hmm, interesting point."
The criteria to be an eligible contestant in Round 1 of this contest is less than 3 authoring credits through Paizo (if I am wrong, please correct me).
Bearing this point in mind, quite literally, you got the guppies swimming with the giant gar of developed writing talent of this game we all love so much.
I don't know about the rest of you, but if I was competing the same year as when Neil Spicer won the contest, damn straight I would want to know how I ranked.
Why? Because those of us who do not have the time to immerse ourselves to find a professional place in this industry, will try through this contest. If we didn't make Top 32, did we make Top 100 (ie Honorable Mention List). This is important, and it's been said, there isn't a single person who's posted on this thread who can say they don't need acknowledgement, kudos or whatever, and that the absence of recognition wouldn't affect the quality of their work. That's like saying, as a GM, seeing your group go off the wall having a good time with your unique scenario didn't spur you on to create something even better. These are benchmarks towards developing into something better than what you are now. If this is something that is commonly absent in the industry, then that's a really sad thing. If this contest is about finding desirable creative talent to keep your product line fresh, what does it cost you to post the people who made the Top 100 in alphabetical or phonetic order, whichever works best. Why is this a valid point? Because we are also the demographic who is spending a crap ton of money buying your product, and we want to enter a contest to help you sell more of it.
And now the "hmm, interesting point" part. Before I make this next point, I apologize if I offend anyone,...
This thread would be a year old if RPGSS was run in the winter. As it stands - it is a season old. Our host didn't release a top 100 last season, but he releasing one this year. Don't worry, we will get our top 100 list in season 9.
Patience grasshopper. :)
And now the "hmm, interesting point" part. Before I make this next point, I apologize if I offend anyone, but I think it must be at least mentioned. Doesn't it seem strange that the professional criteria for participating is so loose? I mean, professional freelancers vs. working single parent of 2, for example?
It's not just three Paizo credits, though; you're also ineligible if you have a hardcover credit for another gaming company (and I think a couple other possible cases).
It's also a fine line/there's a gray area between "professional freelancer vs. working single parent of 2" (and either way, I want the same quality of work from both).
For example, am I considered a professional freelancer? On one hand, I am. I have a small list of credits, many of which I've been paid money for. I've even moved into some development with Flying Pincushion and Swords for Hire (and Here Be Monsters, which was pre-SFH).
On the other hand, I still have my day job, which is where I make the money I live on. I don't think I'm a household name (and inasmuch as I am I think it's because my first year of Superstar had two other Jacobs and we shared avatars). Publishers aren't flocking to my door -- I pitch to them when I have ideas -- and I'm still looking to catch on with Paizo.
Also, many of those professional freelancers have gotten their start through Superstar. I know I did and I saw Steven Helt recently post on FB thanking Superstar for the opportunities it's opened for him. Maybe, as we've gotten into people getting into the contest three or four times, we should treat it like a Paizo credit (in fact, it sort of is now as all the magic items are printed in the winner's module), which will start weeding some people out but I think there's still a difference between even the more accomplished designers who enter the contest and a regular Paizo contributor.
Worst... thread necromancy.... ever....
Lol, hey man, walking is walking, however it's accomplished. IT'S ALIVE!!!
We looked at them starting from the top of the voters' votes, plus a small number of additional items that I thought were worthy contenders (since I had looked at all of the items). Rest assured, by far the best chance to make the Top 32 was by winning as many votes as possible (all 4 of the Top 4 items by votes made Top 32, for example, and 7 more of the Top 20 by votes are either Top 32 or alternates). In fact, this year had the weakest amount of judge golden ticketing of any year. Other than submitting my few items for the other two judges to consider, I refused to give them any more advantage; if Owen and Liz didn't like them, they didn't advance. We required a strict majority for Top 32, with no golden tickets.
What is a golden ticket? First year playing in RPGSuperstar and have not heard the term before...
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It basically means, "No matter how many or few votes this item gets, it's in."
It basically means, "No matter how many or few votes this item gets, it's in."
I am assuming that since the term exists, it means that the "golden ticket" method has been used before? That strikes me as a bit odd...
Judges had a "golden ticket" they would use to put an item in for the consideration of Top 32...it didn't automatically mean the item got in just that the judges would look at that item. Sometimes it did result in that item coming in over another.
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It basically means, "No matter how many or few votes this item gets, it's in."I am assuming that since the term exists, it means that the "golden ticket" method has been used before? That strikes me as a bit odd...
It has in previous years, though exactly how it was applied was decided by the judges of that round.
Obviously it wasn't relevant in this year's contest.
Judges had a "golden ticket" they would use to put an item in for the consideration of Top 32...it didn't automatically mean the item got in just that the judges would look at that item. Sometimes it did result in that item coming in over another.
I think it did get in. If two or more judges agreed a designer was good, the item got in. If this didn't fill the 32, they would debate merits to get another judge to agree. If this still didn't fill the 32, judges take turns to champion a designer they hadn't convinced the judges about.
But really we should lock this thread...
Alright everyone, it is time to lock this thread up in my museum, it will remain on display to the public only on days during which nothing horrifying occurs that demands the attention of the Pathfinder Society on the premises.