ENnies: should "Best Free Product" include Quick-starts?

[Mythmere1]

First off, there's a HUGE conflict of interest in this post, since Swords & Wizardry is one of the stand-alone products up against the quick start rules for a White Wolf and a Green Ronin game. But I've been mulling it over, not surprisingly, and it's really an interesting question. I'm hugely grateful to Rob Lang's Truly Free Campaign, but in the final analysis I see it a bit differently.

It's an interesting question because it cuts to the issue of what the ENnies ought to "promote," in terms of a free product. That is, I think, one of the things Rob is pointing to in the campaign to elect one of the two stand-alone products (Swords & Wizardry, and Trial and Terror). A set of quick start rules is unquestionably a product, just not necessarily a stand-alone one. And many CAN be used as a stand-alone game if you don't feel you need what's added in the full-scale rules.

If the question is pure quality of a particular release, without looking at how it's used, then quick-start rules absolutely ought to be in the category. If the question is about how the product is actually to be used, on the other hand, then the category would become lots more complex - some sort of delineation other than just "product" would be needed.

So, my final thoughts on it are actually contrary to my own interests - I think the best way to handle the ENnies is to have relatively broad categories which the voters, as well as the judges, interpret. By trying to judge on a rubric other than the quality of the submission - by reference to its use or intention - the number of categories would become so numerous that it would be crazy (and there might not be enough submissions in some categories to maintain the level of competition required for a contest to highlight only the really good stuff).

So my position on the disquiet over this issue is that it's being done right; if a set of teaser rules are done well, they should be judged on that, not on the underlying game being promoted.

AND ... I think Swords & Wizardry can win on quality alone, even against more heavily promoted products.

If that's naive, so be it.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

To play Devil's advocate, should there be a 'Best Free Product' at all? I mean, if it's good, it should be able to compete in some of the categories with the so-called 'major corporations'. Sure, it might not be able to compete in 'Production Values', which pretty much does require some major monetary investment, but 'Writing' or 'Rules' should be perfectly competitive.

I thought T&T:SVU was damned clever and creative, and maybe the only thing keeping it from being nominated in other categories was it's brevity and tight focus -- things that are understandable given the circumstances of its creation.

 

[Morrus]

I don't think the ENnies "ought to promote" anything. That implies an agenda other than "what's the best stuff?"

Basically, if it's good, it shuld be in the running for a nomination. With the caveat that it must be judged entirely on its own strengths, and not its purpose.

The ENnies judges don't really care why a product exists; just that it exists. Heck, it's all semantics anyway - rename "Quickstart" with "Lite" and the issue (if ther eis one, which I personally don't believe there is) goes way.

 

[Ourph]

If it's free, it belongs in the "Free Product" category, IMO. I don't see any need to distinguish between quick start rules and other free products.

 

[jdrakeh]

If it's free, it belongs in the "Free Product" category, IMO. I don't see any need to distinguish between quick start rules and other free products.

This. KISS applies to award shows, as well. I think that splitting "free product" into different sub-categories is unnecessary. Before the ENnies went that route, I'd rather see them eliminate the "free product" category entirely. I say this as somebody who has had two free products of my own nominated for the Indie RPG Awards.

 

[Rob Lang]

Well, I'm biased because I spend my time reading, playing and reviewing free RPGs. I know a lot of you are not going to agree with me but that's what makes life interesting! I've boiled down my argument a bit since my blog post, having discussed this with Ennies types.

The Ennies are about finding the best RPG stuff out there. The Best Free RPG Product category does not contain the best free products released this year. It contains those free products that were submitted. Therefore, the Ennies are going to fail to award the best free product. All the items are free but they are far from being the best free products this year.

It should be no surprise that the world of Free RPGs is vastly different from the world of commercial ones, so should not be dealt with in the same way. You tend not to have groups of people writing a free RPG - it tends to be the vision of one person supported by friends and people on the internet. They are giving up their time and energy to share something for nothing on the internet and as such have no budget (in time or money) for marketing or art. They are not doing this for money but for the love of game and the small joy they get when someone emails them to say how good their game is. A modest bunch, normally. You would like the games too, the best of the bunch are well written, laid out and have concepts you won't see in commercial games because risk is not a factor.

I propose that for free products, the community at large should be able to recommend their favourite, like they do for the people's choice. If it is still the case that the marketing material is in the nomination list then I can't complain but I don't think the current nomination process for right for free RPG products.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I propose that for free products, the community at large should be able to recommend their favourite, like they do for the people's choice. If it is still the case that the marketing material is in the nomination list then I can't complain but I don't think the current nomination process for right for free RPG products.

I completely disagree. First of all, you're making a your own value judgement as to what the 'best' is. It's true that there might be something out there better, but the same is true for commercial RPGs. If it's not nominated, it's not eligible, and the barrier for entry is remarkably low.

If someone who's put all that effort into a free RPG that they think is a contender can't be bothered to enter, and if all the supposed fans of this wonderful product can't convince him to enter, why should the ENnies go out of their way to persuade him to do so?

If you like a product, tell the publisher you like it and that they should submit it for consideration. Tell your friends that play it to tell the publisher they like it and they should submit it. That enhances the bonds between the publisher and their fans, and between the publishers and the ENnies. That's a win all around.

And if it's a good product, it should compete on it's own merits, not some arbitrary cost/benefit analysis. If it's good, it's good regardless of what it costs.

 

[jdrakeh]

The Best Free RPG Product category does not contain the best free products released this year. It contains those free products that were submitted.

True. But that's not a failing of the ENnies. The burden to submit product for consideration is on publishers, not on the ENnies staff. In fact, I can't even begin to comprehend how one might arrive at any other conclusion.

 

[darjr]

I recently have gone through several quick starts and I think that a separate category of awards for them makes some sense.

Some are very good, others not so much. Making a good quick start has got to be a tough and strange kind of game making. A good one is a good intro to a specific game, to gaming in general, and is a fun game to boot. I think there are a few quick starts that meet those goals with style and the creators deserve some recognition.

But that's just me.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I recently have gone through several quick starts and I think that a separate category of awards for them makes some sense.

Some are very good, others not so much. Making a good quick start has got to be a tough and strange kind of game making. A good one is a good intro to a specific game, to gaming in general, and is a fun game to boot. I think there are a few quick starts that meet those goals with style and the creators deserve some recognition.

But that's just me.

Thing is, there aren't enough of them in a given year to justify their own category. Less than 10 or so and the category gets dropped or combined with something else, so they'd likely get grouped into Free Product anyway or not evaluated at all.