RPG Superstar 2015

[Fax Celestis]

http://paizo.com/rpgsuperstar

Who's in this year?

[Kamai]

Wow, they've gotten serious this year with such a short timeframe for Round 1. Still going for it, though.

[Kensen]

Good luck everyone who's entering this year!

As a former contestant (and as one of the judges this year), I strongly recommend entering. Even if you don't win, you'll probably learn a lot about RPG design. And if you do well, you might earn a chance to get published by Paizo. Even if you're not interested in freelancing, the contest is a lot of fun. :smallsmile:

[Elricaltovilla]

Well, I submitted. But I don't really think I'll break the top 32. I'm pretty sure I messed up my pricing.:smallmad:

[Strormer]

I'm in! This is my first year submitting so I'm just hoping to not come in last! Good luck everyone!

[CockroachTeaParty]

Well, I already disqualified myself. -_-

I thought up of a cool wondrous item, failed to realize they weren't looking for wondrous items, and submitted it already. At least it's a relief to know I've already lost; it takes the anticipation away.

*facedesk*

[Elricaltovilla]

Well, I already disqualified myself. -_-

I thought up of a cool wondrous item, failed to realize they weren't looking for wondrous items, and submitted it already. At least it's a relief to know I've already lost; it takes the anticipation away.

*facedesk*

(>'.')> there, there. It'll be ok.

[Fax Celestis]

One hour left. Don't miss it!

[Ssalarn]

Well, I submitted. But I don't really think I'll break the top 32. I'm pretty sure I messed up my pricing.:smallmad:

If it makes you feel any better, getting into the top 32 is as much luck as a reflection on your talent. At the end of the day there's probably going to be over 100 equally well crafted and interesting items submitted; which make it into the next round is going to be as much about which catches at least 4 judge's eyes as anything else. Top 32 means you didn't screw up and you got lucky; it's hitting top 16 and higher that actually has some bearing on your talent. Even Mark Seifter didn't make top 32 on several tries, and he scored higher on Paizo's design aptitude tests than anyone they've hired and took over SKR's old position.

Also, pricing is a guideline; first, you determine what level the item is appropriate for based on its power and usefulness, and you only need to go back to the pricing guidelines to narrow the field or if you're having trouble placing it. As long as you're priced at roughly 20-30% of WBL for the intended level of the item and it's interesting and well-crafted, you're probably good.

[Elricaltovilla]

If it makes you feel any better, getting into the top 32 is as much luck as a reflection on your talent. At the end of the day there's probably going to be over 100 equally well crafted and interesting items submitted; which make it into the next round is going to be as much about which catches at least 4 judge's eyes as anything else. Top 32 means you didn't screw up and you got lucky; it's hitting top 16 and higher that actually has some bearing on your talent. Even Mark Seifter didn't make top 32 on several tries, and he scored higher on Paizo's design aptitude tests than anyone they've hired and took over SKR's old position.

Also, pricing is a guideline; first, you determine what level the item is appropriate for based on its power and usefulness, and you only need to go back to the pricing guidelines to narrow the field or if you're having trouble placing it. As long as you're priced at roughly 20-30% of WBL for the intended level of the item and it's interesting and well-crafted, you're probably good.

That's a thing they have? Did they ever ask for a refund from whoever designed the test?

[Ssalarn]

That's a thing they have? Did they ever ask for a refund from whoever designed the test?

Lol! Yeah, it's a thing they do, though I'm not sure at what point they started it. Everyone who makes it past the initial round of the hiring process at Paizo for a design or development position takes it now though. Makes sure you can math and whatnot. Realistically, it's a pretty solid standard and shows. Seifter's Kineticist was almost technically perfect as a class (with the exception of a few things he intentionally undershot), with the biggest issue being the fact that so much material prior to that wasn't up to the same design standards.

[Elricaltovilla]

Lol! Yeah, it's a thing they do, though I'm not sure at what point they started it. Everyone who makes it past the initial round of the hiring process at Paizo for a design or development position takes it now though. Makes sure you can math and whatnot. Realistically, it's a pretty solid standard and shows. Seifter's Kineticist was almost technically perfect as a class (with the exception of a few things he intentionally undershot), with the biggest issue being the fact that so much material prior to that wasn't up to the same design standards.

I can't accept a class as being technically perfect if it forces you to use HP to fuel class features, but I'll agree that its otherwise well done.

[Fax Celestis]

If it makes you feel any better, getting into the top 32 is as much luck as a reflection on your talent. At the end of the day there's probably going to be over 100 equally well crafted and interesting items submitted; which make it into the next round is going to be as much about which catches at least 4 judge's eyes as anything else. Top 32 means you didn't screw up and you got lucky; it's hitting top 16 and higher that actually has some bearing on your talent. Even Mark Seifter didn't make top 32 on several tries, and he scored higher on Paizo's design aptitude tests than anyone they've hired and took over SKR's old position.

Also, pricing is a guideline; first, you determine what level the item is appropriate for based on its power and usefulness, and you only need to go back to the pricing guidelines to narrow the field or if you're having trouble placing it. As long as you're priced at roughly 20-30% of WBL for the intended level of the item and it's interesting and well-crafted, you're probably good.

For reference: I've submitted every year and only made top 32 once (http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ncbx?Spellbreaker-Gauntlets) (also made it through the next round, but got cut in between top 16 and top 8:smallfrown:). I made top 100 in the years they did voting rounds for the open call, though.

[Ssalarn]

I can't accept a class as being technically perfect if it forces you to use HP to fuel class features, but I'll agree that its otherwise well done.

Not to derail, but the hit point expenditure is planned into the progression of the class, basically swapping CON in as your to-hit and damage stat instead of STR. The issue, of course, is that there's no way around it (other than one crazy feat from Inner Sea Gods that basically allows you to take unlimited non-lethal damage), but that's the point. If you're going to balance to a penalty, it should be either a real penalty or an intended bonus disguised as a penalty (like the Oracle's Curse, which pretty much everyone realizes isn't actually a drawback), otherwise you end up with design garbage like the misfire system for firearms that some characters can completely ignore and others get annihilated by. The Gunslinger is a bad class, not because of straight power, though that's an issue, but because of the fact that in the very first book they released for it it was internally inconsistent with itself.

Some of the unwritten design rules you should know (especially if you're doing the RPGSS thing) are:

1) Never balance to a floating negative. Somehow, somewhere, there's a way for a player to get around it. If you are going to balance to a negative, make sure it's one that applies consistently across the board and keep it simple.

2) "The bag o' rats test". Ask yourself "If I used an ant hill or a bag of vermin, could I chain this ability to ridiculous levels?" If the answer is yes, it's a problem.

3) Don't use the Summoner, Gunslinger, Orc Bloodline Sorcerers, or most of the more popular exploits from the Player Companion line (like Order of the Flame Cavaliers who straight up fail the bag of rats test) etc. as a point of reference when determining balance. The Paizo design staff actually really regrets significant portions of these classes. Instead, if you're making a martial class, threshold its damage output against a Fighter or Paladin using comparative fighting styles. A class with static bonuses should be thresholded about 5-10% DPR below a Fighter (assuming ideal conditions) against equal CR foes, while a class that spikes its damage should be roughly on par with a Paladin.

4) What's its niche? Paizo really doesn't give a **** about the Tier system, but they do care about classes that invalidate other classes by doing the thing they're designed to do better (Rogue being a notable exception they're looking at fixing). Does it matter if the Wizard is more powerful than the Barbarian because of his versatility? Not really, but it does matter if the Wizard is better at being a Barbarian than the Barbarian (think Synthesist Summoner, which is actually weaker than the base Summoner but is better at doing things that are normally the domain of Tier 4s better than the Tier 4s).

5) Don't use gold as a balancing factor. There are a million ways to mess with WBL, and many adventures/modules/scenarios/etc. won't even use it, or will use it as a generall guideline swinging over and under substantially at various points. This is another area where the Gunslinger (and firearms in general) fail hard.

6) Don't make an item/feat/archetype that's just a better version of something that already exists. People pay a lot of money for their books and their should be a certain amount of effort spent to ensure that investment doesn't depreciate unnecessarily. If you're doing a 3pp book whose stated goal is to provide new options to replace existing ones that's one thing; but if you're trying to win RPGSS, you don't want to submit an item that's "Amulet of Mighty Fists but better, cheaper, and not taking up a neck slot". Assume the sanctity of existing materials, at the very least anything that's in a hardcover.


The trick is to understand what they're looking for and how they determine their design standards and work within those parameters if you want to win a contest like the RPGSS.

[N. Jolly]

This is my second year submitting, and my first making a serious submission. I'd like to crack top 32, but I don't have high expectations. I'm pretty proud of my design aptitude and such, although it'd be sweet getting a little title next to my name.

[Madbranch]

I'm in! This is my first year submitting so I'm just hoping to not come in last! Good luck everyone!

Just like me, then. :D
Good luck to all of you.

[PsyBomb]

Pity that I didn't hear about this earlier, or I would have tried my hand. Perhaps next year.

[dysprosium]

I know they have been doing this for a while now.

Every year I tell myself that I'm going to enter.

Every year comes and goes and I tell myself that I'm going to enter next year.

One of these years I actually will get off of my lazy butt and actually do it.

[Fax Celestis]

Pity that I didn't hear about this earlier, or I would have tried my hand. Perhaps next year.

Every December. This year's submission window was tiny, though. Last year, open call went from like Dec 1 to Dec 20, and items were revealed on Jan 19. The contest appears to be going much faster this year, which I think is a good thing considering the finalists were basically in the thick of it for three months.

[Elricaltovilla]

Did y'all remember to vote yet for round 1?

[Fax Celestis]

Voting now, actually, praying to see my item in there even though it won't actually matter if I do or don't.

[Elricaltovilla]

Haven't seen mine yet and I've probably voted 20 times now.