First, I agree with MattyIceFalco that clean Challenge Mode save files should be the standard for runs in every current category. If there's demand for a category that allows New Game+ save files, that should be its own thing.

Second, I see the value in an All Characters distinction regardless of what the strats are for any%, although for the sake of avoiding clutter shifting it from a separate category to a column like the one for captain choice is IMO a good idea.

Third, I want to voice my opinion that Team Swap should not be allowed for Superstar% runs by default, and I think even a column for it would be a problem. Unlike any%, Superstar% categories are based pretty much entirely on which captain you choose at file select. Giving your starting captain an entire free team's worth of recruits changes the logistics of the category too much relative to the focus of the category, which is a lot more than 'clear challenge mode'. This is especially true for Peach's Superstar%, which must recruit every other character, so the glitch would allow you to skip recruitment for one team, and that's huge. I have no strong opinion about Team Swap for any% and All Characters. Probably that's fine.

Fourth, it's worth pointing out that in addition to more columns we can also add Category Extensions, essentially a separate leaderboard for more obscure/niche runs. Any% with Superstars/Any% New Game+ and Glitched Superstar% would belong there IMO.

Fifth, and this is a very minor thing, I find it tacky to use the percent symbol for categories in games that don't have a percentage counter embedded in them. There's always more precise wording to describe the goal of the category, and precision is helpful for making the game accessible just a bit. "But any% is part of speedrun culture" is a justification for using the percentage sign, not an actual reason TO use it.

My suggested arrangement:

• Main Categories -

Clear Challenge Mode (Team Swap and any other future glitches that are discovered allowed) Subcategories: Mushroom, Flower, Star, Special Columns: Captain choice, All Recruitable Characters, Platform

Glitchless Clear Challenge Mode (no Team Swap or significant future glitches allowed) Subcategories: Mushroom, Flower, Star, Special Columns: Captain choice, All Recruitable Characters, Platform

Clear Challenge Mode as Bowser Subcategories: Mushroom, Flower, Star, Special Columns: All Recruitable Characters, Glitched/Glitchless, Platform

Obtain All Superstars (in the rules it's explained that no major glitches are allowed) Subcategories: Mario Sunshines, Peach Monarchs, Yoshi Islanders, Wario Greats, DK Kongs, Bowser Monsters, All Characters Columns: Platform

• Category Extensions -

Clear Challenge Mode, New Game+ (Superstarred characters allowed) Subcategories: Mushroom, Flower, Star, Special Columns: All Recruitable Characters, Glitched/Glitchless, Platform

Glitched Obtain All Superstars Subcategories: Mario Sunshines, Peach Monarchs, Yoshi Islanders, Wario Greats, DK Kongs, Bowser Monsters, All Characters Columns: Platform

...y'all, I just had a realization about All Superstars that makes me feel like a total goofball...

You can retry Peach Shutout Bowser during the two required Special-difficulty non-Bowser playthroughs. You'd be doing more difficult MVP manipulation but it absolutely could work.

During the mandatory Peach Special playthrough you can do this at no time cost, and you only incur a time cost if you don't recruit Peach in the natural course of your other Hero Special playthrough (if that one isn't also played as Peach)...

So you ACTUALLY have three chances to skip a fifth playthrough in this category, not just the one. This also makes King Boo MVP in Last Game significantly more important to get in the Wario Star playthrough regardless of whether Peach Shutout Bowser is earned or not.

HOW DID I ONLY FIGURE THIS OUT JUST NOW :P

Also! Here's the first public release of my route! It has maps, notes, tips, explanations of my routing methodology, and comes equipped with two checklists that you can copy and use for yourself- one that has colored squares indicating my own route, and one with white backgrounds, so you can customize it yourself.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e773BcPUeB1uwbpjft105zvfmUEIIxKralrwVcxFpCw/edit?usp=sharing

Hey everyone! We'll see if I actually have time to do a full run (LOL) but I'm currently training offline grinding out Toadette Note Blocks and Mario Perfect Games in the hope of one day beating Mason's very impressive All Superstars run.

I've also been working on a new route- Wario (on Star difficulty) mercy-ruling Peach is the first item in the run (and the run is reset if it is missed), followed by some minigames for money, Toadette Note Block via the Bowser Jr. setup (you get approximately one attempt per minute!!!), Wario, Waluigi, and maybe Petey's Mario and Luigi missions while recruiting Mario, Mario Perfect Game against Yoshi, and then after a quick DK fight attempting Peach Shutout Bowser/King Boo MVP in the same game.

My route is set up for the best case scenario of getting both of Peach and King Boo's missions and plans on finishing the run in four playthroughs, but if only one or the other is achieved in the first playthrough the expected fifth playthrough as either Peach or Wario is slotted in near the end. Every annoying mission except for Diddy Clamber can be punted to that extra playthrough, too, if needed.

Also, in my route, Bowser is done last, because you can knock out sub-captain missions while pursuing "Hero" Captain missions on playthroughs 1-3 (and 4 if needed) but you obviously cannot do "Hero" Captain missions as Bowser. Saving Bowser for last loses no time compared to doing him earlier and saves time by hopefully giving Bowser less to do (plus, I'm pretty sure that time can be called upon seeing Bowser Jr. MVP in last game, so you don't need to have the timer running while watching the credits a /third/ time :P )

Overall I hope to save time by putting two of the most hellish challenges in the first 2?????? hours of the run, so that a truly miserable run can be abandoned sooner rather than later; the Peach/King Boo final game attempt is also put as early as possible after Wario 900 Coins, Mario Perfect Game, and Toadette Note Block can be achieved for the same reason. I also think it'll be nice to go into the Peach/Special Difficulty playthrough knowing that some of the worst parts of the run are already taken care of.

P.S. Holy sh*t is it not fun to practice Toadette's Note Block mission. I'm getting better at it, but I watch that clip of Mason getting it first try and shake my fist in jealousy...

I'll post a link to my route when I've finished touching up the spreadsheet that it's in!