Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
I've been seriously considering these books due to the ENnies. I'm most likely to buy CthulhuTech. However, the Song of Ice & Fire book looks excellent.
Pathfinder 1E So what did the ENnies do for publishers besides PAizo and WOTC?
- Thread starter Treebore
- Start date
Crothian
First Post
How do they qualify this? Are they asking their customers where they learned about the book and doing other research? Or are they just saying that because customers aren't bringing up the ENnies to them when they buy a book?
ENnies helps with word of mouth and getting people aware of games they don't know about. I know that because every year hundred of gamers complain on many message boards that they cannot vote because they haven't heard of many of the products nominated.
If you have ideas on how the ENnies can help sales though I'm sure the people would be happy to at least listen to them.
gribble
Explorer
I'm generally pretty up to the play with RPGs, so it's not often that the Ennies will bring something new to my attention.
When it does, it's pretty much only the nominations I pay attention to. I respect the process and integrity of the judges enough to know that if a product has been nominated and I haven't heard of it, then it's worth a look.
I pretty much ignore the actual winners/placings though. Like most awards voted by the general populace, it's just a popularity contest and doesn't really say anything about the respective quality of the products unfortunately.
When it does, it's pretty much only the nominations I pay attention to. I respect the process and integrity of the judges enough to know that if a product has been nominated and I haven't heard of it, then it's worth a look.
I pretty much ignore the actual winners/placings though. Like most awards voted by the general populace, it's just a popularity contest and doesn't really say anything about the respective quality of the products unfortunately.
C.W.Richeson
Explorer
The ENnies don't influence my purchases. However, I'm already pretty aggressive about chasing down publishers for review copies of the buzziest titles well in advance of the ENnies.
If I completely gave up on reviewing I'd probably take a look at the nominees and see if anything grabbed my fancy. I could easily imagine discovering the occasional gem through that, especially with so many judges working to talk about why any particular game was nominated.
As far as the publisher comments, I was always of the impression that it's hard to know what marketing really works. While the ENnies aren't about marketing, that's likely the major draw for the participating publishers. I write almost exclusively comped reviews. I very regularly know that friends, online and off, purchase (or don't) books that I review. I can't prove that, though, and it's not like a sale from IPR includes "Hey, C.W.'s review influenced this purchase" along with the money for the publisher. Ultimately, I think it comes down to where a publisher thinks his or her money is best spent in this small hobby of ours.
It's worth noting that the IPR guys seem to think so highly of the ENnie awards that they put out the Summer of Revolution promotion every year now where they try to rock the vote for awesome indie endeavors. I think the amount of time and effort there says a lot about at least some small press perspectives on the awards.
If I completely gave up on reviewing I'd probably take a look at the nominees and see if anything grabbed my fancy. I could easily imagine discovering the occasional gem through that, especially with so many judges working to talk about why any particular game was nominated.
As far as the publisher comments, I was always of the impression that it's hard to know what marketing really works. While the ENnies aren't about marketing, that's likely the major draw for the participating publishers. I write almost exclusively comped reviews. I very regularly know that friends, online and off, purchase (or don't) books that I review. I can't prove that, though, and it's not like a sale from IPR includes "Hey, C.W.'s review influenced this purchase" along with the money for the publisher. Ultimately, I think it comes down to where a publisher thinks his or her money is best spent in this small hobby of ours.
It's worth noting that the IPR guys seem to think so highly of the ENnie awards that they put out the Summer of Revolution promotion every year now where they try to rock the vote for awesome indie endeavors. I think the amount of time and effort there says a lot about at least some small press perspectives on the awards.
Henry
Autoexreginated
Very Specifically: Blue Devil Games' Poisoncraft.
Crothian (I believe) was telling off some poster about 5 years ago who was complaining that there weren't books about certain subjects and that the d20 movement didn't foster enough variety. He pointed out specifically the book Poisoncraft (which he reviewed for the ENnies), why it was so awesome, and pointed it as an example that people were often not looking at the great product under their very noses, at times.
It's what got me to look at the book, realize that it was very unusual in the field, and bought it. It had great Classes, great flavor text, and neat ideas for fantasy poisons.
Crothian (I believe) was telling off some poster about 5 years ago who was complaining that there weren't books about certain subjects and that the d20 movement didn't foster enough variety. He pointed out specifically the book Poisoncraft (which he reviewed for the ENnies), why it was so awesome, and pointed it as an example that people were often not looking at the great product under their very noses, at times.
It's what got me to look at the book, realize that it was very unusual in the field, and bought it. It had great Classes, great flavor text, and neat ideas for fantasy poisons.
Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
I've bought three or more things based on ENnies nominations each year. I even bought a couple things this year (a PDF of SoIaF for game prep, copies of Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies for friends that expressed an interest, more Alea Tools discs) that I got as submissions.
Hearing that designers and writers and so forth were thrilled with their nominations and wins is just a damn big thrill for me, and justifies all the hard work of the past year.
I don't understand this 'I don't buy 3pp stuff' attitude. That just reeks of willful ignorance.
Hearing that designers and writers and so forth were thrilled with their nominations and wins is just a damn big thrill for me, and justifies all the hard work of the past year.
I don't understand this 'I don't buy 3pp stuff' attitude. That just reeks of willful ignorance.
Shemeska
Adventurer
For a few years when I had just started playing D&D back in 2001, I didn't buy anything that wasn't made by WotC because of some (irrational) notion that if it wasn't made by WotC it would be of poor quality. Pure newbie fanboyism coupled with zero exposure to anything else.
I'm now blissfully free of that notion, especially as for the past several years I've noticed that 3PP routinely have been producing work on par or substantially better in writing and production values that what WotC has been producing.
SteveC
Doing the best imitation of myself
For me, most awards make me take a look and see if there was some quality product that managed to evade me and get under the radar. Most of the time I'm up on what's happening with RPGs, especially the indie scene, so I don't get too much out of them, but when I see something I've missed, I check it out as a result. For a major company, there isn't too much value to the ENnies, since people already are aware of them. If you're the new kid on the block, it can be invaluable.
There's nothing forcing anyone to enter, so I don't see what the problem is. For companies "on the bubble" deciding whether to enter or not, all I can say is that I will look at your book if I haven't seen it before based on the nomination. If that's worth it to you...keep sending the books in.
--Steve
There's nothing forcing anyone to enter, so I don't see what the problem is. For companies "on the bubble" deciding whether to enter or not, all I can say is that I will look at your book if I haven't seen it before based on the nomination. If that's worth it to you...keep sending the books in.
--Steve
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