As a DriveThruRPG affiliate, we earn a small commission every time a reader orders from DriveThru through one of our links (see our sidebar). All commissions go directly back to our readers through contests… and this time, it’s a Twitter contest!
Simply follow @stuffershack and tweet the following:
Win a $25 DriveThruRPG gift certificate! Follow @stuffershack and RT this message! #rpgstuff http://tinyurl.com/aszraeo
Rules:
One entry (and only one) per follower who tweets or retweets the above message.
The contest ends Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013. 11:00 AM Pacific.
One follower who has tweeted the above message will win the $25 gift Certificate.
This is our first real Twitter Contest! We plan on having more every few months. Good luck!
Chaotic Shiny (one of our absolute favorite gaming sites) just released their 100th generator…
Chaotic Shiny (one of our absolute favorite gaming sites) just released their 100th generator. To celebrate, they’re having a contest! Simply go to their site, use three of their random generators, and then (using those results) put together an encounter. Easy-peasy!
The cool thing about Chaotic Shiny is that the site is made specifically to help gamers create unique and interesting ideas on the fly (and we dig that). So, we’re happy to help support them and their contest.
Stuffer Shack is providing a set of Mini Counters (1-10) and a set of Bloodied Markers (10). Banners on the Cheap is also rewarding the winner with a gift card. So, besides this being a fun contest to take part in, you can win stuff!
Go check it out, because you only have a little over two weeks left!
Who’s it gonna be? I don’t know, but if you click the link above, you’ll find out!
Three weeks ago we asked you to tell us about your best worst villain – that one villain that your players will remember for years to come.
We said that if we had 1-5 entries, we’d have one winner. If we have 6-10 entries, we’d have two winners, and if we had 11 or more entries, we’ll have three winners (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place). Honestly, I didn’t know how many entries we would get, but when the total ran up to 19, I just couldn’t have been happier.
Before I go any further, I’d like to thank everyone for participating – those who submitted entries, the judges (Brian Liberge, 1958 Fury, Charisma Keller, Anthony Laffan, and Alton), and the sponsors (Gnome Stew and Q-Workshop). I love taking part in these contests for a couple of reasons, but mostly it’s because a little friendly competition solidifies us a little more as a community of gamers.
“I noticed several of the entries were characters that started out as allies (or at least pretended to be) before changing sides. I think this is a very good way of developing a character. One of the first rules of writing is “show, don’t tell”, and you should always avoid throwing a “wall of text” at your players when telling your villain’s back-story. Having the future villain allied with the PCs lets them see the descent into evil firsthand, and it helps the PCs feel like they’re part of the story instead of just being told a story. Of the allies-turned-enemies submitted for the contest, Jericho was my favorite. – 1958Fury, judge“
*Editor’s note – I didn’t vote in the contest, but I was rooting for Ratgar all the way!
All winners will receive two PDFs from Gnome Stew consisting of Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots, and Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs. 1st place winner will also get to choose one of the five sets of dice from Q-Workshop (shown below). 2nd place will get second choice, and 3rd place will get third choice.
A PDF of each book5d6 Metal Steampunk Dice5d6 Metal Dwarven DiceClick for bigger!Click for bigger!Click for bigger!
If you enter this contest, I will shoot the bunny. It’s that simple. Also, I can kill you with my mind.
If you enter this contest, I will kill this bunny. It’s that simple.
I’m talking about that bad guy (or gal!) that’s cool and memorable, the one that your players will never forget.
We have prizes from Gnome Stew and Q-Workshop, and a bunch of entries posted already (and more to come). Go here to check them out, and then submit your own! This is the last day to enter the contest, so do it now!
Edit*
Too late! Submissions are closed! Check back on Monday, Julty 30th for the winners!
Tell us about your absolute best worst villain! We have some cool prizes for you to win, so send it in!
With Prizes!
Every RPG session is rife with characters, and every RPG adventure is packed with bad guys, but there’s always that one villain who stands out from the rest.
We’re looking for that one villain that your players are going to remember. It could be your ultimate big-bad-evil-guy, the unassuming NPC armed with only his dastardly wits, or anyone in between. Really, we want to hear about that villain that all your players could never forget. Perhaps he has an unexpected quirk (every morning he shaves using his halberd?), or perhaps he has a tricked out light-saber (Darth Maul, anyone?), or maybe he’s the down-trodden con artist with a medical condition (Keyser Söze?)
Whoever this evil person is, we want to hear about him (or her)!
Your character must be a villain, someone who opposes or antagonizes the player characters.
The villain can be for any RPG, genre, or setting.
Entries must be 500 – 1200 words.
Stat blocks may be included, but do not count toward the 500 word minimum.
Art may be included, but is not considered when judging.
Entries may be made through our Contact form (below), or you can mail them to us at [stuffershack at that yahoo dot com place].
You may enter as many times as you like, but you may win only once.
The deadline for entries is in two weeks (July 24th, which is a Tuesday).
The winners will be announced on Monday, July 30th.
We will have up to three winners. If we have 1-5 entries, there will be only one winner. If we have 6-10 entries, there will be 1st and 2nd place winners. If we have 11 or more entries, we’ll have a 3rd place winner.
All winners will receive two PDFs from Gnome Stew consisting of Eureka: 501 Adventure Plots, and Masks: 1,000 Memorable NPCs. 1st place winner will also get to choose one of the five sets of dice from Q-Workshop (shown below). 2nd place will get second choice, and 3rd place will get third choice.
A PDF of each book5d6 Metal Steampunk Dice5d6 Metal Dwarven DiceClick for bigger!Click for bigger!Click for bigger!
So, get your thinking caps on, and tell us about your best worst villain!
Next week we’ll be hosting a new contest – Your Best Worst Villain!
It’s all about describing a great bad guy (or girl). We’re talking enemies and villains (not monsters), and we’re going to need a few paragraphs as to why they are so awesome. So, if you have an idea for a great villain, don’t turn anything in yet – tune in next week for the official rules.
The number of prizes to be awarded will be dependent on the number of contestants. More contestants, more prizes!
This contest is being sponsored by
And
If you’d like some information about sponsoring this contest, click here!
I’m very happy to announce that The Id DM is the 2012 RPG Site of the Year!
Out of 34 contestants, readers voted online to come up with five finalists. After that, the judges had an entire week to go over those finalists to determine their favorite. Points were tallied (twice!), and the winner was determined. While everyone certainly had a strong showing, it was The Id DM that finally took the lead. They win the prizes (shown below), the SOTY Shield, and the title of 2012 RPG Site of the Year!
Here are a few words about the finalists (they are not especially indicative of a judge’s 1st choice, though):
Robin Stacey
On The Id DM:“…It’s the quality of writing that made The Id DM stand out. The posts are intelligent, thought-provoking and deserve far more exposure than they have right now. The focus here is the content, and that more than speaks for itself.”
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Dave Chalker
On Gnome Stew:“Gnome Stew is a site I consistently look up to in terms of focus of content and breadth of topics. Nearly any subject, large or small, that matters to GMs is covered by the team of gnomes, and their vast experience on the subject of GMing is seen most clearly by looking at projects like their books to know that they are serious.”
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Anthony Laffan
On Nearly Enough Dice: “I’m not usually one to listen to podcasts, but there is a lot to like here. It is easy to see how Nearly Enough Dice made it to the final round. They cover a fairly wide range of topics and while informative do also have a casual air that can make it easy to listen to. Definitely something to start following if you’re not already.”
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Adam Bragg
On the Id DM:“One would be hard pressed to find a single site with such a wealth of material as cleanly presented, well written, creatively inspiring, or just plain fun to read as The Id DM. If you’re not reading it regularly, you’re overdue to regret this – stop depriving yourself and start reading now.”
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Marc Talbot
On Dungeon’s Master:“Great usefulness for 4th edition in particular. Also, most of the articles are transferable to other games.”
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Cheri Arbuckle
On G*M*S Magazine:“I loved the writing on this blog – accessible, entertaining, and very friendly. Probably one of the best written sites I’ve read.”
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The RPG Site of the Year contest and award was thought up and implemented with three goals in mind:
To provide a fun event that readers and bloggers can take part in,
To bring to light some interesting blogs that readers may not have seen before,
And to award that one gaming blog for a job very well done.
I think we’ve nailed each of these goals, and it’s been a blast. I’ve especially liked seeing the good spirit shown by all, and meeting all the sites that I’ve never seen before. Just good times.
I have to say, last year – when we had our first RPG Site of the Year contest, I was also having a blast. I was enjoying the contest’s first year, and was really looking forward to it growing. Well, this year the SOTY Award has grown by leaps and bounds, and I wanted to thank everyone that has been associated with it. The sponsors, judges, voters, and contestants – it’s just been great working with you all to make this happen, so thank you.
I have a request: please take a moment to congratulate The Id DM on a site well-done. Please take a moment to visit our sponsors (shown below) – they have made the contest more exciting by donating prizes and showing support. And please take a moment to check out the contestants listed below. They may not have all made it to the final round, but they’re all unique and add valuable gaming material to our hobby (and come on, Cheese Shop? That deserves a click simply because of their name alone – and I like cheese).
I have to say, last year – when Critical Hits (a great site) won the award, I was having a blast. I was enjoying the contest’s first year, and was really looking forward to it growing. Well, this year the SOTY Award has grown by leaps and bounds, and I wanted to thank everyone that has been associated with it. Specifically, the sponsors, judges, voters, and contestants (ok, that’s everyone!). Even though things went much more smoothly this time around, I still wanted to thank everyone for their help with the contest, participation, and patience. It’s been great working with others to make this happen. so thank you all.
Now, come back on Monday to see who the winner will be – I know I will…!
Q-Workshop has provided five sets of their awesome and unusual gaming dice…
5d6 Metal Steampunk Dice5d6 Metal Dwarven DiceClick for bigger!Click for bigger!Click for bigger!
Dragon Chow is providing one of their awesome Tall Pencil dice bags.
The RPG Site of the Year contest and award was thought up and implemented with three goals in mind:
To provide a fun event that readers and bloggers can take part in,
To bring to light some interesting blogs that readers may not have seen before,
And to award that one gaming blog for a job very well done.
Well, I think we’ve accomplished the first two goals, so all that remains is for the 2012 RPG SOTY judges to look over the five finalists to determine the winner!
Oh wait, I guess I should list the finalists…
Listed in order of their competition days, the five finalists for the 2012 RPG SOTY are:
Day 1 voting – This was fun to watch because the first day of voting really set the tone for the rest of the week, in my opinion. Watching Kobold Quarterly and Gnome Stew go for the win was like watching a couple of buddies going after the last slice of pizza. Maybe the folks behind those two blogs really are close buddies, maybe not, but the light-hearted rivalry I saw posted in various places was both respectful and fun to read.
Gnome Stew collected 44% of the votes for this day.
Day 2 voting – On this day we saw a good line-up of gaming blogs, and (at first) the lead changed a few times. What I like most about this competition, though, is discovering blogs that I’ve never seen before, and for this day of voting there were two.
Dungeon’s Master collected 50% of the votes for this day.
Day 3 voting – I don’t really want to mirror what I said about Day 2 voting, but man! Were there a lot of cool sites never before seen or what? [ok, I may be a hermit] I’m familiar with only two of the sites for this day, and all I can say is that my RSS list grew five sites bigger.
G*M*S Magazine collected 55% of the votes.
Day 4 voting – I really had no clue who was going to become the finalist for this day of voting. No clue at all. I read several of the sites for this day of voting pretty regularly, so I was really curious. This day, though, had the most narrow margin of success. The Id DM took a very late lead to win by only one vote.
The Id DM collected 40% of the votes.
Day 5 voting – This year we expanded our contest entries to podcasts and webcasts, and for this day of voting we had a podcast take the win. To be honest, I have yet to start listening to podcasts regularly, but with their proliferation these past couple of years, I think it’s imperative to start making more time. I’m definitely looking forward to reading – um… listening to Nearly Enough Dice…
Nearly Enough Dice collected a whopping 62% of the votes.
The judges for the 2012 RPG SOTY will be reading the five finalists over the course of this week. From their efforts a winner will emerge as their collected favorite, which will be posted this Monday (April 30th). The judges each have a set of guidelines with which to use (if they wish), but ultimately, it all simply boils down to which gaming site ends up being their favorite. Of course, if any readers out there would like to show some positive support for their favorite, please do so in the comments below!
Voting has wrapped up for the 2012 RPG Site of the Year contest. We’ve had an outstanding showing of voters, and several fun campaigns by contestants. It’s been so much fun thus far, and I wanted to thank everyone for participating.
We’ll announce the five finalists on Monday, April 23rd, and then our judges will evaluate each of those five sites over the course of a week to determine their favorite.
So, check back on Monday to see who the finalists are! But for now, please take a moment or two to visit one of our sponsors. They are great bunch of gamers who have helped make this contest possible, as well as even more fun than last year!
Win a $25 gift certificate to DriveThruRPG!
Next week we’ll be hosting a new contest – Your Best Worst Villain!
Out of 34 contestants, readers voted online to come up with five finalists. After that, the judges had an entire week to go over those finalists to determine their favorite. Points were tallied (twice!), and the winner was determined. While everyone certainly had a strong showing, it was The Id DM that finally took the lead. They win the prizes (shown below), the SOTY Shield, and the title of 2012 RPG Site of the Year!
This is just a quick update on where we are for the 2012 RPG Site of the Year award. We’ve had