RPG Superstar 2015
- This article refers to the RPG Superstar contest that ran from December 2014–March 2015. For the RPG Superstar contest running from August–October 2015, see RPG Superstar Season 9.
RPG Superstar 2015, which ran from December 9, 2014, to March 24, 2015, marked the first time Owen K.C. Stephens hosted the contest, the return of the Top 8 round, and the first RPG Superstar contest where wondrous items were excluded in the initial open call for magic items.
- See also: RPG Superstar
Judges
The panel of judges included:
Round 1
- Liz Courts, cartographer and writer
- Mark Seifter, Paizo designer
Round 2
- Crystal Frasier, artist and writer
- Rob Lazzaretti, cartographer
Round 3
- Adam Daigle, Paizo developer
- Mikko Kallio, RPG Superstar 2014 finalist
Round 4
- John Compton, Paizo developer
- Steven T. Helt, RPG Superstar 2013
Round 5
- James Jacobs, Paizo creative director
- Nicole Lindroos, Green Ronin Publishing
Results
Winner
On March 24, 2015, Paizo announced that Monica Marlowe had won RPG Superstar 2015 with her Pathfinder Module pitch for Down the Blighted Path, expected to be released in January 2016.1 Paizo also published creatures and items designed by contestants in appendices of Down the Blighted Path.23
The RPG Superstar finalists were offered the chance to write Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild scenarios for the Year of the Serpent.
Top 4
Each of the Top 8 contestants submitted an encounter set in Nar-Voth by February 20, 2015. Paizo revealed the submitted encounters and opened public voting on February 24, 2015.4
On March 3, 2015, Paizo revealed the Top 4 finalists of RPG Superstar 2015 after a week of public voting on their Round 4 encounter submissions. Each of these designers was tasked with pitching a 3,000-word proposal for a 32-40 page adventure, designed for 5th-level characters and set in Nar-Voth, by March 13, 2015.5
- Contestants advancing as far as the Top 4 were
| Brian J. Fruzen | Kalervo Oikarinen | Christopher Wasko |
Top 8
Each of the Top 16 contestants submitted a monster native to Nar-Voth by February 6, 2015. Paizo revealed the submitted monsters and opened public voting on February 10, 2015, and revealed the Top 8 semi-finalists on February 17, 2015.6
- Contestants advancing as far as the Top 8 were
| Gabriel Almer | Scott LaBarge |
| Ben Iglauer | R Pickard |
Top 16
Each of the Top 32 contestants submitted a map by January 23, 2015, and submissions were revealed and voting began on January 27, 2015. On February 4, 2015, Paizo revealed the Top 16 quarter-finalists of RPG Superstar 2015 after a week of public voting on their Round 2 map submissions.7 Top 16 selection Jason Keeley withdrew himself from the competition on February 3, and Newton Philis, the contestant who placed 17th in voting, advanced.8 It was later revealed that Keeley withdrew from the contest because he had been hired as an editor at Paizo.9
- Contestants advancing as far as the Top 16 were
| Charlie Bell | Jason KeeleyW |
| Russ Brown | Anthony Pennington |
| Jeff Heikkinen | Newton PhilisP |
| David Higaki | Chris Shaeffer |
| Dana Huber |
Top 32
For the first time, the Open Call round sought magic weapons, armors, staves, rods, and rings, but not wondrous items. Of the hundreds of contestants who submitted items for Round 1 of the contest, Paizo announced the selection of the following contestants as the Top 32 entrants on January 20, 2015.10 On January 29, Top 32 selection Olivier Rayé-Lalonde was disqualified for elaborating on an entry, and alternate Allana Siliwinski advanced.11
- Contestants advancing as far as the Top 32 were
| Charlie Brooks | Ben Parkin |
| Christopher Donnangelo | Olivier Rayé-LalondeD |
| Mark Hart | Justin Riddler |
| Taylor Hubler | Matt Roth |
| Jacob Kellogg | Allana SliwinskiA |
| Patrick Kilcullen | Maria Smolina |
| John Laffan | Frankie Trombetta |
| Matthew Morris | Benjamin Wilkins |
- Alternates
Jeff Hazuka
R D Ramsey
Jensen Toperzer
References
- A: Alternate; D: Disqualified; W: Withdrew; P: Promoted
- ↑ . This Year the Winner is Bringing the Axe!. Paizo blog, 2015
- ↑ . “Appendix 2: Monsters” in Down the Blighted Path, 52. Paizo Inc., 2016
- ↑ . “Appendix 3: Magic Items” in Down the Blighted Path, 60. Paizo Inc., 2016
- ↑ . Encounters in the Darklands. Paizo blog, 2015
- ↑ Owen K.C. Stephens. (March 3, 2015). The Final Four!, Paizo Blog.
- ↑ . Announcing RPG Superstar 2015's Top 8!. Paizo blog, 2015
- ↑ Paizo staff. (February 3, 2015). Top 16 Finalists Announced for RPG Superstar 2015, Paizo News.
- ↑ Jason Keeley. (February 3, 2015). Comment on Leviathan's End, Paizo Messageboards.
- ↑ . Welcome Jason Keeley!. Paizo blog, 2015
- ↑ . Top 32 Announced!. Paizo blog, 2015
- ↑ Mikko Kallio. (February 4, 2015). Comment on New Round 2 Entry!, Paizo Messageboards.
External links
