Countless Crazy Countries

Paizo revealed the 32 entries for the second round of its RPG Superstar Contest this afternoon. Filled with creative talent, these entries represent a glimpse of something that should be incredibly important to us, as fans of the rpg universe: the inside workings of the future of this industry. Seeing creativity leashed and set to specific goals gives us a chance to glimpse what these game designers of tomorrow think is truly cool - because at this point they are trying to wow US, the people who get to decide this contest... we get to vote, remember? Here's some of my thoughts:

The Good:

• Land of Stained Peaks (the evocative imagery just completely rocks)


• Beria (were-elephants? weird, but I think it works)


• Iskandria (I can't say anything bad about it, I just can't)

The Wacky:

• Ghost Hound Kinship of the Rolling Plains (a country ruled by blink dogs???)


• The Prison Colony of Saran (okay, I'm not even sure this is a country)

Oh, and props to Paizo Chat regular Russel Taylor for his entry, Eluraelon, which got in under the wire after some people failed to submit entries. Instead of giving up at the slim possibility of getting in as an alternate, he went ahead and wrote his country entry, an interesting presentation of an aquatic setting (with sahuagin ruins, gotta love 'em) that might just get one of my five votes.

Paizo made this first round hard on us - 32 individual thousand word entries does not make light reading.