Rodrigo Istalindir
Explorer
I've updated the website with the candidates' questionaires received so far. If anyone needs changes made, let me know at jckline at gmail dot com.
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2009 ENnies Judge Selection
- Thread starter Dextra
- Start date
zacharythefirst
First Post
Crothian
First Post
Procrastinator. I was getting worried.
I didn't put it off, I thought about not running. It is a lot of hard work and I needed to make sure some things were in order before I once again tossed in my hat.
zacharythefirst
First Post
I admire that. It is a lot of work, as we can both attest to, and everyone wants to make sure they're in a place where they can give it their best shot and the time it deserves. Still, glad to see you decided to run!
JoeGKushner
First Post
That's why I didn't run for a couple of years. Too much going on and had to clear out the old platter.
Psion
Adventurer
It's been a few years, but I would like to once again try my hand as an ENnies judge. I am an old D&D fan but have tastes that span SF, modern, fantasy, and other genres. I am less concerned about theory behind games than what they bring to the table. Translating theory into practice is the daunting job of the game designer; it's the job of the reviewer and the judge to consider what the results of their efforts is.
I have played many RPGs in my gaming “career”. Not all games are right for my palette, but I'm not afraid to praise an old technique that works nor a fresh technique that adds something new.
I hope that those who have read and derived value from my reviews will consider voting for me. I hope that if you appreciate the activities of world-building, “emergent” gameplay, and “immersive” play, you consider me as well, as these are my bread and butter as a role-player. Traditional gamers, I'm your man. But don't be afraid of me if you are into new or “indie” games; some of those have graced my table as well. Those I like (admittedly, not all, any more than I enjoy all traditional games) I like not because I think they are better than traditional games, but because they offer something different.
1. When did you join the RPG hobby and what inspired you to become involved and stay with it?
In my first semester of junior high school, 1979, I saw some people playing a strange game in the corner of the lunchtime game club. After watching a session or two, I rolled up a cleric. Said cleric got killed by a dire wolf in the first session. However, I went on to get involved in a longstanding imaginative campaign, and soon started GMing my own games, and got involved with other groups and playing other games.
2. Since you joined the hobby, what roles have you played (e.g. vending, professional writing and publishing, freelancing, reviewing, convention organizing, homebrewing, playing, GMing, etc.)?
I’m been GMing for a long time, and my gaming experience in primarily from behind the GM screen. I have brewed some of my own games to fill some need we felt we were missing as a group, including a supers game and a gritty SF game. I worked retail in the late 90s, selling games though a local game shop and to college students. I started reviewing products at RPG.net and ENWorld. I have some reviews published in E-Zines by Steve Jackson Games (in Journal of the Traveller’s Aide Society and the short lived D20 Weekly) and my reviewing work earned me enough recognition to be part of a panel to pick out the 30 greatest adventures in the pages of Dungeon Adventures issue #116.
3. The ENnies require a major commitment of time and mental energy. What resources do you bring that will help you discharge these responsibilities? Will your gaming group or other individuals be assisting you? Does your family support you?
I spend a lot of money on games. In past years as an ENnies judge, if I announce I will be getting games that won’t be costing us money, my ever fiscally conscious wife has be very understanding of me taking time to drink in some games.
My group plays a variety of games; if I see a game or supplement I am intrigued in trying in play, there’s a good chance I could make that happen.
4. Judging requires a great deal of critical thinking skills, communication with other judges, deadline management, organization, and storage space for the product received. What interests, experience and skills do you bring that will make you a more effective judge?
The most pertinent experience I can put forth is having been a reviewer and judge in previous years' ENnies; those positions provided experiences that aren’t quite matched by any other I have had when it comes to contrasting and critiquing games. I am also an engineer by day, and we use a procedure called decision analysis and resolution to come up with the best solution to an engineering problem; my past judging has drawn several cues from this process.
5. What styles and genres of RPGs do you enjoy most? Are there any styles or genres that you do not enjoy? Which games best exemplify what you like? Do you consider yourself a particular system’s, publisher’s or genre’s “fanboy/girl”?
I like fantasy, science fiction, and espionage. I also like horror, but find that most horror genre games don’t quite fit the bill for me; I have better luck inserting horror elements into other genres. I’m not a fan of historical gaming.
I am a longtime fan of Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller. Recent additions to my stable of favored games include Spycraft and Sprit of the Century.
6. What system do you think is best designed? Is it the one you play most?
I am going to cop out on the “best designed” question by answering “for what purpose”? If someone asks what game they should use for a given type of game, I won’t recommend my favorites if I feel that some other game achieves that goal better. Even amongst games that I personally like, if I am looking for something specific, I’d use something other than my normal favorite for that genre if an alternate game has a better angle on something specific I am trying to achieve.
Currently, my group plays mostly Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, Spycraft 2.0, and Spirit of the Century. These are both well designed games that do things I enjoy in gaming rather well.
7. What games have you played in the past year? List up to 10 RPGs you have played the most.
Since this time last year I have played Spirit of the Century, Spycraft 2.0, Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, True20, D20 Modern, Adamant’s Mars (D20 Modern-based).
8. Briefly summarize the criteria you will use for judging products in the different categories. How will you deal with comparing products of vastly disparate lengths, medium (PDF vs. print), or mechanics to prose ratios? Will innovation and originality play a major role?
Two major questions I ask about products of any length are:
1) How well does this product achieve its goals, and
2) What does this product offer to the gaming experience?
Often, short products are just what you need, and large products are the same thing repeated “second verse same as the first”. But well done large products that take a concept and support it well in a variety of ways are a definite boon. Size is no substitute for quality, but size and quality is a winning combination.
Mechanics to prose ratio is not directly a concern of mine; but bad or impertinent prose is to the detriment of a product. Games are there to provide a gaming experience for gamers. Prose that ignites the imagination of the players makes for a better game, but prose that tells the story that doesn't assist or distract from the game experience is ill-placed in a gaming product.
With respect to innovation, I am more concerned about actual benefit to the gaming audience than eventual industry impact. Gaming has a longstanding trend of ideas and techniques being introduced long before they are well done or popular in games. I’m more likely to reward a game that takes an old idea and implements it well than one that has a fresh new idea that might be playable someday.
9. How will you judge supplements or adventures for game systems whose core rules you are unfamiliar with or you believe are badly designed? What about for systems that are out of print?
More mechanical supplements might require a bit of research, possibly even getting a copy of the system if I don’t own it. However, it’s perfectly plausible to have great supplements of games I don’t like, and I try to consider the value that a product provides separate from the system it was intended for. GURPS Space is an outstanding example of such a supplement; I am not a fan of GURPS, but GURPS Space is an outstanding bible for SF gaming regardless of what game you favor.
10. How would you like to see the ENnies change (categories, policies, etc)? What should remain inviolate?
Categories should remain fairly static; they should be allowed to evolve slowly as the shape of the industry does, but more important that the exact categories themselves is the familiarity of the publishers and fans with the meaning of those categories, and the issues with the way the categories are divided are well understood by the staff to minimize unpleasant surprises.
The biggest thing I would change, to the limits of the resources of the ENnie Awards to bear, is the security of the voting system. Any measures that can be taken to maximize the reality of the “one person one vote” principle help ensure that the awards remain meaningful and reflect the audience that they propose to serve.
I have played many RPGs in my gaming “career”. Not all games are right for my palette, but I'm not afraid to praise an old technique that works nor a fresh technique that adds something new.
I hope that those who have read and derived value from my reviews will consider voting for me. I hope that if you appreciate the activities of world-building, “emergent” gameplay, and “immersive” play, you consider me as well, as these are my bread and butter as a role-player. Traditional gamers, I'm your man. But don't be afraid of me if you are into new or “indie” games; some of those have graced my table as well. Those I like (admittedly, not all, any more than I enjoy all traditional games) I like not because I think they are better than traditional games, but because they offer something different.
1. When did you join the RPG hobby and what inspired you to become involved and stay with it?
In my first semester of junior high school, 1979, I saw some people playing a strange game in the corner of the lunchtime game club. After watching a session or two, I rolled up a cleric. Said cleric got killed by a dire wolf in the first session. However, I went on to get involved in a longstanding imaginative campaign, and soon started GMing my own games, and got involved with other groups and playing other games.
2. Since you joined the hobby, what roles have you played (e.g. vending, professional writing and publishing, freelancing, reviewing, convention organizing, homebrewing, playing, GMing, etc.)?
I’m been GMing for a long time, and my gaming experience in primarily from behind the GM screen. I have brewed some of my own games to fill some need we felt we were missing as a group, including a supers game and a gritty SF game. I worked retail in the late 90s, selling games though a local game shop and to college students. I started reviewing products at RPG.net and ENWorld. I have some reviews published in E-Zines by Steve Jackson Games (in Journal of the Traveller’s Aide Society and the short lived D20 Weekly) and my reviewing work earned me enough recognition to be part of a panel to pick out the 30 greatest adventures in the pages of Dungeon Adventures issue #116.
3. The ENnies require a major commitment of time and mental energy. What resources do you bring that will help you discharge these responsibilities? Will your gaming group or other individuals be assisting you? Does your family support you?
I spend a lot of money on games. In past years as an ENnies judge, if I announce I will be getting games that won’t be costing us money, my ever fiscally conscious wife has be very understanding of me taking time to drink in some games.
My group plays a variety of games; if I see a game or supplement I am intrigued in trying in play, there’s a good chance I could make that happen.
4. Judging requires a great deal of critical thinking skills, communication with other judges, deadline management, organization, and storage space for the product received. What interests, experience and skills do you bring that will make you a more effective judge?
The most pertinent experience I can put forth is having been a reviewer and judge in previous years' ENnies; those positions provided experiences that aren’t quite matched by any other I have had when it comes to contrasting and critiquing games. I am also an engineer by day, and we use a procedure called decision analysis and resolution to come up with the best solution to an engineering problem; my past judging has drawn several cues from this process.
5. What styles and genres of RPGs do you enjoy most? Are there any styles or genres that you do not enjoy? Which games best exemplify what you like? Do you consider yourself a particular system’s, publisher’s or genre’s “fanboy/girl”?
I like fantasy, science fiction, and espionage. I also like horror, but find that most horror genre games don’t quite fit the bill for me; I have better luck inserting horror elements into other genres. I’m not a fan of historical gaming.
I am a longtime fan of Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller. Recent additions to my stable of favored games include Spycraft and Sprit of the Century.
6. What system do you think is best designed? Is it the one you play most?
I am going to cop out on the “best designed” question by answering “for what purpose”? If someone asks what game they should use for a given type of game, I won’t recommend my favorites if I feel that some other game achieves that goal better. Even amongst games that I personally like, if I am looking for something specific, I’d use something other than my normal favorite for that genre if an alternate game has a better angle on something specific I am trying to achieve.
Currently, my group plays mostly Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, Spycraft 2.0, and Spirit of the Century. These are both well designed games that do things I enjoy in gaming rather well.
7. What games have you played in the past year? List up to 10 RPGs you have played the most.
Since this time last year I have played Spirit of the Century, Spycraft 2.0, Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, True20, D20 Modern, Adamant’s Mars (D20 Modern-based).
8. Briefly summarize the criteria you will use for judging products in the different categories. How will you deal with comparing products of vastly disparate lengths, medium (PDF vs. print), or mechanics to prose ratios? Will innovation and originality play a major role?
Two major questions I ask about products of any length are:
1) How well does this product achieve its goals, and
2) What does this product offer to the gaming experience?
Often, short products are just what you need, and large products are the same thing repeated “second verse same as the first”. But well done large products that take a concept and support it well in a variety of ways are a definite boon. Size is no substitute for quality, but size and quality is a winning combination.
Mechanics to prose ratio is not directly a concern of mine; but bad or impertinent prose is to the detriment of a product. Games are there to provide a gaming experience for gamers. Prose that ignites the imagination of the players makes for a better game, but prose that tells the story that doesn't assist or distract from the game experience is ill-placed in a gaming product.
With respect to innovation, I am more concerned about actual benefit to the gaming audience than eventual industry impact. Gaming has a longstanding trend of ideas and techniques being introduced long before they are well done or popular in games. I’m more likely to reward a game that takes an old idea and implements it well than one that has a fresh new idea that might be playable someday.
9. How will you judge supplements or adventures for game systems whose core rules you are unfamiliar with or you believe are badly designed? What about for systems that are out of print?
More mechanical supplements might require a bit of research, possibly even getting a copy of the system if I don’t own it. However, it’s perfectly plausible to have great supplements of games I don’t like, and I try to consider the value that a product provides separate from the system it was intended for. GURPS Space is an outstanding example of such a supplement; I am not a fan of GURPS, but GURPS Space is an outstanding bible for SF gaming regardless of what game you favor.
10. How would you like to see the ENnies change (categories, policies, etc)? What should remain inviolate?
Categories should remain fairly static; they should be allowed to evolve slowly as the shape of the industry does, but more important that the exact categories themselves is the familiarity of the publishers and fans with the meaning of those categories, and the issues with the way the categories are divided are well understood by the staff to minimize unpleasant surprises.
The biggest thing I would change, to the limits of the resources of the ENnie Awards to bear, is the security of the voting system. Any measures that can be taken to maximize the reality of the “one person one vote” principle help ensure that the awards remain meaningful and reflect the audience that they propose to serve.
Last edited:
JoeGKushner
First Post
Tease!
