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Now in its second year, Paizo Publishing is firing up its RPG Superstar contest again. Last time, the multi-round contest asked budding game authors to submit progressively longer and more elaborate RPG projects, eventually whittling 32 selected entrants down to a final four and their competing adventure proposals. Starting on December 5th (which is the Day of the Ninja – more on that soon), aspiring RPG designers can send in their RPG Superstar submission and vie for the title. In the first round, that entry should be a wondrous item, described in 200 words or less, designed for use with the Pathfinder RPG. Judges Wolfgang Baur of Kobold Quarterly, Necromancer Games co-owner Clark Peterson, and Paizo’s Sean K Reynolds will oversee the proceedings, along with special guest judge appearances by Ed Greenwood and Monte Cook. The full press release below has the details.

Paizo Publishing press release follows:

RPG Superstarâ„¢ 2009 Scours the Globe to Find New Design Talent
Competition starts December 5, 2008 on paizo.com

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 – Paizo Publishing, LLC® is proud to announce RPG Superstar 2009, the second season of its popular RPG design contest. The search for the newest talent in RPG design begins in early December on paizo.com.

“We were absolutely blown away by the success of the first RPG Superstar contest last year,” said Lisa Stevens, CEO of Paizo Publishing, “Not only was it a lot of fun to follow the contestants as the contest progressed, but Paizo was able to find a handful of designers that we’ve already put to work on some of our Pathfinder products.”

The first RPG Superstar contest came down to Final Four contestants Christine Schneider, Clinton Boomer, Jason Nelson, and Rob McCreary battling it out for the win. Voters ultimately selected Christine Schneider’s “Clash of the Kingslayers” adventure proposal; Paizo will be releasing Christine’s Pathfinder Module S1: Clash of the Kingslayers in January 2009.

Starting at 2 PM Pacific Time on December 5, 2008, contestants will be able to submit their RPG Superstar entry at paizo.com/rpgsuperstar. For the first round, that entry will be a wondrous item designed for use with Paizo’s Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Each entry must be 200 words or less, and must include all of the proper mechanics and flavor. Contestants must submit their entry by January 2, 2009. Judges will select the top 32 entries to be announced on January 20, 2009; those 32 contestants will be assigned a new design task and their entries will be posted on paizo.com for the public to read, critique, and vote on. The designers garnering the most votes in each round will continue on to subsequent rounds, and the ultimate winner will earn a paid commission to write one of Paizo’s upcoming Pathfinder Modules!

Paizo has selected three judges to oversee the competition. Returning from the previous season are author and Kobold Quarterly publisher Wolfgang Baur, and Necromancer Games co-owner Clark Peterson. Joining them will be Paizo’s own Sean K Reynolds, author and developer extraordinaire. These judges will critique each round’s entries before the public vote.

In addition, this season will also feature guest judges chosen for their insight on specific themes for each round. For the Open Call round, last year’s RPG Superstar Final 4 will provide their advice to this year’s top 32 contestants. In the second round, New York Times best selling author Ed Greenwood will lend his expertise on villain creation. In round three, Pathfinder RPG designer Jason Bulmahn will help critique the villain stat blocks and new rules. Round four will feature star designer Monte Cook providing insight on the Top 8’s villain lairs. Finally, Pathfinder Editor-in-Chief James Jacobs will provide his feedback on the Top 4 adventure proposals.

As the contest progresses, the public will decide which talented designers succeed by discussing the entries and voting for their favorite contestants each round on paizo.com.

Specifics for each challenge will be announced as each round begins. The winner of RPG Superstar 2009 will be announced on March 24, 2009. Complete rules and submission form are available at paizo.com/rpgsuperstar.

Do you have what it takes to be the next RPG Superstar? Go to paizo.com/rpgsuperstar and start your journey now!

ABOUT PAIZO PUBLISHING
Paizo Publishing®, LLC is a leading publisher of fantasy roleplaying games, accessories, board games, and novels. Paizo’s Pathfinderâ„¢ Roleplaying Game and Pathfinder Chroniclesâ„¢ campaign setting bring decades of game design experience to fantasy roleplaying. Paizo’s GameMastery® line offers easy-to-use tools for Game Masters of any fantasy roleplaying game to improve their gaming experience. Titanic Gamesâ„¢, Paizo’s board game imprint, unleashes fun, challenging games like Kill Doctor Luckyâ„¢ and Yetisburgâ„¢ that appeal to families and casual gamers alike. Paizo’s Planet Stories® line of science-fiction and fantasy novels provides a master class in the genre aimed at building the greatest fantasy and science fiction library ever assembled. Paizo.com is the leading online hobby retail store, offering tens of thousands of products from a variety of publishers to customers all over the world. In the five years since its founding, Paizo Publishing has received more than a dozen major awards and has grown to become one of the most influential companies in the hobby games industry.

Kobold Quarterly is a trademark of Open Design. Necromancer Games is a trademark of Necromancer Games, Inc. All other trademarks are property of Paizo Publishing, LLC. ©2008 Paizo.