2007 Judge Selection

[C.W.Richeson]

What is your opinion on materials produced for OOP games?

It's RPG material like any other RPG material. Whether a game line is in print or not isn't important to me.

How would you evaluate material for systems in which you have zero experience? What if any of those systems are highly complex? That is, the rulebooks are very dense and there may be many supplements. This can be the case for games with a long history, as in 15+ years.

First, some aspects of a product can be evaluated no matter what. Clarity of discussion, editing, art, and other factors are universal. Second, I have a very broad experience but so do the other judges.

If it's a system I can teach myself with only a moderate amount of effort (say, nWoD) then I'd be inclined to get ahold of the core rulebook and do that. However, where that's not an option for whatever reason I'm more likely to defer to the judgment of other judges (who do know that system) on that particular item. I just don't see any other solution there, but I'd be open to suggestions.

If you do not like a particular system, how will you evaluate supplements/adventures/whatever submitted for that system? Do you think there can be a good adventure for a bad system?

When I write reviews I try to review every product on its own merits, and I'd be doing that here. A poor core book could certainly have a fantastic supplement, especially where lots of writing is being farmed out or different teams are working on different products. I'd definitely pay a little more attention to my biases and what other judges are saying in that case, however, and would ask myself "Am I really being fair to this product?"

Sure. Adventures have a certain organization and flow, from how they introduce plot hooks to how they anticipate player actions and weave events together.

What barriers are you anticipating in play testing submissions? Are you thinking ahead to come up with contingencies?

I certainly don't intend to play test every submission and would be stunned if someone, somehow, managed to do so. What I do play test will occur based around my gaming group's current schedules. I anticipate I'm most likely to playtest products where I suspect the play experience is likely to be substantially different from the reading experience. With Great Power..., for example, is a game that really comes alive in play in ways that the text just can't communicate. You get to feel the players make choices, and it's a lot of fun.

 

[Treebore]

What is your opinion on materials produced for OOP games?

I'm thinking of OSRIC while answering this. I am very well aware of OSRIC. I have even bought a few of the modules and a couple of pdf products for it. So in OSRIC's case I would have a very stong familiarity. So for me it would be no different than if I judge products from other game lines that I am familiar with.

As for those I don't know about, it will be no different for me than in judging totally new products. I'll do what I have to do to understand the rules system. That is where familiarity with other game mechanics will help judges. It will help them to see how the various systems work faster, and hopefully with a higher level of comprehension due to similiarities with how other systems work.

So the fact that so many of the judges, if not all of us, are familiar with so many game systemswill be a big help.

For instance, I have never got into any of White Wolf's World of Darkness books or the system. I am not into Exalted. So a couple fo the other Judge nominees are knowledgeable in these systems, so they can help me get up to speed fast.

Hopefully I will return the favor on systems like L5R, Shadowrun, Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM), EPICrpg, and others.

So that is how I am going to approach judging OOP's, and systems I don't know.


How would you evaluate material for systems in which you have zero experience? What if any of those systems are highly complex? That is, the rulebooks are very dense and there may be many supplements. This can be the case for games with a long history, as in 15+ years.

Part of my answer to the previous question applies here as well. I am going to rely on my fellow judges to bring me up to speed. I am familiar, and even own products, from most of the systems that have been around for 15+ years, such as Call of Cthulhu, RIFTS/Paladium, etc.... With White Wolf, my fellow judges will have to help me understand the rules. Which I believe I will be able to do quickly, because from what I have heard about the mechanics, it sounds like other systems I have played.

If you do not like a particular system, how will you evaluate supplements/adventures/whatever submitted for that system? Do you think there can be a good adventure for a bad system?

I am not aware of systems I do not like. I like systems others "hate", such as Synnibar, RIFTS, Castles and Crusades, Mega/Traveller, BESM, L5R, etc...

I think a big part of that is because when I look at systems I am looking for what does work. What I think doesn't work I make work to my satisfaction.

There is no system that I "hate", so that will not be an issue for me.

What barriers are you anticipating in play testing submissions? Are you thinking ahead to come up with contingencies?

Time is the barrier. Plus playtesting is not a "requirement" of judging. I just know that as a judge, and other nominee's have said this as well, I/we will playtest as much as we can. Will we will have time to playtest everything equally and to our satisfaction? Highly unlikely.

We will just do the best we can, and hope it is good enough.

 

[C.W.Richeson]

• What do you consider your strong point(s) as a judge? Weak point(s)?

• 
  
  Strong: Lots of review experience. Lots of experience judging products thanks to active participation in RPG.net's Gaming Index. Thanks to law school training, ability to accurately absorb large amounts of information in a short time.
  
  Weak: My qualifications are clearly different from those of other judges, the biggest being that I don't frequent ENWorld and likely have less exposure to d20 products than some other judges. This will be my first year at GenCon. As a law student I have less free time than some other judge nominees, though I do have a history of using that free time to regularly write reviews.
  
  

  [*]What one characteristic as a judge do you bring to the table that differentiates you from the other potential judges?

  
  I believe (but am not certain) that I have broader reviewing experience than the other judges (except, of course, for Chris Gath). Don't hold me to that, as the final list isn't up yet
  
  

  [*]What cultural interests do you have outside of gaming (i.e reading, comics, parenting, scuba diving, anything), that make you a better judge and why?

  
  Finishing up my second year of law school has resulted in my ability to keep to a schedule, read lots of material, and criticize what I read.
  
  I love comic collections, and especially enjoy watching animated super heroes (Batman: TAS, JLU, etc.), but I don't see how those would play into judging products. I suppose enjoying reading makes me more aware of what constitutes well written short fiction.
  
  

  [*]How important a factor is artwork (cover, illustrations, cartography) in your overall impression of judging products?

It's at least moderately important. Good artwork evokes the mood and feel of a product in a fantastic way, when done properly. It can communicate a lot of additional information, inspire the reader to play the game, and entertain the reader all at the same time. I generally consider covers to be a little less important than interior art, however.

Thanks for all your input so far!

Thanks for taking the time to ask questions!

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

What is your opinion on materials produced for OOP games?

I think its great. How much of this would be seen entered to be judged I honestly have no idea of, but as I've said more than once...I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and even though I love the new d20 game, I still have players that won't play anything but the old d6 system. So even though that's long OOP, new things to help out are just great(and definitely around if one can scour the internet well enough).

How would you evaluate material for systems in which you have zero experience? What if any of those systems are highly complex? That is, the rulebooks are very dense and there may be many supplements. This can be the case for games with a long history, as in 15+ years.

When it comes to things with which I have no experience, the only way I can see to truly fix this to evaluate is to learn the system. This isn't too hard for me, as I'm a bit of a system whore and love to get setting and rules books for things that I'll probably never play anyway, just to see how they work and for a good read. I'm also pretty good at picking up on concepts and rules at a quick pace so it wouldn't be taking up a huge amount of time.

If you do not like a particular system, how will you evaluate supplements/adventures/whatever submitted for that system? Do you think there can be a good adventure for a bad system?

There aren't too many systems I don't like, but if there is something I don't like, I can only try to evaluate any supporting products as best as possible. There are gems in mechanics in most all systems if you pay attention. When it comes to adventures, well...to me, those aren't at all system specific, even if they say they are. I've never had a problem adapting adventures to a completely different system, so yes, I do think bad systems can have good adventures.

What barriers are you anticipating in play testing submissions? Are you thinking ahead to come up with contingencies?

The biggest barrier is time, with the second being my gaming group. There is only so much that can be playtested, and it would be a lie to say everything submitted could be in the time given. My game groups have been warned of this possibility and are ready to try out new things if it comes to it, but it definitely won't be everything as that's just not possible.

* What do you consider your strong point(s) as a judge? Weak point(s)?

I consider my experience with multiple systems and my openess to new things to be a very strong point.

At the same time, it could be said that my openess is also a weak point as I have no problem floating from one game system to another.

* What one characteristic as a judge do you bring to the table that differentiates you from the other potential judges?

I think my age, being younger than most of the other judges, gives me a different perspective. I don't have a strong attachment to a particular system through nostalgia and, while I've played older versions of games like D&D, definitely wasn't playing it at the time. Not everyone's been playing RPGs for 20+ years, and that isn't always represented in the judges selected.

* What cultural interests do you have outside of gaming (i.e reading, comics, parenting, scuba diving, anything), that make you a better judge and why?

I'm a huge comics fan(mostly Marvel), play a ton of video games(yay, Wii), and I read far too much(just started my yearly reading of Dune this week).

I'd say all of these have provided me with a very broad selection of ideas and inspirations to bring into my gaming. While some use it as an insult, there are, in fact, some things tabletop gaming CAN take from video games(not all, of course, but some). And a broad exposure to other geek pop culture aspects can help to identify the inspirations for certain aspects of new tabletop games and supplements.

* How important a factor is artwork (cover, illustrations, cartography) in your overall impression of judging products?

As I've said before, I'm still a college student. My Major is Fine Art, and I've been drawing and painting for longer than I've been playing RPGs. One of the big things that drew me into D&D, in particular, was the artwork, which still inspires me and amazes me beyond just what could be done in game, but with turning myself into a better artist.

So, to me, art is a major factor. Art isn't the only factor, of course, and a book with horrible art and wonderful ideas or mechanics wouldn't necessarily be snubbed by me(the reverse is also true), but I definitely keep a keen eye towards the artistic edge of most all products.

 

[The Red Priest]

CW, Treebore and Ankh, thanks for the thoughtful replies.

 

[Crothian]

How do you personally evaluate flavor text?

Read through it and see how well it is written and how well it shows what the game is about and what the game can do.

How do you plan to evalute writing when applied to game mechanics?

It is how well the mechanics are explained and how easy they are to understand

When evaluating writing, how will you approach products with a very high percentage of mechanics compared to products with a very small percentage of game mechanics?

I read and judge what is there, it is all I can do.

When evaluating writing, how will word count factor in? How will you compare a 20 page PDF to a 400+ hardcover book?[/QUOTE]

Like above you judge by what is there. Books with more text and with more writing have a chance to really shine but also have more of a chance for something to not be right.

 

[Crothian]

What is your opinion on materials produced for OOP games?

Well, If it's new material for out of print games I don't really see them as OOP anymore. But I get the the point of the question. I love to see new material for old favorite games. I've really been digging this 1e revival for instance.

How would you evaluate material for systems in which you have zero experience? What if any of those systems are highly complex? That is, the rulebooks are very dense and there may be many supplements. This can be the case for games with a long history, as in 15+ years.

I go out and buy the book or borrow it from a friend and I learn the system. Two years ago White Wolf entered 3 big splats and one small splat for Exalted. I knew nothing of exalted, so I went out bough t a few books and for one weekend I was back in college preparing for a final. I had to do the same thing for HERO and Deleria and others. It can be the toughest part of being a Judge because no one knows everything out there.

If you do not like a particular system, how will you evaluate supplements/adventures/whatever submitted for that system? Do you think there can be a good adventure for a bad system?

Yes, there are good adventures for bad systems. Or I won't call them bad system, but systems I'm not a fan of. I own modules for some systems that I never want to play but the modules are good. And getting over one's own personal bias is another tough thing about judging books.

What barriers are you anticipating in play testing submissions? Are you thinking ahead to come up with contingencies?

Time. You never have enough of it. Luckily, I know of some of the books that are going to be entered or I'm pretty sure will be entered and already have them and have played them. So one of my Contingencies was to start in October not knowing if I'll be a Judge or not. It is fun to do a great way to actually play a lot of the new games.

 

[mcrow]

What is your opinion on materials produced for OOP games?

I think it is great. There are a lot of OOP games that still have a following. Its good to see some of those OOP game getting some attention. Of course this is much more easy to do these days with PDF, low overhead no inventorey for publishers.

How would you evaluate material for systems in which you have zero experience? What if any of those systems are highly complex? That is, the rulebooks are very dense and there may be many supplements. This can be the case for games with a long history, as in 15+ years.

Well, if you are talking a supplement that is entered for a system I'm not familiar with, I would try to borrow a copy from somone. If I can't get my hands on a copy I would ask one of the other judges for an explanation of the rules if they have experience with it. I think it would be unreasonable to expect the judges to know every system, but I think in the case you don't know it you should make every attempt to understand the basics.

If you do not like a particular system, how will you evaluate supplements/adventures/whatever submitted for that system?

A supplement should be largely judged on what it adds to the core rules. So in my book even if I don't like the system, it is entirely possible that the supplents for it could be very good. Supplements should expand on the core rules and/or setting. Besides that, they are judge as normal.

Do you think there can be a good adventure for a bad system?

Heck, yeah. Since the best parts about adventures are personalites and plots. As long as the adventure is true to the setting and of good quality.

What barriers are you anticipating in play testing submissions?

Its clear that there will be no way possible to playtest them all. Not only that, but many times I don't think a playtest is needed to judge the quality of a game. Hopefully some of the games I have played over the last year will be entered and that will make things easier. I will playtest as many as possible. Otherwise I will review them via reading and making characters. I might run a mock combat or something if I'm haveing trouble groking the system.

 

[Crothian]

What do you consider your strong point(s) as a judge? Weak point(s)?

A strong point is a love of gaming (we all have this) and a familiarity with lots of gaming systems. I keep a library of core books of many of the games we are likely to get so I can go back and reference the core books when needed. I'm also very familiar with the PDF side of gaming.

I think a weakness of mine might be the PDFs. I seem to be a bit biased for them against the more popular print books.


[*]What one characteristic as a judge do you bring to the table that differentiates you from the other potential judges?

I review a lot of books so I'm able to read a RPG book like a novel with no problems. And I'm used to reading things critically.


[*]What cultural interests do you have outside of gaming (i.e reading, comics, parenting, scuba diving, anything), that make you a better judge and why?

I read mysteries and other fiction. Once spring hits I'll be hiking and spending time out in my gardens. Burnout after reading a couple hundred RPG books is a reality and one needs to be able to do something that leaves it all behind if only for a little while.


[*]How important a factor is artwork (cover, illustrations, cartography) in your overall impression of judging products?

They are important, so important they have their own categories. The cover is always the first thing you see of a product. But one has to look past the factors that are not in the category the product is being judged on. But for the overall categories like Best product these play an important role like all aspects that make up a book.

 

[mcrow]

A few questions for the potential judges:

What do you consider your strong point(s) as a judge? Weak point(s)?

Strong: 17 years experience in RPGs. I buy, read, and play a lot of games. I have been writing reviews for about two years now. I'm unbiased, I play d20, non-d20, indie/forge games and all sorts. I have been designing my own settings and campaigns for most of my gaming life.

Weakness: maybe I'm a little overly analytical sometimes.

What one characteristic as a judge do you bring to the table that differentiates you from the other potential judges?

i don't know the other potential judges @ all, but I think that I have seen an played more RPGs than most of them. I have the ability to a completely fair and unbiased choice despite what systems and games I like. (i'm not saying non of the other can do that, just that I think I'm really good @ leaving bias behind)

What cultural interests do you have outside of gaming (i.e reading, comics, parenting, scuba diving, anything), that make you a better judge and why?

Reading Sci-fi, Disc Golf, Movies, Gaming, Studying history and religions.

How important a factor is artwork (cover, illustrations, cartography) in your overall impression of judging products?

Well, if i'm judging a game for a category that is art specific, then it is the only thing that matters.

Otherwise I use it as a tie breaker. If I have two games that are of equal quality in every other way, I tend to break the tie with the art. The one exception is if the art is very bad, then I might ding it for that because it makes the book look amaturish.