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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fusangite" data-source="post: 3330160" data-attributes="member: 7240">How do you think price factors when evaluating a product?I am highly unlikely to factor price into my evaluation of a product unless a designer finds a way to offer stunningly good value for money through innovation. Otherwise, I do not plan to factor price in at all. Charging too high or too low a price is its own punishment for a gaming company. Do you have a favourite system, or particular dislike of one? Why?Absolutely. However, my favourite systems are, for the most part, homebrewed or out of print. Generally, I tend to be what those who study such things term as “simulationist.” I especially enjoyed 3rd Edition Runequest and Harn in the 80s for just this reason. I like D20 and OGL fine and probably do most of my actual gaming in these systems but this is more for ease of compatibility than a strong endorsement of the system.How will this affect your ability to judge products?I hope not very much at all. Everybody brings their personal preferences and biases to the table. What matters is to be cognizant of these things and rise above them when selecting products. When I GM, I often have a variety of players with different gaming tastes and priorities but I seek to balance these sometimes divergent wishes and deliver a game that is fun for everyone. My approach to the awards will be similar: I will look at each product and evaluate how well it meets the needs of those who enjoy the gaming style for which the product has been designed.  How do you feel about PDFs? Inherent advantages and/or disadvantages?I think PDFs have really opened up the industry and enabled a lot of creative people to reach the gaming community unmediated by big companies. As a result, I think there is a wider range of quality in PDFs, both high and low – sometimes things get to the virtual shelves short some proofreading and playtesting; but sometimes someone’s specific and brilliant vision can be realized without harmful interference inherent in a corporate production process. That stated, PDFs are not my preferred way to buy gaming materials. I have a lot of loose paper in my life. More than I can handle. The prospect of printing off gaming materials holds little appeal for me personally – but that’s just a lifestyle choice. Mutant or troll?Troll. Second edition Runequest Dark Troll, to be precise.mechanics or concepts? if you find too many errors in mechanics or in the writing will you fault the submission?Absolutely. These are not the sci-fi/fantasy literature awards nor are they the First Draft Awards. I am looking for an integrated whole when I judge a product – the basic art of RPG writing is to create an integrated whole wherein concepts, flavour text and mechanics function as a single mutually supporting structure. Similarly, I mark sophomore college students’ work for a living so, on the one hand, I will be tolerant of a fair number of typos (given how this work has beaten my standards down); on the other hand, when poor writing gets in the way of clarity and meaning, I am quite prepared to mark a product down.are you in a long term relationship or a job which requires you to be on call or have little free time?No.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...)Well, I have chosen to run this year specifically because I will just have finished my comprehensive exams and will be at the pre-dissertation phase of my program. So, between April and July, I will have a very flexible schedule and considerable free time.what are you gonna do with your stuff when all is done?Keep some. Give some away. 4e - Now, Soon, Later, or Never?I think 4E will come out when WOTC has gauged that the community is ready for it and there is real demand for the product. I expect that this will be sooner than some people imagine. Which is your favorite Beatle?George. I liked his work for Bangladesh and his decision to help create Hand Made Films, my favourite movie production company of all time. Plus I’m one of the guys who actually liked the sitar music.Software. What role do you see for software in DnD?That is sort of dependent on GM and player style. I think we are well-served by game systems that are versatile and modular enough to work well with pen and paper but can also be souped-up or made easier with software if that is what people are into. I think it would be a disaster if D&D, at some point, did with computers what it did with minis in 3rd edition and began operating on the assumption that computers were going to be used in character generation, for instance.Do you use software in DnD (more than Word/PDF etc)?No.Are minis more important than software?I wish they were not but, objectively, they certainly are in D&D’s current incarnation. It is my hope that future editions of the game will make gaming without minis easier.Are any of you offering cash incentives, beer, and/or incriminating photographs of Morrus in return for my vote?I’ll be too busy signing up the homeless and getting them to vote at the public library.What game(s) are you playing in now / have played in in the past year?Two OGL homebrews, Warhammer, Dogs in the Vineyard, Runequest, Traveller, D&D and True20.How do you feel about Wizards of the Coast abstaining from entering products?I think it is probably a good move. It is kind of analogous to the Roman Catholic Church’s decision to sit only as an observer at the World Council of Churches.How long have you been gaming? Does that affect the perspective you will be bringing to the judging table?Since 1981. I think that experience with a variety of gaming group dynamics gives me a sense of perspective on the social aspects of gaming and how systems and people can fit together in different ways. But I don’t think it is a big factor. As Thoreau said, “age is no better an instructor than youth.”How much game design experience do you have? I don't mean published, I mean in general- 10 years of homebrewing? Have you created your own systems? Do you think this affects your level of qualification as a judge?I have designed homebrewed rules for three of the last five games I have run. I think this experience has given me an appreciation of the challenge of designing clear, self-consistent systems. It has also convinced me that there is no universal system that is going to work with every setting, every campaign or every group. I tend to view the rules of the game as the physics of the game world but I will keep this perspective at bay when I judge systems like the Indie-RPGs games which are differently premised. Do you think that the ENnies should have a codified set of rules for how they should be run, including a specific list of points that the judges should use for each category?I have just got through hashing out this issue in a non-profit advocacy group on whose board I serve. Currently, Fair Vote Ontario is evaluating various models of voting systems that are being presented to a government-mandated commission that is reviewing the province’s voting system. Many people thought that scoring these models through a complex point-based system would make the project of evaluating and ranking them easier. The reverse has happened. While a lot of these point systems look good on paper, in practice, they tend to produce strategic voting by judging panels (mix/maxing in gamer terms) and tend to deliver middling scores to all products, regardless of actual merits. So, no – I am not a fan of such an approach. Or do you think that the ENnies should be like they are currently, and the judges voting on the rules each year?I don’t think the practice is to vote on the rules each year. I think there is a bit of tradition involved at this point. But yes. I prefer an evaluation process that gets the judges to behave honestly, fairly and co-operatively.Do you think that the ENnies being so intimately tied to the World's Largest d20 Fan Site might mean that the basic voting pool for the ENnies might be a bit biased towards d20 products in general?First of all, the ENnies are not “so intimately tied” as they once were. Denise Robinson has been working with Peter Adkinson for the past several years to broaden the awards. And their work on this front has been a resounding success. Any scan of award recipients over the past few years demonstrates conclusively that her efforts have been a resounding success. Non-D20 products have won major awards several years in a row.Do you think that the ENnies should move everything over to their own, independant website (which they already have), to have all aspects of the ENnies in 1 single central location? Why or why not?I would hope that every major RPG forum has a thread like this. I think it would be most foolish for the ENnies to seek to limit discussion of the awards to one site and attempt to shut down EN World, RPG.net or any other forum’s discussions.Do you think moving the ENnies off EN World would cause a drop in the overall number of voters?No. I believe it will increase the number of voters. Last year, moving the awards voting off the site resulted in a major turnout increase.Do you plan on playtesting any of the material?I inevitably will but do not intend to do so systematically. Obviously there would not be time to do so.What prompted you to consider being a judge for the ENnies?My work with the ENnies judges, board and staff over the past two years. This is a fun project and a great team of people. Now that I have finished work on reforming the voting systems for the awards, I would like to continue being a part of the project.Would statements by those "in the industry" affect your opinions on a product?Nope. The only statements that will matter to me will be those in the published material.</blockquote>

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