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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BastionPress_Creech" data-source="post: 1734124" data-attributes="member: 12016">Joe brought up some excellent points that certainly should be addressed. The answers to those questions will certainly have an effect on Bastion's decision to participate in next year's awards.Moving the ENnies deadline for submissions up certainly makes good sense if the announcement of the nominees is also moved up to allow for greater marketing exposure. Right now, there isn't a single award that really does anything for publishers in terms of improving sales. There isn't a strong tangible benefit but sometimes there is a small blip of a few extra orders at most. Giving publishers more time to promote a nominated product may help with those additional blip sales, especially if the ENnies become more recognized and validated as being significant among the general gaming population. I would also propose that the voting window be extended to two weeks and be publicized more to remain fresh on gamer's minds.(Echoing some of what Joe said here.) If the ENnies are to fully become the Gen Con awards, then improved marketing and visibility is necessary for positive growth. Having an ENnies booth was a start, but that space should be utilized for promoting the awards, listing the nominees and the time/place of the award ceremonies along with providing information about what EN World has to offer to gamers who haven't heard of the site. Another suggestion would be a full page ad in the on-site Gen Con program book listing all of the nominees and a blurb about the purpose of the awards themselves. Joe's suggestion about including the winners in the Gen Con So-Cal booklet also has considerable merit from a publisher's standpoint. Having retailers advertising the ENnies and ENnie nominated products would also increase awareness. One of the things I did at the store where I work is create an "ENnie-nominee" section complete with signage. The result was increased sales of those titles. In short, the ENnies should try to find a way where they are more visible and recognized among those gamers who do not necessarily frequent here.The intent is sound but the logistics are a nightmare. Again, echoing much of what Joe had to say, right now we only have to worry about a single package arriving to a single destination. If you split that into 5 different destinations, the costs incurred by the publishers jump significantly. Not only is the publisher eating the cost of the product itself (usually around $10-15 or more per book), but also a handling fee his fulfillment house charges to ship along with the actual shipping costs. This can quickly total up to be nearly $20 per book (more if the package has to go overseas). Dividing up the packages means higher costs to the publisher because the fulfillment house is going to charge for each separate package prepared rather than a single package as before. This also means the publisher has to make sure that each judge is contacted for confirmation of the package being received and that the contents are there. In all, this is a much more significant hassle to the publisher and could very well dissuade one from entering, especially if that publisher has a lot of stuff going on at the time, such as trying to beat a publication/printer deadline. The ENnies shouldn't be a bookkeeping nightmare for publishers. It should have a system where publishers are encouraged to enter because of its simplicity.An entry fee from publishers, even a token one, doesn't just sit right with me concerning the spirit and intent behind the awards. No other award that I am aware of makes entrants pay for the privilege of entering a product for consideration. It feels almost like you're buying a vote or something.If the ENnies are losing money, then other avenues can be sought to raise the necessary funds. Perhaps a small percentage of all community supporter dues could be used, thereby making the ENnies success and notoriety directly relevant to the community itself. Another possibility would be a silent auction awhere publishers could donate product or special items (such as signed books) to benefit the site and awards. Perhaps the judges would be willing to turn over all products submitted to them for a charity auction with the proceeds going towards running next year's awards?With the inclusion of non-d20 publishers this year, I believe you have already moved a step in that direction. Much of this depends on exactly what terms Peter Adkinson has laid down for the ENnies to have Gen Con support and backing. Since the ENnies began as a d20-based award, I don't think there will be opposition to having both d20 and non-d20 awards with a couple select categories pitting the nominees head to head (such as RPG of the Year, Game of the Year, and Best Publisher).I do think the categories could be altered some and more importantly, rigidly defined so there is no question as to where a product should be placed. I propose the following as an example (the actual definitions would need to be worded better):Best Gaming Aid or Accessory - any product that serves to clarify, enrich or simply the gaming experience. This includes electronic programs, visual aids, music or sound effects related material, and component carrying devices. (This would include e-Tools, Fiery Dragon's counters, SkeletonKey's e-Tiles, the D&D Soundtrack, and Crystal Caste's Battlehive.)Best Overall Art - any product whose interior and cover artwork is deemed to be of excellence.Best Overall Publisher - any publisher who provides an exceptional level of quality consistently with each and every product release.Best Overall Adventure - any adventure that is well-written, produced, and provides a memorable playing experience.Best Campaign Setting - any product that provides the essential information to game in an established world. This information must include world geography, details on races, political information, and the world's wildlife at the minimum. (both d20 and non-d20 compete in same category)Best Campaign Supplement - any new product that provides additional information specifically for an existing campaign setting. (This would include Dawnforge, Crimson Empire, and Diamond Throne.)(both d20 and non-d20 compete in same category)Best Campaign Resource - any non-specific product that primarily provides material suitable for any campaign setting such as cities, NPCs, and other generic qualities. (This would include Dark Champions, Crooks!, Streets of Silver, Corwyl, Sheoloth, Planar Handbook, and Villains.)(both d20 and non-d20 compete in same category)Best d20 Game - any product that offers a self-contained game for the d20 system and requires no additional supplements. (This would include Grim Tales, Testament, Skull & Bones, Grimm, Spellslinger, and Mechamorphosis.)Best d20 Rules Supplement - any product that presents new or expands upon existing established rules within the d20 system. (This would include Torn Asunder, Crime & Punishment, Dweomercraft: Familiars, and Poisoncraft.)Best Monster Supplement - any product that is entirely devoted to new creatures and is suitable for use in any existing campaign setting with little or no modification. (This would include Bestiary of Krynn, Fantasy Bestiary, Denizens and Avadnu, and Dangerous Denizens.)(both d20 and non-d20 compete in same category)Best non-d20 Game - same definition as Best d20 Game only doesn't use d20 system.Best non-d20 Rules Supplement - same definition as Best d20 Rules Supplement only doesn't use d20 system.Best Licensed Product - any product that makes the best use of a licensed property and remains true to the original license (can be core book or supplement - d20 and non-d20 alike).These are just a few suggestions that may help shape next year's awards.</blockquote>

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