Praise thread!

[The black raven]

Cthulhu_DMs wrote:

all shields survived the cull... tip for next year make a shield

Tip for next year : make a Superstar shield ;-)

[The black raven]

This is excellent. The last ability is likely OP for the item's price, but the whole is excellent. Keep.

[Divinitus]

PRAISE THE HAMMER!!! EJRIK SMASH!!!

[pH unbalanced]

Cthulhu_DMs wrote:

all shields survived the cull... tip for next year make a shield

Last year, staves were your best choice for surviving the culls.

They were not, however, your best choice for being Superstar.

[The black raven]

Metagame divining item. But so innovative that it's a keep :-)

[The black raven]

This is cool. Too utilitarian for a Keep, but cool nonetheless ;-)

[Vadims Hesins]

Wow. Epic name, kickass visuals, simple but clever theme-driven mechanics. Must be the best melee weapon I've seen so far. I wish this ends up in the Top.

[Loradin]

An affordable consumable that has slang for itself in its description...hilarious and definitely a keeper.

[The black raven]

Interesting item : imaginative and useful in several different ways. A bit too outlandish for me to Keep, but a good item nonetheless.

[pH unbalanced]

Another keep. Real world mythologically based with good Golarion grounding. And reminds me of a Len song by Nem, which is always a good thing.

[Zombieneighbours]

There are actually a couple of magic weapons I like! I would totally build characters around two of them. That is actually kind of surprising.

I am also really happy to see more cool consumables.
There are also a bunch of cool nicknacks of dungeoneering; you know, the kinds of items that arn't super powerful, but that any sensible adventurer would want in their utility belt.

[Darklord Morius]

Again this impressive weapon, very nice!

[The black raven]

Loradin wrote:

An affordable consumable that has slang for itself in its description...hilarious and definitely a keeper.

I just saw it too. Very funny I must say :-)

And ... it's a Keep too. Huge potential.

[Rich Malena]

Just had my first BIG DECISION moment. On the left was a great idea with a cool theme that just needed to sharpen up the mechanics and abilities. On the right was a good idea with well developed crunch, though the theme needed a little more work. Both were formatted properly, though I decided not to focus on nitpicking template issues as the tiebreaker to make this decision.

In the end, I went with the option on the right. I have to show some more respect to solidly crafted mechanics in this competition. But someday, I'm going to write a character that needs that item on the left, so I want to see some rewrites soon!

So yeah, if you're the kind of person who votes concepts over crunch, don't worry, I'm here to skew the algorithm the other way! :)

[Zombieneighbours]

Ah, my counter balance, it is nice to meet you ;) Concept over execution everytime ;)

[Jarrett Sigler]

I really LIKE this item mechanically... up until the last line.
That last line makes NO sense in the context of the item...
Why is it there?

[Robert Thomson]

I'd say I knew what item you were talking about...unfortunately, there are about 10 I've felt exactly that way about

[Robert Thomson]

I've now seen at least a dozen items I could build an interesting encounter or even storyline around. This is a good thing.

[Alanya]

Ooh I haven't seen you before; I like!

[Aaron Miller 335]

Must say LOTS of cool weapons this year, keep it up!

[Donald Robinson]

Not a big fan of this item, but it makes me think of a Breaking Benjamin song (almost no connection). So, that makes me happy at least. :)

[RonarsCorruption]

Though this weapon I've just seen looks broken at first glance, it is actuactually really awesome.

[Thomas LeBlanc]

8 items in the keep pile!

Ooh, Link's sword when he is at full hit points...

[Papasteve08]

Rich Malena wrote:

Just had my first BIG DECISION moment. On the left was a great idea with a cool theme that just needed to sharpen up the mechanics and abilities. On the right was a good idea with well developed crunch, though the theme needed a little more work. Both were formatted properly, though I decided not to focus on nitpicking template issues as the tiebreaker to make this decision.

In the end, I went with the option on the right. I have to show some more respect to solidly crafted mechanics in this competition. But someday, I'm going to write a character that needs that item on the left, so I want to see some rewrites soon!

So yeah, if you're the kind of person who votes concepts over crunch, don't worry, I'm here to skew the algorithm the other way! :)

Just keep in mind that the winner of this contest writes a module - Would you prefer your new author to have rich, innovative ideas with cool themes? or one who can nail the mechanics?

Editors can help with mechanics. Give me the good writer anyday. My preference is to vote for the good idea, execution being far less important (but not something to ignore)

[Rei]

Just saw my first "SuperStar material at first glance" item. Kudos.

EDIT: And then the next pairing had another! Awesome.

[Erick Wilson]

Papasteve08 wrote:

Just keep in mind that the winner of this contest writes a module - Would you prefer your new author to have rich, innovative ideas with cool themes? or one who can nail the mechanics?

Editors can help with mechanics. Give me the good writer anyday. My preference is to vote for the good idea, execution being far less important (but not something to ignore)

Totally disagree. To be honest, the idea behind a module is not that important, much like the plot of a kung fu movie is not that important. It just needs to be strong enough to do its job and enable adventuring.

A workmanlike module with well constructed encounters, wherein the writer has clearly visualized how things are going to play out pragmatically, is very much preferable to some high concept mess with neat ideas but boring/easy encounters and/or baffling mechanics. In my opinion, Paizo currently has far too many of the latter type of mod, due to the predominance of opinions like the one papasteve just related.

Edit: I submit, as examples of what I am talking about, Quest for Perfection Part I (which I thought was excellent) vs. Quest for Perfection Part III (a high concept mess where the mechanics hadn't been tightened up enough).

Edit 2: In other words, when in doubt I favor solid mechanics in an item over a vivid idea. The solid mechanical item would have to be very humdrum, and the poorly designed item extremely evocative, for me to go the other way.

[Robert Guthrie]

Erick Wilson wrote:

Papasteve08 wrote:

Just keep in mind that the winner of this contest writes a module - Would you prefer your new author to have rich, innovative ideas with cool themes? or one who can nail the mechanics?

Editors can help with mechanics. Give me the good writer anyday. My preference is to vote for the good idea, execution being far less important (but not something to ignore)

Totally disagree. To be honest, the idea behind a module is not that important, much like the plot of a kung fu movie is not that important. It just needs to be strong enough to do its job and enable adventuring.

A workmanlike module with well constructed encounters, wherein the writer has clearly visualized how things are going to play out pragmatically, is very much preferable to some high concept mess with neat ideas but boring/easy encounters and/or baffling mechanics. In my opinion, Paizo currently has far too many of the latter type of mod, due to the predominance of opinions like the one papasteve just related.

Edit: I submit, as examples of what I am talking about, Quest for Perfection Part I (which I thought was excellent) vs. Quest for Perfection Part III (a high concept mess where the mechanics hadn't been tightened up enough).

Edit 2: In other words, when in doubt I favor solid mechanics in an item over a vivid idea. The solid mechanical item would have to be very humdrum, and the poorly designed item extremely evocative, for me to go the other way.

I agree 100%.

Whether you're writing a novel or a Pathfinder module, execution is far more important than concept.

Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Fully-realized, well-edited, concrete realizations of them are very rare.

[Rich Malena]

Janvs wrote:

Erick Wilson wrote:

Papasteve08 wrote:

Just keep in mind that the winner of this contest writes a module - Would you prefer your new author to have rich, innovative ideas with cool themes? or one who can nail the mechanics?

Editors can help with mechanics. Give me the good writer anyday. My preference is to vote for the good idea, execution being far less important (but not something to ignore)

Totally disagree. To be honest, the idea behind a module is not that important, much like the plot of a kung fu movie is not that important. It just needs to be strong enough to do its job and enable adventuring.

Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Fully-realized, well-edited, concrete realizations of them are very rare.

See, I know folks are going to disagree on this. One of the biggest things I've learned in this competition is that we all have different standards about what we think a "superstar" idea is. It actually terrifies me at the start of the season, and it's one of my biggest pet peeves about the snark thread. We all have different ideas about what should be snarked and what should be supported.

I love a good investigative module, but I also love a solid delve with challenging encounters. It just depends on my mood. And those two module types require vastly different skill sets in the author. I don't know many people who can do them both.

I am always terrified that all of the voters aren't in the same mood I'm in.

[Papasteve08]

Rich Malena wrote:

Janvs wrote:

Erick Wilson wrote:

Papasteve08 wrote:

Just keep in mind that the winner of this contest writes a module - Would you prefer your new author to have rich, innovative ideas with cool themes? or one who can nail the mechanics?

Editors can help with mechanics. Give me the good writer anyday. My preference is to vote for the good idea, execution being far less important (but not something to ignore)

Totally disagree. To be honest, the idea behind a module is not that important, much like the plot of a kung fu movie is not that important. It just needs to be strong enough to do its job and enable adventuring.

Good ideas are a dime a dozen. Fully-realized, well-edited, concrete realizations of them are very rare.

See, I know folks are going to disagree on this. One of the biggest things I've learned in this competition is that we all have different standards about what we think a "superstar" idea is. It actually terrifies me at the start of the season, and it's one of my biggest pet peeves about the snark thread. We all have different ideas about what should be snarked and what should be supported.

I love a good investigative module, but I also love a solid delve with challenging encounters. It just depends on my mood. And those two module types require vastly different skill sets in the author. I don't know many people who can do them both.

I am always terrified that all of the voters aren't in the same mood I'm in.

Woohoo! Started a debate. Thats an auto-bingo card win, right?

I am quite confident that nearly every participant in this contest is on one end of this spectrum or another. I know (and dissapointingly cannot find) previous winners and judges comment that they would rather see a good idea that hints at a writer's creativity over well executed mechanics. "Mojo" is the buzzword for this. A good idea poorly executed isn't enough. But a good Superstar idea with mojo and reasonable execution is much better than a boring idea with solid mechanics.

The purpose of the voting is to pick the designer, not the item. At least that has been the mantra of the judges for the previous 4 seasons I have taken part in. In my experience, Judges have preferred the idea over the execution (without ignoring execution completely)

Now more debate.... go!

[Papasteve08]

Ack! probably not the best thread for this... My apologies. Take the debate some where else, more Praise! Go!

[Darklord Morius]

Thanks! (It's a good debate, though).

[Mike Welham]

I learned a new word!

[Jarrett Sigler]

To get this thread back on track:

Two of my favorite items just went against one another. I couldn't really make an easy vote for either like previously.

It came down to clarity of minutia. Good job designers.

I Do hope to see both of you in the top 32.

[Kiel Howell]

Mike Welham wrote:

I learned a new word!

Nudiustertian?

[Jarrett Sigler]

HOLD THE PRESSES!
Seriously!?

THAT is how you write a "Random Effect" item. THAT is how you do it.
All you other people out there.

Ok, Continue the Presses.

[Isaac Volynskiy]

Damnit you guys, we can't keep stopping the presses like this. It takes hours to restart them.

[Eric Morton]

Papasteve08 wrote:

I know (and dissapointingly cannot find) previous winners and judges comment that they would rather see a good idea that hints at a writer's creativity over well executed mechanics. "Mojo" is the buzzword for this. A good idea poorly executed isn't enough. But a... Superstar idea with mojo and reasonable execution is much better than a boring idea with solid mechanics.

As a voter, I look for items with really cool ideas and really tight mechanics, not one or the other.

On topic, I've seen a few items this year that meet those criteria.

[BlackOuroboros]

Whoever made the bakery item is my new favorite person.

[Brigg]

Okay, SOMEONE did a class-specific item RIGHT!! I highly doubt I will ever downvote it.

Excellent work!

[JamesCooke]

Quote:

In the end, I went with the option on the right. I have to show some more respect to solidly crafted mechanics in this competition.

I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree on the grounds that the rules are a tool for the narrative- not the other way around. Although good rules sense is important, I think it's much more vital that a designer knows how to captivate the reader rather than be legalistic.

[Le Petite Mort]

JamesCooke wrote:

Quote:

In the end, I went with the option on the right. I have to show some more respect to solidly crafted mechanics in this competition.

I respect your opinion, but I have to disagree on the grounds that the rules are a tool for the narrative- not the other way around. Although good rules sense is important, I think it's much more vital that a designer knows how to captivate the reader rather than be legalistic.

I hold with crunch over fluff in this contest, and here's why. The winning designers will write published scenarios, and while a bland story isn't thrilling, poor understanding of the rules can (and has) make for truly unplayable garbage. I'd rather play something forgettable than something I'll never forget because the author didn't realize that a boss is basically unkillable, or a stuck door has an impossible strength check DC.

[Alanya]

I can actually see that cloak being used on both sides of the table - good job!

[Alanya]

And the very next pairing includes a fun, cool little well written item I'm hoping goes all the way! :)

[pH unbalanced]

The truth is that any item which either has great mechanics but poor fluff, or great fluff but poor mechanics is very unlikely to be Top 32 material anyway.

I guarantee that there are 32 items that are at least solid in both areas.

[Le Petite Mort]

pH unbalanced wrote:

The truth is that any item which either has great mechanics but poor fluff, or great fluff but poor mechanics is very unlikely to be Top 32 material anyway.

I guarantee that there are 32 items that are at least solid in both areas.

Yep.

Speaking of great items, way to have great fluff and crunch in less than 200 words, item I am addressing.

[Thomas LeBlanc]

8 keepers! Have a bigger pile this year than I did last year at this point. 1 joke, 1 consumable, 2 armors, 1 shield, 1 cloak, 2 weapons

[Rose Stack]

Honestly I just feel like the overall quality is up from last year. Maybe I haven't been voting enough to see the stuff that needs more work, but for the most part the lowest quality I have been seeing is "well, that's all right but a little boring" as opposed to "I know you think this is cool, but I don't think you really thought this through past a second".

[Le Petite Mort]

Was there another cull? I feel like the quality just shot up.

[Garrick Williams]

I prefer okay fluff and solid mechanics/writing than great fluff and sloppy mechanics/writing. The latter will struggle with writing a full scenario. I admire creativitiy, but I admire writing skill more. I see many awesome ideas in the voting, but only a small percantage capitalize on it.

[KalEl el Vigilante]

My wife would love this item. Well, she would craft it herself on our current game, if she knew something like this existed...

Twice.