Congratulations to the 2020 ENnies Nominees

The ENnies announced their slate of nominees for 2020 today! Here's the full list!

Judges’ Spotlight Winners

• Benjamin Adelman – Sleepaway, Author: Jay Dragon
• Rachel Campbell – Glitter Hearts, Leatherman Games, Author: Greg Leatherman
• Christopher Gath – Refractions in Glasston, Chaosium Inc., Authors: Taylor University PWR Press, Sam Guinsatao, Carson Jacobs, T.R. Knight, Joy Lemont, Elijah Oates, Rayce Patterson, Emily Pawlowski, J. Tucker White
• Shauna Ratliff – Knarls Candy Compendium, Authors: Makenzie De Armas, Levi Phipps
• James Surano – Hit the Streets, Defend the Block, Lost Highway Games, Author: Rich Rogers

Best Adventure

• A Pound of Flesh, Tuesday Knight Games, Authors: Donn Stroud, Sean McCoy, Luke Gearing
• Book of Seasons: Solstices, Jessica Marcrum Writes, Authors: A. Kelly Lane, Alicia Furness, Alison Huang, Ally Sulentic, Annamyriah de Jong, Cat Evans, Collette Quach, Jacky Leung, Jamie O’Duibhir, Jessica Marcrum, Jessica Ross, Jessica Washburn, Kristina Sisto Kindel, Lynne M. Meyer, Ma’At Crook, Miranda Mels, Nemo Bueno, Oliver Clegg, Samantha Lavender, TK Johnson
• Killer Kobolds from Outer Space, Oliver Clegg, Author: Oliver Clegg
• The Halls of Arden Vul Complete, Expeditious Retreat Press, Author: Richard Barton
• Trilemma Adventures Compendium Vol 1, Trilemma Adventures, Authors: Michael Prescott, Evey Lockhart, Kira Magrann, Michael Atlin, Sean Winslow, Skerples, Stephanie Bryant, Tim Groth

Best Aid/Accessory

• Deck of Many Animated Spells, Hit Point Press
• DunGen.app, Dungeon Channel
• DungeonMorph Delver, Trailblazer, & Voyager 10′ Battlemats, Inkwell Ideas
• Nights Black Agents Director’s Screen & Resource Guide, Pelgrane Press
• The Dungeon Books of Battle Mats, Loke Battlemats

Best Art, Cover

• Call of Cthulhu: Berlin the Wicked City, Chaosium Inc., Artist: Loïc Muzy
• Harlem Unbound 2nd Edition, Chaosium Inc., Artists: Brennen Reece, Alex Mayo, Jabari Weathers
• Nibiru Corebook, Araukana Media LTD, Artists: Mahea Rodrigues, Daniel Liang, Alexey Tretyakov
• The Ultraviolet Grasslands, Exalted Funeral Press, Artist: Luka Rejec
• Witch+Craft, Astrolago Press, Artist: Sarah Webb

Best Art, Interior

• BFF! Best Friends Forever, Heart of the Deernicorn, Artists: Veta Bahktina, Taylor Dow
• Dragons Conquer America: Core book, Burning Games, Artists: Rado Javor, Antonio J Manzanedo, Marco Brunelleschi, Milan Nikolic, George Pricopegalan
• Never Going Home, Wet Ink Games, Artist: Charles Ferguson-Avery
• Strata, Rowan, Rook and Decard, Artist: Adrian Stone
• The Ultraviolet Grasslands, Exalted Funeral Press, Artist: Luka Rejec

Best Cartography

• Dungeon in a Box, Dungeon in a Box
• Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, the Adventure Game, River Horse
• Nibiru Corebook, Araukana Media LTD
• Over the Edge Poster Map, Atlas Games
• Trilemma Adventures Compendium Vol 1, Trilemma Adventures

Best Electronic Book

• BEOWULF: Hermit’s Sanctuary, Handiwork Games, Authors: Jon Hodgson, Jacob Rodgers
• Killer Kobolds from Outer Space, Oliver Clegg, Author: Oliver Clegg
• Lancer Core Book, Massif Press, Authors: Tom Parkinson, Miguel Lopez
• New Tales of the Miskatonic Valley 2nd Ed., Stygian Fox, Authors: Tom Lynch, Keith “Doc” Herber, Kevin Ross, Christopher Smith Adair, Oscar Rios, Seth Skorkowsky
• Wolves of Steadwick, Explorer’s Guild Publishing, Author: Richard Davis

Best Family Game / Product

• BFF! Best Friends Forever, Heart of the Deernicorn, Authors: Ross Cowman, Terri Cohlene
• Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, the Adventure Game, River Horse, Authors: Ben Milton, Jack Caesar
• Kids on Bikes: Strange Adventures! Volume Two, Renegade Games / Hunters Entertainment, Authors: Jonathan Gilmour, Doug Levandowski
• Quest, The Adventure Guild, Author: T.C. Sottek
• The Excellents: Excellent Princess Roleplaying, 9th Level Games, Authors: Chris O’Neill, Adriel Wilson

Best Free Game / Product

• BEOWULF: Hermit’s Sanctuary, Handiwork Games, Authors: Jon Hodgson, Jacob Rodgers
• Secret Science Sewer Siblings, Cloven Pine Games, Author: Cloven Pine Games
• Sexy Battle Wizards, Rowan, Rook and Decard, Author: Grant Howitt
• TTRPG Safety Toolkit, Smooching Knife, Authors: Kienna Sunrise, Lauren Bryant-Monk
• Tunnel Goons, Highland Paranormal Society, Author: Nate Treme

Best Game

• A Cool and Lonely Courage, Plane Sailing Games Limited, Author: Alex White
• ALIEN the Roleplaying Game, Free League Publishing, Authors: Tomas Härenstam, Andrew E.C. Gaska
• MÖRK BORG Artpunk RPG, Free League Publishing, Authors: Pelle Nilsson, Johan Nohr
• Royal Blood, Rowan, Rook and Decard, Author: Grant Howett
• Zombie World, Magpie Games, Author: Brendan G. Conway

Best Layout and Design

• A Pound of Flesh, Tuesday Knight Games, Sean McCoy, Jan Buragay
• BFF! Best Friends Forever, Heart of the Deernicorn, Ross Cowman, Terri Cohlene, Whitney Beltran, Taylor Dow, Mo Golden, Kristine Hassell, Jabari Weathers
• MÖRK BORG Artpunk RPG, Free League Publishing, Pelle Nilsson, Johan Nohr
• Quest, The Adventure Guild, T.C. Sottek
• Trilemma Adventures Compendium Vol 1, Trilemma Adventures, Michael Prescott

Best Monster/Adversary

• Big Bad Booklet 1-6, Hit Point Press, Author: Hit Point Press
• Icons Rogues, Ad Infinitum Adventures, Author: Steve Kenson
• Magimundi Bestiary 5th Edition (5e), Learn Larp, LLC, Authors: Maury Brown, Mike Young
• Mordenkainen’s Fiendish Folio, Volume 1: Monsters Malevolent and Benign, Wizards of the Coast, Authors: Mike Mearls, Bart Carroll, Bill Benham
• Worm Witch, Knight Owl Publishing, Author: Ahimsa Kerp

Best Online Content

• DNDSPEAK – The Official d100 Website, DNDSPEAK
• Essentials Generators, Necrotic Gnome
• Molten Sulfur Blog, Molten Sulfur Press
• RPG Writers Workshop, Scribemind
• The Monsters Know What They Are Doing – Combat Tactics for DMs, Saga Press

Best Organized Play

• Jaunt to the Center of Faerun, Noah Grand
• Protégé of the Trampling Forest, Ma’at Crook
• Stygia Untamed, Greasy Snitches, Paul Gabat
• The Only Way to be Sure, Jason Panella, Jim Parkin
• Where Can She Be, Robbie Pleasant

Best Podcast

• Appendix N Book Club
• Asians Represent!
• Plot Points
• Red Moon Roleplaying
• Roll for Persuasion

Best Production Values

• BFF! Best Friends Forever, Heart of the Deernicorn
• Humblewood Box Set, Hit Point Press
• Icarus, Renegade Games / Hunters Entertainment
• The Yellow King RPG, Pelgrane Press
• Thousand Year Old Vampire, Petit Guignol

Best RPG Related Product

• Absinthe in Carcosa, Pelgrane Press, Author: Robin Laws
• Encounter Theory: The Adventure Design Workbook, Plot Points Productions, Author: Ben Riggs
• Inhuman Conditions, Mythical Normal, Authors: Tommy Maranges, Cory O’Brien
• Session Zero, Bullypup Publishing, Author: John C. Byram
• Shadowtide: Recipes From Aldea, Green Ronin, Author: Jess Hartley

Best Rules

• Icarus, Renegade Games / Hunters Entertainment, Author: Spenser Starke
• MAZES The Polymorph RPG of Dungeons and Dangers, 9th Level Games, Author: Chris O’Neill
• Score, Gila RPGs, Author: Spencer Campbell
• Thousand Year Old Vampire, Petit Guignol, Author: Tim Hutchings
• Zombie World, Magpie Games, Author: Brendan G. Conway

Best Setting

• Americana, Sandy Pug Games, Author: Liam Ginty
• Arkadia – The Greek Setting for 5e, Arcana Games, Authors: Eugene Fasano, Ken Roberts
• Call of Cthulhu: Berlin the Wicked City, Chaosium Inc., Authors: David Larkins, Mike Mason, Lynne Hardy
• Dead Halt, Zonware, Author: Ben Doran
• Rakehell – Issue One: The Rift of Mar-Milloir, Goatman’s Goblet, Author: Goatman’s Goblet

Best Supplement

• Delta Green: The Labyrinth, Arc Dream Publishing, Authors: John Scott Tynes
• Doctor Who: 12th Doctor Sourcebook, Cubicle Seven, Authors: Andrew Peregrine, Walt Ciechanowski
• Ironsworn Delve, Shawn Tomkin, Authors: Shawn Tomkin
• Witch+Craft, Astrolago Press, Authors: Shannon Campbell, Damon Hines, Dillon MacPherson
• Zombie World: The Mall, Magpie Games, Author: Brendan G. Conway

Best Writing

• Electric Bastionland, Bastionland Press, Author: Chris McDowall
• MÖRK BORG Artpunk RPG, Free League Publishing, Authors: Pelle Nilsson, Johan Nohr
• Quest, The Adventure Guild, Author: T.C. Sottek
• The Monsters Know What They Are Doing, Saga Press, Author: Keith Ammann
• Visigoths vs Mall Goths, Lucian Kahn, Author: Lucian Kahn

Product of the Year

• BFF! Best Friends Forever, Heart of the Deernicorn
• Deck of Many Animated Spells, Hit Point Press
• MÖRK BORG Artpunk RPG, Free League Publishing
• Quest, The Adventure Guild
• Royal Blood, Rowan, Rook and Decard
• The Excellents: Excellent Princess Roleplaying, 9th Level Games
• Thousand Year Old Vampire, Petit Guignol
• Trilemma Adventures Compendium Vol 1, Trilemma Adventures
• Witch+Craft, Astrolago Press
• Zombie World, Magpie Games

 

[Birmy]

I backed both Thousand Year Old Vampire and Witch + Craft! Clearly I am a trendsetter and taste-maker! Invest in squints at list of Kickstarter projects Eyra kicthen utensils for older hands and wrists for 2021 ENnies!

 

[billd91]

On a more serious note, Massif Press says "until further clarity around why they gave a top award in 2017 to an rpg product that features a 'berry orgy' scene with violent sexual assault that is referred to on dtrpg by the publisher as 'simply ridiculous' we will not be accepting any ENnies"

Because the panel of judges nominated it and the members of the gaming community who cared enough to participate in the voting actually voted for it? Just a guess.

Honestly, it's like democracy. It works in proportion to how much work you put into it. Didn't like the outcome of the vote? Get involved next time around and remedy it.

If Massif Press doesn't understand how it got the award, maybe they should talk to the judges about why they, as a panel, nominated it.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Thousand Year Old Vampire sounds amazing.

 

[Waller]

Because the panel of judges nominated it and the members of the gaming community who cared enough to participate in the voting actually voted for it? Just a guess.

Honestly, it's like democracy. It works in proportion to how much work you put into it. Didn't like the outcome of the vote? Get involved next time around and remedy it.

If Massif Press doesn't understand how it got the award, maybe they should talk to the judges about why they, as a panel, nominated it.

Would be a different panel of judges anyway. ENnies staff are just volunteer vote counters. Don't shout at the vote counters!

 

[Gradine]

Yeah, it definitely calls into question the tastes and sensibilities if the judges responsible for that year... it definitely gives me pause to vote for any judges in the future who were there for that.

The votes themselves I'm less concerned or surprised about. The OSR crowd was always out in force at voting time and LotFP was a particular crowd favorite, for... some reason, anyway.

Raising a stink about it at Morrus now is definitely a situation of too little, too late, though. I don't remember there being much of a stink raised about it then, which is... curious to say the least. It certainly begs the question as to what extent, if any, these qualities (racism, misogyny) would convince Morrus to act and personally disqualify a nominee (if he even had that power, which I assume but am not sure of). I could definitely see both sides of that argument; maintaining the integrity of the event and the award process vs maintaining the integrity of the ENWorld brand by allowing such a nominee to proudly display the Ennie nomination/award.

Regardless, AFAIK Zak S was never stripped of his past awards, and if that never happened there's certainly not going to be anything happening with this adventure.

 

[billd91]

I don't think Morrus retains any authority over the Ennies, and if memory serves, that is by intent. Complaints can probably be directed at their business manager via ennie-awards.com.

I'm sure they received many requests to strip Zak S of his awards, but they made it clear they aren't going to since they don't want that stain to also apply to any of the other people who worked on those products and contributed to the accolades those products received.

 

[billd91]

Looking at the Ennies list on their own site, looks like Massif's Lancer is out of the running and been replaced on the nom list. So I guess they withdrew their submission.

 

[Neonchameleon]

But they submittted their game to the awards? Why?

Because there's more than one person involved in making Lancer. The person who submitted has gone on record as saying that about all he knew about the ENnies was that they happened at Origins and were an RPG award.

As for Blood In The Chocolate, the adventure has been disavowed by its own writer, who has apologised for writing it.

 

[Morrus]

Raising a stink about it at Morrus now is definitely a situation of too little, too late, though. I don't remember there being much of a stink raised about it then, which is... curious to say the least. It certainly begs the question as to what extent, if any, these qualities (racism, misogyny) would convince Morrus to act and personally disqualify a nominee (if he even had that power, which I assume but am not sure of). I could definitely see both sides of that argument; maintaining the integrity of the event and the award process vs maintaining the integrity of the ENWorld brand by allowing such a nominee to proudly display the Ennie nomination/award.

I'm not involved with the ENnies and haven't been for some time. EN World is not involved with them, either.

 

[RogueRonin]

Congrats to the nominees. Everyone remember to vote for Beowulf in the two categories it's nominated!