2007 Judge Selection

[Teflon Billy]

10) Software. What role do you see for software in DnD? Do you use software in DnD (more than Word/PDF etc)? Are minis more important than software?

I may not be asking this right. And while this is a secondary thing - it is important to how I'd vote. I use software in my game, and I consider it more useful/important than minis, or battlemats, or paper foldup models.
-cpd

Well, we don't currently use minis in our game; but I certainly appreciate nicely sculpted minis from an artistic point of view.

As for software, I make pretty good use of Campaign Suite and Dundjinni (Mostly for clix games)

Software seems like any other product in terms of quality...some I use, some I don't and some is just bad (and best avoided)

 

[Treebore]

1. How do you think price factors when evaluating a product?

I'm just evaluating the product, its up to the individual to decide if it is worth their money, not me.

2. Do you have a favourite system, or particular dislike of one? Why? How will this affect your ability to judge products?

I think I play too many systems to say I have a favorite. I definitely have a "preference", but I know how many systems bring very many different strengths to a game. So I am the last person who will say any rules sytem is the best of all.

3. How do you feel about PDFs? Inherent advantages and/or disadvantages?
I have a lot of pdf's. I like them but I still have a definite preference for print. I mostly like them for products I expect to need to print a lot from, like modules. Or "Mother of all Treasure Tables", things like that. However PDF doesn't keep me from buying a product, as Phil Reed and CMG Mark can attest. Le Games. Fat Dragon Games. Et Al.

4. Mutant or troll?

Definitely a Mutant.

5. mechanics or concepts? if you find too many errors in mechanics or in the writing will you fault the submission?

Yes. I'm here to pick the cream of the crop. Well written mechanics and concepts are going to be key elements to separate the wheat from the chaffe.


6. are you in a long term relationship or a job which requires you to be on call or have little free time? how much time are you willing to spend to see this project to completion? are the outside factors going to effect your commitment? (a non gaming SO, a sick child, an aging parent, a new job, a move, planning a marriage, etc...)

I am essentially retired and self employed (small farm). I have hours every day to spend on this. Health issues with my wife/kids/family are the only possible issues, but none that are foreseeable.

7. what are you gonna do with your stuff when all is done?

Don't know. Definitely keep what I like and don't already have. The rest I may sell, give away, whatever I finally decide upon.

9) Which is your favorite Beatle?

The Rhino Beetle

10) Software. What role do you see for software in DnD? Do you use software in DnD (more than Word/PDF etc)? Are minis more important than software?

I would like to see a lot more done for RPG's in the software world, thats for sure. I hope if I am elected a judge that I get to see a lot of cool new stuff that gets me excited about the future.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

11. Are any of you offering cash incentives, beer, and/or incriminating photographs of Morrus in return for my vote?

 

[Treebore]

11. Are any of you offering cash incentives, beer, and/or incriminating photographs of Morrus in return for my vote?

Nope. If thats what it takes to become a judge I'm not interested.

 

[PatrickLawinger]

11. Are any of you offering cash incentives, beer, and/or incriminating photographs of Morrus in return for my vote?

I am totally not allowed to run for being a Judge, but in exchange for truly incriminating photos of Morrus .... hmmmm, we should talk. I mean, pictures of Morrus playing (the game which can not be named without derailing the thread--more--Okay, someone start another flamethread about FATAL to avoid tainting this one anymore-Hey,*I* didn't name a game, but comments like that makes FATAL happen...) would be worth quite a bit.

On that note, can we stop creating new questions and let the Judge candidates answer that have already been asked?

Thanks,
Patrick

 

[PatrickLawinger]

Nope. If thats what it takes to become a judge I'm not interested.

Crumb, I was going to vote for you but I want Judges that are easily swayed by money, gifts, and scantilly clad women.

Sigh ...

 

[Xath]

1. How do you think price factors when evaluating a product?

It depends. When evaluating a product for personal purchase, I'll certainly look at the price and weigh it against the overall quality of the product and the use I think I'll get out of it. However, when evaluating a product for an award such as the ENnies, price becomes an issue to me only if there seems to be a gross difference between the quality and effort put into the product, and the price they're asking for it. It certainly wouldn't change my opinion on the quality of the product, but such a discrepancy would be worth mentioning on an evaluation.

2. Do you have a favourite system, or particular dislike of one? Why? How will this affect your ability to judge products?

I don't have a favorite system, nor do I have animosities towards a particular game. To me, the enjoyment of a game has just as much to do with the group you play with as it does with the quality of the system. While gaming has its serious sides, the overall goal is fun. As long as fun is possible in a system (and seriously, when isn't it?) I have no reason to have a particular dislike of it. I guess the only way that that would effect my ability to judge products is that I tend to try to find good qualities in everything. So I might end up having to curb my glass-half-full outlook.

3. How do you feel about PDFs? Inherent advantages and/or disadvantages?

I LOVE LOVE LOVE .pdfs. I've played in groups where I've had to take mass transit 3 hours each way, and I've played in groups where I've had to walk upwards of two miles each way. Not having to carry twenty books on top of my minis, battlemat, etc has probably saved my shoulders from a permanent slant. I admit that for books I reference more than 10 times in a game, I prefer to have access to a paper copy, but .pdf supplements are wonderful! When they're bookmarked to have direct access to chapters and the details within, they're just as easy to use as a hard copy.

4. Mutant or troll?

Mutant

5. mechanics or concepts? if you find too many errors in mechanics or in the writing will you fault the submission?

It depends on the category. Best Cover Design? Certainly not. Best Production Value? Well, editing is a major factor in the production value of a product, so errors in mechanics and writing would certainly have to be taken into effect. If I find one typo I will definitely not toss a product aside, but if errors begin to interfere with my understanding and enjoyment of a product, then I'll definitely have to take that into consideration.

6. are you in a long term relationship or a job which requires you to be on call or have little free time? how much time are you willing to spend to see this project to completion? are the outside factors going to effect your commitment? (a non gaming SO, a sick child, an aging parent, a new job, a move, planning a marriage, etc...)

Having worked with the ENnies as a staff member, I have a pretty good idea of how much of a time commitment the judges put into making the ENnies work. While I do have a full-time job, I just graduated from college in December which means a few things. One, it means that I'll have much more free time than I'm used to to devote to the Ennies. Two, it means that I'm really good at reading hundreds and hundreds of pages of diverse texts and keeping them in my mind in an organized fashion. I am in a long-term relationship, but my SO is also a gamer, so that's not a problem. I have no children, my parents are perfectly healthy, and I'm not getting married for at least two more years. I will be starting a new job soon, but it's already been established that it will take up less of my time than my current job, so that will only give me more time to work on the ENnies. Believe me, once I've made a commitment, I see it through. I know the effort it takes to be an ENnies judge, and I would not shirk that responsibility.

7. what are you gonna do with your stuff when all is done?

I may keep a few items for myself, but I'll probably be giving most of it back to the ENnies, to be used as swag for volunteers and as fundraising material for the awards.

8. 4e - Now, Soon, Later, or Never?

Eventually. 3.5 will eventually get to the point that WotC just won't be able to publish anything new for it, and as they are not a non-profit business, they're going to want to keep making things that people will buy. I mean, we've already gotten to the point with 3.5 where spells meant to be cast by different classes, or spells of different levels have the same name. If there are so many published spells that they can't even have their own names, we're getting closer to that point.

 

[Xath]

10) Software. What role do you see for software in DnD? Do you use software in DnD (more than Word/PDF etc)? Are minis more important than software?

I love software. In particular, I'm an avid user of map-making software. Aside from that, I tend to use other gaming software more in a PbP environment than I do in P&P games. Online dice-rollers and character record software makes gaming in a PbP much easier and efficient. It also really helps characters in pencil and paper games communicate over email between sessions.

I also really enjoy using minis, but I wouldn't equate them as being more or less important than software. After all, what good would my digitally rendered draconic lair with it's 1" grid be if I didn't have a Huge freshly painted red dragon to inhabit it?

I guess when it comes down to it, I really like gaming accessories. Dice, software, minis, AoE templates; I love them all. I'd be lying if I said that I don't carry around a set of emergency dice in my purse in case of spontaneous gaming.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

1. How do you think price factors when evaluating a product?

That's an interesting question that I had not really thought about in the past... it's really not something I would think of as a factor when judging the quality of a product. Though, price does do one of two things: it enables or inhibits. That is, a low price allows many people to have access to a product and a high price cuts off individuals that (1) don't have the money to spend or (2) aren't willing to spend the money.

In that sense, price does not have a particular impact on the quality of the product and, as such, doesn't have an impact on how I would judge the product.

Secondly, price can be an indicator of how much work went into a product which can, in some circumstances, highlight the overall quality of the production... which, in the end, doesn't always mean it's a good product.

All that said, I don't judge a product by its price. There is no guarantee that a product's price says anything about its actual production quality.

And now I'm done saying that price isn't really a factor in how I judge in many different ways.

2. Do you have a favourite system, or particular dislike of one? Why? How will this affect your ability to judge products?

I am fond of systems that have vast capabilities. For example, I love True20 because you can do so much with it. In the past year, I have had the opportunity to play in a number of Mutants and Masterminds games ranging from a Civil War with Aliens to run by The Universe to an all out, over-the-top, totally-awesome comic-bookery Supers adventuring with Pirate Cat. The games were totally different in setting, feel, and player dynamic, but they were both resounding successes because the system allowed for diverse and moldable game-play. The GMs for the games had totally different objectives in mind and were able to meet them with the unique mechanics of True20/Mutants and Masterminds.

And, tangentially, that sort of highlights what I think makes a good product - it fulfills its mission. I recognize that, even systems that I don't enjoy playing (the one that springs to mind is ShadowRun), can be good, successful products because they do what they were set out to do.

In short, my current favorite systemis True20 (specifically Mutants and Masterminds) because I find that it does all the things I want it to do. But, more importantly, it succeeded in creating a fun, comic-booky supers game. And, in doing so, it provides a benchmark for sucess in judging other products.

All that said: My favorite system changes. Before it was Mutants and Masterminds, it was d20 Modern/Past... and before that it was d6 Star Wars.

3. How do you feel about PDFs? Inherent advantages and/or disadvantages?

Well... I like 'em. I like being able to immediately get a product that I want without leaving my apartment because I'm lazy. I like being able to have sneaky access to products at work when I really should be doing something else. I also like being able to transport many products on my jump drive from point A to point B without lugging around HUGE amounts of books. Lastly, I like .pdfs that are text searchable because that cuts down on the amount of work I have to do when I really need to find something.

However, there is something special about cracking open a brand new book. The smell, the feel... it's a pretty magical feeling that I'm sure all gamers relate to. There's nothing quite like heading out to your FLGS to pick up that new book that you want SO BAD and rushing home and reading it cover to cover and having it sitting there all beautiful on your shelf. That's a feeling so cherished that I have been known to wait to purchase a product until GenCon because I love feeling that feeling amongst "my people." (Does that make sense? I could just be a raving lunatic...)

PDFs, because they are not on bookshelves at Borders, B&N, etc., do seem to be products specifically for the gaming community. As such, there is an immediate drawback in that PDFs do little to "spread" the hobby... which, doesn't make them bad, it just makes them unique to people that are already gamers.

4. Mutant or troll?

Troll. It's what's for dinner.

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

5. Mechanics or concepts? If you find too many errors in mechanics or in the writing will you fault the submission?

Mechanics and concepts go hand-in-hand in my opinion. The concept that drives the mechanics ought to work together to create an overall *feel* that permeates the product. If the concepts and the mechanics don't jive, there is a disconnect that highlights a flaw in the product.

Errors in mechanics and writing are flags for me because they mean the product was (1) not play-tested enough or (2) not edited thoroughly. In either case, it is something that takes away from the overall quality of the product.

6. Are you in a long term relationship or a job which requires you to be on call or have little free time? How much time are you willing to spend to see this project to completion? are the outside factors going to effect your commitment? (a non gaming SO, a sick child, an aging parent, a new job, a move, planning a marriage, etc...)

I am married and have a career. However, when my husband asked if he could nominate me to be an ENnies judge, I knew full-well the time that it takes to be a good judge. So, after some thought, I said that, if he so desired, he could nominate me and I would happily put the time and effort into it if the community chooses me to be a judge.

7. What are you gonna do with your stuff when all is done?

I will keep what I don't have and pass the rest on to my 18 year old brother in law and his fellow high school aged gamers to keep the hobby going!