Monte on Origins awards and ENnies

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

edit: actually, looking at the categories for the 2005 ENnies, it looks like perhaps they've mostly done that? Are the awards officially open to all game systems, except for the "Best D20 Game" category? Or is the D20 System-ness just assumed, given the venue? And, while i'm asking questions, is the "Best D20 Game" category really intended to only accept games with a D20 System logo, and not, say, Everquest D20? (versus being about D20 System games, regardless of D20STL status.)

The only category that is only d20 is Best d20 Game. Everything else is open to any game, regardless of system. There are lots of non-d20 entries this year, as you will see when we announce the nominees. The d20 category recognizes any game that is based on the d20 license or OGL. So yes, Everquest d20 would be perfectly acceptable in the category.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Actually, I agree with Monte that there should be one category that is totally open and a popularity contest. A "gamer's choice" for best game, be it d20, Unisystem, card, wargame, or whatever. And if that always goes to WotC, then so be it.

The ENnies are a RPG award only, not a card or wargaming award. This is a stipulation handed down from GenCon which we have to observe if we are to be the offical RPG awards of GenCon.

 

[DaveMage]

The ENnies are a RPG award only, not a card or wargaming award. This is a stipulation handed down from GenCon which we have to observe if we are to be the offical RPG awards of GenCon.

Can you share any other stipulations handed down from Gen*Con?

 

[Crothian]

Can you share any other stipulations handed down from Gen*Con?

the other big one is to allow any and all RPG companies enter. We were moving away from just being the d20 awards anyway, so this one was perfectly in line with what we wanted to do.

 

[woodelf]

The only category that is only d20 is Best d20 Game. Everything else is open to any game, regardless of system. There are lots of non-d20 entries this year, as you will see when we announce the nominees. The d20 category recognizes any game that is based on the d20 license or OGL. So yes, Everquest d20 would be perfectly acceptable in the category.

Cool! That pretty much kills all my objections to the ENnies (and they weren't really "objections"--i didn't care, they just made the awards irrelevant to me).

But you might want to change the category descriptive text on the ENnies page, since it says something to the effect of "if it's got a D20 System logo on the cover, it's eligible for this category", if what you really mean is "if it uses D20 System...", 'cause lots of D20 System games don't have a D20 System logo on them--Everquest D20 and M&MM, frex.

 

[woodelf]

...and, if I may add, one of the true strengths of the PDF side of the industry. The "three-month window/life cycle" thing just isn't a factor at all.

Adamant Entertainment still has steady sales of product that we released back in 2003, for example. Sure, there's a "new shiny toy" spike during the first couple of months, but unlike the print business, where sales plummet and often disappear entirely after that, the PDFs settle into a steady sales pattern, that, at least as far as we've seen so far, is perpetual.

Economic Stability = A Good Thing.

Which makes me suspect all the more strongly that the reason for no backlist sales isn't the consumers, but some combination of the retailers and teh distributors.

 

[Psion]

But you might want to change the category descriptive text on the ENnies page, since it says something to the effect of "if it's got a D20 System logo on the cover, it's eligible for this category", if what you really mean is "if it uses D20 System...", 'cause lots of D20 System games don't have a D20 System logo on them--Everquest D20 and M&MM, frex.

This sentence in the entry form should make it pretty clear "This is open to d20-derived OGL, d20 Licensed games, and products with special D&D licenses." The prior sentence sounds to me like a bit of simple fluff.

 

[Rasyr]

Which makes me suspect all the more strongly that the reason for no backlist sales isn't the consumers, but some combination of the retailers and teh distributors.

Personally, I would say that your suspicions are correct. ICE has a large backlist of products, and they continue to sell almost as well as new products. This includes our print products as well as PDF....

 

[Clueless]

There are lots of non-d20 entries this year, as you will see when we announce the nominees.

Any estimate on when that is - or would you have to kill us if you told us?

 

[HellHound]

Any estimate on when that is - or would you have to kill us if you told us?

From my seat as the husband of the business director of the ENnies, I have heard repeatedly that the nominations are being submitted by the ENnies judges to the ENnies board of directors tomorrow.