It's taken me a few days to figure out how to properly express my gratitude for those who voted for
Zweihänder Grim & Perilous RPG in the ENnies for
Best Game and
Product of the Year. Because holy warhammer, we won gold in both categories.
This year the OSR absolutely
slayed - it was truly landmark year when titles like Star Trek and Pathfinder were left in the dust by DIY and smaller creators.
Now, for story time:
Adam and I had drove from KC to Indy on a whim, hoping to at least shake hands with those we'd long supported over the years and to make a few new connections. We were absolutely stunned when we found out we won Best Game. And, as Zweihänder was announced as the gold winner for Product of the Year, there was a collective "holy 'ish!" in the room, and a massive outpouring of support from the audience. It was one of the most nerve-wracking/proudest moments of my life. It was super tough to hold back tears, particularly in retrospect where my silly elfgame started: in the basement, with some of my best bros, tearing apart Warhammer's mechanical chassis, and situating it beneath my homebrew campaign world.
Getting to meet some of my fav artists, writers and designers was an incredible opportunity, and I was happy to share in everyone's nominations/awards afterwards over drinks. I cannot thank all the nominees enough for being so welcoming - treating us with respect and kindness, and introducing us into a world we had never exposed to as first-time GenCon-goers.
Thank you to everyone who voted in the ENnies, even if you didn't vote for Zweihänder.
Your vote matters - it is a recognition for creative and design, along with the long hours of writing, editing, marketing, long hours, lost wages, stress and everything else that rolls into producing a RPG.
If this year's ENnies shows anything, it's that smaller publishers with enough gumption and salt can compete for recognition amongst giants of the industry - and win in spades.
Now, back to running
our next Kickstarter for Main Gauche!
All the best,
Daniel Fox & team
Grim & Perilous Studios
ps. here is our
Best Game speech and
Product of the Year speech.
pps. we also did a
talk at GenCon on Twitch's front page about the importance of the ENnies and inclusivity in RPGs
