Flush Letter Definition: A letter or email from a potential publisher or employer saying “Sorry, we’ve gone with someone else.” (Sounds like a toilet being flushed.)

I want to start off by expressing my sincere gratitude for everyone who helped me with RPG Superstar this year. Sorry we didn’t make it. I blame myself, truly.

I’m here to tell you, #ttrpgfamily, I’m pretty much fit to be tied right now. I haven’t been this depressed in a good, long while. I don’t cope well with rejection. Criticism is also not something I’m fond of, but that part isn’t coming until October 19th.

Part of me wants to throw a lot of shade at RPG Superstar. They hype it up to make us peasants think we have a chance at breaking into the industry. I’m having my doubts as to the veracity of that notion. I’m doing everything in my power not to blow up on good old Stephen Glicker and the judges of this “contest.” Bearing in mind that I’m pissed off that my entries never made it through the door.

Maybe I just fail at life. I dunno.

That sounds terrible, but I’m starting to wonder. It seems like every time I put myself out there in the TTRPG space it ends in rejection, being ignored, or zero acknowledgment. Maybe it’s just me. I dunno anymore.

Like, maybe I don’t belong in the TTRPG space. Maybe I just don’t belong anywhere. I feel incredibly lost right now. Stuck in a massive rut and lost as Hell right now. That pretty much sums it up.

I really thought I had a chance at getting at least one entry through on this thing. I busted my ass on those entries to get them in on time, under the word count, and looking good on paper. What good did it do?

I’ve lost a lot of respect for Glicker and his cronies.

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

I busted my ass to get my entries in under deadline, but… it got moved back at the last minute. I went to vote for my own entries only to find out that “Oh, no. We’ve never allowed that.” Yet I’ve found the exact statement that said I can vote for my own.

RPGSuperstar Discord. Names redacted.

It’s a lot of the little things that make me suspicious about the way this “contest” is run. For crying out loud, the “regulars” have a spreadsheet in bloody Discord. Don’t get me started on the Discord. But, needless to say, I have some doubts about the biases in the voting process.

It would be easy to say, “Better luck next year,” and just move on.

I really do want to move on from this. It just sucks because I feel that I’m just as talented as some of the people working at Paizo, Wizards of the Coast, and so forth. There are an abundance of people who are incredibly talented in the #ttrpgcommunity and don’t get any props for it.

In my opinion, this whole RPG Superstar “contest” looks like more of the same industry gatekeeping we saw in the 1970’s-1990’s before any kind of Open Game License. I’m discovering that people have really short memories when it comes to the gaming industry. It blows my mind the number of people who can’t seem to remember much of anything to do with TTRPGs prior to 2000.

Okay, on with what I should be saying instead of being bitterly annoyed at RPG Superstar judging. Uh, better luck next year, I guess. I’m sure the judging is totally fair and unbiased. Congrats to all who made it. Yay for you. Gawrsh, I sure hope I can be a real game designer someday.

I’ll be back tomorrow with #RPGaDay2023 and maybe the “Ginnygate” article. Thanks for being here with me. I sincerely appreciate all of you who’ve stuck with me through this one. If anyone needs me, I’ll be staring at pictures of cats and other small animals on the Internet to try to cheer up.