Diana Jones Award Announced

Every year, the night before Gen Con starts, the Diana Jones Awards take place in a secret location in Indianapolis. Or, rather, one award - there's only one each year, selected by a secret panel of industry judges. This year's shortlist included College of Wizardry, Designers & Dragons, Guide to Glorantha, Mysterium, and Torchbearer. And the winner, announced last night, was....

Guide to Glorantha, a role-playing sourcebook by Greg Stafford, Jeff Richard, and Sandy Petersen, published by Moon Design Publications.

Congratulations to the Moon Design crew!

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[Dragonhelm]

Isn't it a bit late for College of Wizardry? It came out in 1998, after all.

 

[Crothian]

I'm not a big fan of the award as it doesn't seem to have any transparency. The web site never offers much information about what it is or what it does.

 

[Morrus]

I'm not a big fan of the award as it doesn't seem to have any transparency. The web site never offers much information about what it is or what it does.

I think it's goals are different to other awards. It's more of an insiders/industry award - they don't even publicise the location of the ceremony (I've never been to it or known where it was). It's for designers etc. to share with each other rather than designed for fan involvement.

 

[Nylanfs]

It's for designers, by designers.

 

[Morrus]

It's for designers, by designers.

That's infinitely more succinct than my garbled attempt!

 

[Anselyn]

I'm not a big fan of the award as it doesn't seem to have any transparency. The web site never offers much information about what it is or what it does.

Though, about as transparent as the Oscars? viz. By filmmakers/designers for filmmakers/designers.

 

[mach1.9pants]

It is an awesome pair-o-books! Torchbearer and Designers & Dragons rock too.

And a neat bit of history there, I didn't get someone's reference to THE ASHES until this article. Quite amusing.

Unless you are from Oz

 

[kenmarable]

It definitely is different than most awards. On the one hand, you could see it as non-transparent and insiders patting each other on the back. In fact, it's so non-transparent that last I heard Matt Forbeck is the only known member of the group that decides the award! Everyone else is secret.

On the other hand, many see it as the most prestigious award in the industry*. With the lack of transparency, it is also perceived by many as above "gaming the system" (see the current Hugo Award... issues which we don't need to get into here). No campaigning since no one knows who to campaign to, etc. The lack of transparency and vague goal of recognizing excellence in gaming - in any shape or form - for many make it more prestigious and important rather than less. It's the strength of the award, not it's weakness.

But to each their own. Either way, anything/anyone that is even nominated should feel honored, and winners are definitely worth taking a look at. Personally, I wouldn't have really given Glorantha much notice (my loss), but hearing that it won the Diana Jones Award alone has made me consider checking it out.



* With all due respect to the ENnies, of course. But being a group of fan awards, they serve a different purpose, and, in my opinion, the Diana Jones Award and the ENnies are so vastly different, they can co-exist quite nicely.