ENNies 2003 Jugdge Application Discussion/Questions

[EricNoah]

Playtesting for a company (non-compensated) is probably not a problem. Be sure you disclose that when you post your note about wanting to be a judge, however.

As far as products go: yes, one judge agrees to be the collection point for copies of the products, and then regularly distributes them to the rest of the group. I gotta say, as I was that person last year, it's not the most fun a person could have. You've got to be organized, responsible, you have to have boxes and tape and packing material and address labels and easy access to a place that will ship them for you. I had to send out something like six waves of product packages last year. Russ will compensate you for the shipping costs but you'll need sufficient funds to cover the shipping originally.

I have to say -- judging takes a long time, and for me (late spring, early summer) it's not the best time for me to be holed up in my house hunched over 35-40 adventures, 3-4 complete games, and dozens and dozens of supplements. I'd rather be outside in the sun riding my bike or hiking.

You also need to be able to work as a group with others online, keep information confidential, be able to express yourself well in writing, and stand up for your opinions without being a jerk. Then, after the judging is done and the nominees are announced, you need to have thick enough skin to stand the hordes of people who disagree with your picks.

It's not for everyone. I think the people who typically get voted in are people who a) show a good knowledge of the d20 publishing field (they know what kinds of products are out there and have been following the news), and b) have been productive, active members of our community and therefore have earned a great deal of respect and trust from other members. It is an honor to be selected, and if you are you need to do your best to represent not only yourself and your likes/dislikes but also EN World as a whole.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I was not going to toss my hat into the ring, but I thought I'd say why, and see if, as I suspect, I'm disqualified. My name appears in the "Special Thanks" section of Necromancer's Tome of Horrors. I didn't get compensated for anything I did, besides the mention. I actually bought the book myself when it appeared. In addition, I helped out a bit with Necromancer's conversion project of Judges Guild's "Wilderlands." I got to download pdf's of the original material to use in the conversion, but was not compensated otherwise.

I don't want to sully the reputation of the ENnies. Am I eligible to be a judge?

 

[EricNoah]

Hmmm... that's a toughie! If you contributed to a work that would be eligible for the ENnies this year, I would say that you probably would not be eligible. If you were merely "thanked" for some intangible work, like playtesting, proofreading, etc., then I'd say you would be eligible. I'll have to let Russ make the final call. Wouldn't hurt to apply but be sure you disclose fully in your "application."

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Hmmm... that's a toughie! If you contributed to a work that would be eligible for the ENnies this year, I would say that you probably would not be eligible. If you were merely "thanked" for some intangible work, like playtesting, proofreading, etc., then I'd say you would be eligible. I'll have to let Russ make the final call. Wouldn't hurt to apply but be sure you disclose fully in your "application."

Regarding Tome of Horrors - I posted stats for a couple of animals some time back (the deer and the moose) on the Creature Catalog message boards. Scott basically took them and reworked/improved them, and eventually posted his revisions of them on the CC site. His Deer and Moose stats made their way into the ToH, but he was kind enough to give me a mention for the stats I had posted way back when.

 

[kingpaul]

am I eligible

As a member of the FanCC, am I eligible to be a judge?

 

[seasong]

I, too, would like to know how many there might be. I assumed about 10 million words at the high end, which is about 200 hours worth of reading, not including time to take notes, compare, and make decisions. I won't get much else done, but that's about 2 months' work for me, including the extra stuff.

 

[Mark]

I, too, would like to know how many there might be. I assumed about 10 million words at the high end, which is about 200 hours worth of reading, not including time to take notes, compare, and make decisions. I won't get much else done, but that's about 2 months' work for me, including the extra stuff.

I think I spent close to 200 hours the first year reading, comparing artwork, going back and rereading after finding that my good piles contained more than just five potential nominees. Then there's checking, and rechecking the fan sites, publisher websites (part of the best publisher requisites), discussing through the message boards with the other committee members and going back to take a closer look at some things because of their input. And that was the first year when there were fewer entrants than last, and, dare I say, far fewer still than there are likely to be this year. It's a substantial commitment, to say the least. Good luck!

 

[seasong]

Thanks for the solid answer. I'll leave my post as a potential judge as it is, with the "laughing clause" intact .

Not that I laugh at the amount of work y'all did. I sincerely respect that. I just would love to have that much work on my plate!

 

[Sir Edgar]

I would think that judges should not have ANY kind of connection with publishers besides possibly serving as a reviewer or a playtester. It just seems inherently biased to have anyone who actually played a role in the production of a product to serve as a judge of that same product. Just my two cents.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

I think I spent close to 200 hours the first year reading, comparing artwork, going back and rereading after finding that my good piles contained more than just five potential nominees. Then there's checking, and rechecking the fan sites, publisher websites (part of the best publisher requisites), discussing through the message boards with the other committee members and going back to take a closer look at some things because of their input. And that was the first year when there were fewer entrants than last, and, dare I say, far fewer still than there are likely to be this year. It's a substantial commitment, to say the least. Good luck!

I was one of the judges last year, and this sounds pretty accurate to me. Some of the other judges, who had been involved the year before, indicated we had more material to review than the previous year. It got really hectic right near the end, as publishers waited very late, sometimes too late, to get their material in under the deadline.