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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Drew" data-source="post: 3336929" data-attributes="member: 1314">Hey, I'm late to the party.Price can occasionally tip things in one direction or another. It might cause me to give slightly lower ratings to a product if its overpriced compared to similar products. On the other hand, I might be willing to overlook some flaws if a particular product is really affordable. Its probably the least important factor.Not really. Like a lot of gamers, I'm most familiar with d20. I've been running 3E D&D since it came out. However, I really like reading and reviewing unique systems as well, especially obscure and small publisher stuff. I also have a thing for clever d20 variants. And I like old-school D&D (1E) and nostalgic D&D (C&C). So, uh, I guess not.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />   I review a lot of PDFs, and I actually bought a laptop specifically so I could bring them to the table. Its nice to be able to quickly search for what you need. And, in a lot of cases, I only print out the section relevant to the adventure or encounter. On the other hand, there's something special to holding a real, solid book. And some products, especially really impressive looking books or boxed sets with lots of extras, the book is just more usefull.The troll is my favorite D&D monster. Actually, the troll in plate armor with a greatsword is my favorite D&D monster.Absolutely. To be perfectly frank, though, the rules errors have to be fairly blatant to really make me dock a product's standing. Errors like incorrect skill modifiers in monster stat blocks have less impact than major rules gaffs. Also, a really neat concept can sometime outshine rules errors. If a book is filled with inspirational ideas, I'd be less critical of rules shortcomings.That said, I think that ENnies should only be awarded to really stellar products. That includes concepts and mechanics. My wife is very, very supportive. I spend my free time reading and reviewing RPG books. Being an ENnie judge won't be that much of a lifestyle change for me. If anything, it will make me feel more productive.Um...as <s>bribes</s> incentives for the voters? I'm sure I'll keep my favorites and give a bunch to interested gamers in and out of my circle of friends. My wife and I have been talking about donating some of our spare rulebooks to active military, so I think it would be cool to do that with some of the product.Ask me in ten years. Seriously, its out of my control, so I'll just roll with it when it comes. I'd hate to see the OGL market go away. Whatever your feelings regarding its impact on the market, some real gems have come out of OGL and d20.I was a classic rock radio program director for 7 years. My answer would require way too much detail. The short version: Pink Floyd.Minis are more important as long as they continue to make money for WotC. The more minis they sell, the more cool D&D books we all get.In my own campaign, I use a little E-Tools, Campaign Cartographer, NPC Generator, and TableSmith. I like software, especially since I use my laptop at the table. The game certainly works fine without it, but anything to make the DM's life easier is a good thing in my book.If you vote for me, I'll grant you a permanent +2 bonus to any stat of your choice.Everyone seems to have moved away, so my regular D&D campaign (which dates back to 1999 or so) is only semi-active. Other than that, I've played M&M, C&C, Eberron, and a little Shadowrun in the last year. I've also run playtests of a whole lot of games.Since I was seven...so, uh, 20 years. My experience certainly has an affect on my perspective, but only in the way that experience affects everyone. There are people that have been gaming way longer than me, and some that are relatively new. I try to look at product for what it is when I review it. Just because I'm not a big sci-fi fan, for example, doesn't mean that I can't recognize a well written sci-fi book.I'm constantly tweaking rules and supplements. My homebrew D&D world has been a big collaborative effort between me and the various players that have adventured there...its about eight years old and growing. At any given time, I'm always working on something. When I'm at work, I occupy my time with house rules, system tweaks, campaign ideas...its really bordering on obsession.  <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/nervous.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":heh:" title="Nervous Laugh    :heh:" data-shortname=":heh:" /> Does my endless dissection of rules help me as a potential judge? Maybe my efficiency. There is a lot more to a gaming book than mechanics, however, and I appreciate the need to really delve into and try out a product. But yeah, I do feel like I've been practicing for this gig the last ten years or so.I think that it's hard to codify something like a gaming product into a set of points. Games are collections of rules, but they are also works of creativity. A list of evaluation rules are a good start for separating the good from the bad, but beyond that, how one decides the difference between a good product and a great product can often be fairly abstract. If two adventures are technically sound, have great art, and contain interesting plots, how do you choose which is better?The answer probably comes down to which you simply like more, for whatever reason. By giving Judges the freedom to set their own standards, we allow them the flexibility to give a more accurate assessment of a given product's value to the average gamer.  Perhaps. I think that its fair to point out the vast majority of gamers are d20 gamers, so any large cross section of our hobby is likely to have a d20 bias. That said, I think most long time players have dabbled in a lot of different games. I cut my teeth on Top Secret and AD&D 2E. For years after that, I played a heck of a lot of Rolemaster and Middle Earth Roleplaying. Do I like d20? Sure, when its good. Do I have an unfair d20 bias? Only from the perspective that I might not feel comfortable assessing a product for a game system I've never played.  Yes. As the ENnies grow and evolve, its important that they gain their own identity. Its also convenient to have everything located in one spot. I think that completely divorcing the ENnies from EN World would be a poor move, yes. EN World sees a lot of traffic, and it would be foolish to stop using that resource. That said, I'd like to see the ENnies branch out to include gamers from all over the online community and beyond. I hope that, as time goes on, the awards continue to grow in scope and status.</blockquote>

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