So who's getting ulcers from anticipation?

[Hakkenshi]

All that barely contained anxiety from the suspense of waiting for Anthony Valterra's return and the results of the first round of the Setting Search!

So who's suffering from this as well? Whenever I saw Zulkir's message at the top of the boards, my heartbeat sped up thinking that he would actually announce something

 

[alsih2o]

http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp7761121.html

he he, this isn't aimed at you hak, just a thought for many who don't seem to realize who they are up against. i, too, took the plunge and sent something in, but i think we may all be seeing some very familiar names on the short list

 

[Furn_Darkside]

*shrug* My interest is just above a level that would cause me to yawn..

I had little time to work on it, and threw something together in the last hour. I just hope I remembered to run a spell check. haha.

If my entry got selected, then I would really have to wonder about the other entries.

FD

 

[Tom Cashel]

Hello friends...I am posting this from my hospital bed. Anticipation of the Wizards announcement has caused me to have a total respiratory and cardiovascular breakdown, as well as to contract scabies, dandruff, halitosis, and pains in my chestal area. It's kind of hard to type because of the shooting pains in my arms and hands, and the multiple cavities and toothaches brought on by grinding my teeth impatiently make it hard to think. My doctor hopes that the announcement is made soon, because he feels that I will simply die if I don't find out.

Oh, I almost forgot...yeah, this whole thing gave me an ulcer too.

 

[Umbran]

Waiting is.

Anxiety is wasted energy. I have better things to do with my time than worry about that which I cannot change.

 

[Shadoe's Lady]

I'm not worried about it now. I think mine's a little 'out there' to be selected. I'll have the ulcers when they try to make the announcement and want my 10 pages right around mid-terms.

Wishful thinking, and yet, not.

 

[King_Stannis]

with no expectations comes no worry. great link, by the way, to the book about the overinflated opinions of one's own abilities.

in other words, "don't worry, be happy"....

 

[Maraxle]

I'm just waiting for them to announce it so I can start working on the ten-pager.

 

[Chromnos]

http://www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp7761121.html

he he, this isn't aimed at you hak, just a thought for many who don't seem to realize who they are up against. i, too, took the plunge and sent something in, but i think we may all be seeing some very familiar names on the short list

You may, indeed, be quite right. Certainly those who are "in the loop" have certain advantages.

On the other hand. The judging process is blind. The competition open. And the difference in experience of those independents submitting versus the "professionals" might not be as great as you assume. Any game master who has created his own setting or designed his own set of rules has at least some experience. The playing field is as level as it will ever be. The question is one of talent. I'd be willing to bet you'll see at least a handful of new names on the top ten list. Why post an open call if you're just going to choose the same old names?

Besides, people like an underdog. Would you be more willing to buy a quality product from the usual suspects. Or would you want to take a look at some fresh thinking from someone who came from outside? I think the final question is- How much risk is Wizards willing to take? But in the end, success in any venture is often proportionate to the amount of risk taken. The old cliche- "nothing ventured nothing gained" IMHO applies.

Regardless, the final decision has been pushed back to the end of August.

Check out- "Setting Search Results Delayed to Late August" on the wizards website.

-C

 

[Heap Thaumaturgist]

As I said when this all started ... the whole thing is one big, nicely thought-out, elegantly simple publicity stunt.

(Not simple, of course, for the people who have to read and decide, but an elegant idea.)

They get the entire community excited about the game, get everybody following them, and they get what they'd have gotten anyway ... submissions from the professional writers within the game industry ...

They pay more for it, I'm sure, and alot more work goes into it, but they also get the slim possibility of that blinding spark of light in the grand darkness that is the skillset of the community at large.

Think of it this way ... your favorite football team announces that they're having open try-outs and whoever wins gets the largest contract in the history of football (and, for argument, most professional players, including most of their own team, are off contract) ... officially, any random joe off the street can walk in and try out, and if he gets selected then, woo hoo. I'm not sure about you, but I'm fairly sure that the 300lb trained ogres they call professional atheletes could resoundinly stomp a small pond in my flabby white kiester.

In the writing field I, personally, think I have some amount of talent, yes ... but I don't have any experience in the game industry and don't make a living that way ... yet, anyway. I'm waiting, sure, but I'm not chewing my nails any more than if I'd have bought a lottery ticket.

In fact, the lottery is more fairly balanced.

But whatever, y'know? It was fun writing it, and it's sort of entertaining to harbor that secret little thrill of hope that I'll win. It's not a big deal, though. I worry more about whether or not somebody ate all of the ice cream sandwiches already.

--HT