So you want to be an ENnies judge...

[Mexal]

You've been chatting whilst I was asleep & writing a job application....

Blogs & Podcasts: as a webhead and e-learning specialist in 'real life' I think they are two different - and valuable - ways of building community and sharing information... two things which this hobby is all about and which the ENnies are intended to support and celebrate. So I have enjoyed reading & listening to the submissions, and think that it's appropriate for them to have 'Best....' categories in the awards. Given both the tools available for creating them and the wealth of talent in the 'fan' part of the community (that is, people who do not earn money publishing RPGs) I personally prefer to judge by product type rather than by who made it.

Judging and Reviewing: I have been reviewing - on my own site, and on both OBS and Paizo - for a long time, but upon becoming involved with the ENnies this year, it quickly became apparent that 'Judging' is a very different process. Reviewing talks about a single product, what is good and bad in it, how it will contribute to your gaming experience. Judging is all about comparisions, exploring why one product is a better example of its type - ruleset, supplement, adventure, whatever - than the other contenders.

In terms of personal favourites, I think all the Judges were able to advance, during our discussions, arguments for the inclusion of this product and that in the various categories. Sometimes agreement was speedy, sometimes one or more of us was sent scurrying back to re-read something to see why a fellow judge was raving about it, sometimes we'd quiz each other about why we wanted a particular product nominated. But we have reached a concensus, one which is due to be announced tomorrow - and that is the decision of us as a team. We'll be around in the next few days and willing to discuss why we chose to nominate the products we did - as for the rest, shall we just say that in most categories it was a struggle to reduce the list to the required 5 items plus an honourable mention. We had a wealth of wonderful stuff to consider!

What we should not - and will not! - do is start saying "Well, I loved such-and-such but could not get the other judges to agree." We have to step up and take corporate responsibility for the nominations as we have agreed them.

 

[kinetic]

What do you mean by solid part of the industry? Sure there are a lot of them out there but it doesn't seem to me that they have any influence in the industry or really with the fans.

I think it depends on the fans, and I know of several publishers (mostly small press) that jump at the chance to be a guest on the podcasts that some people listen to. Many of them see it as a chance to explain their game beyond using text and, unlike with a review, you're getting your information straight from the horse's mouth. Whether that's a selling point to you or not, it does matter to some people and it matters to some developers.

As an example, The RPGHaven spends a lot of time with small press and indie developers, giving people a look at what goes on behind the scenes of small press production as well as letting people hear, from the creator(s) of the game, how the game works.

There's a new one, Earth Alpha, that focuses on supers games. Their guests have been Jeff Dee (Villains & Vigilantes) and Steven Long (Hero) so far, with other developers scheduled in the future. Hearing these guys talk about why they picked the mechanics they did for the game, what sorts of points were important to them when it came to things like genre emulation, and so on, can go a long way in spreading the word about their game to the public.

Also, Open Design, publishers of Kobold Quarterly, has both a blog and a podcast.

Just remember, magazines like Dragon and Dungeon used to be a "solid part of the industry" and things change. New technologies and mediums will step up and some people will embrace them. There is no reason to discount one of these in favor of reading a review yourself or flipping through a gaming 'zine or even having a forum discussion on why one game is better than the other. After all, this is a fan supported industry and the blogs and podcasts go a long way in building the communities that support that industry.

 

[Phaye]

Just threw my hat in the ring for the first time. I am really excited and enjoying reading about the other nominees. Plus the discussion of ENnies judge ethics is also really interesting.

 

[kinetic]

Just threw my hat in the ring for the first time. I am really excited and enjoying reading about the other nominees. Plus the discussion of ENnies judge ethics is also really interesting.

19 candidates so far! Welcome aboard

 

[The_Universe]

So, where do the various aspirants stand on the podcasts and blogs being given equal (or greater) consideration with settings and rules?

I don't think there's any harm in the ENnies continuing to include categories that spotlight these fan-centroc mediums. These items could be judged together (along with best fan site) without presenting undue disrepect to the blogging and podcasting communities, but if there are enough entrants to make sensible categories, they could be assessed separately, as well.

All that said, I also don't think there'd be any huge loss to the world if these categories were eliminated (I felt a little weird when I was a judge before critiquing the work of other fans *as* a fan), or if blogs and podcasts with a high degree of useable game content were instead assessed in best setting, best rules, best writing, or what have you. I am generally of the opinion that --over the long term-- the awards should focus less on format to determine categories and more content...but I also think that's a change that cannot and should not happen over night.

 

[reveal]

Just a reminder that the last day to nominate yourself is this Sunday, July 11th.

 

[Princesskeyblade]

So, where do the various aspirants stand on the podcasts and blogs being given equal (or greater) consideration with settings and rules?

Podcasts and blogs are slowly taking the place of print magazines for me. I do believe they deserve to be nominated because really good ones provide me with hints, tips and even inspiration for new games to run.

They are a tool and a community resource, they can be valuable, and I'm happy to volunteer my time to listen and read to determine what some of the better ones are.

Absolutely. All products submitted should be listened or read and reviewed the same, whether it be by a big publisher, small publisher or a fan created product.

I don't think there's any harm in the ENnies continuing to include categories that spotlight these fan-centroc mediums. These items could be judged together (along with best fan site) without presenting undue disrepect to the blogging and podcasting communities, but if there are enough entrants to make sensible categories, they could be assessed separately, as well.

I completely agree with The_Universe here. There are some great blogs and podcasts about gaming and tips on improving a game, GM tips, system tips for house rules, info and reviews on new systems, etc. If there aren't enough quality blogs, sites and podcasts to nominate in separate categories, then I do believe that they could be in one category. It should not be about meeting the amount of nominees necessary to have a specific category, but rather the quality of the product. I don't want a judge to nominate a podcast or a blog because there NEEDS to be a third product nominated and it is the lesser of the evils.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Yes, I do...finally!

Hi everyone, I thought I'd throw a new wrinkle into the process late in the game.

ENnies judging panels have a long history of excellent reviewers, lifelong gamers, and active members of the roleplaying community. However, because of the stickiness and ease of entry into the gaming industry following the d20 license and the emergence of the PDF marketplace, the judging panels have been light on those with direct experience in the industry. I aim to change that with my nomination.

An active participant in online gaming culture for almost 20 years, I spent 2001-2008 working in the industry in a variety of positions, most notably as a freelancer and full-time employee at Fantasy Flight Games and Steve Jackson Games. My last projects in the industry were in 2008 as blogger, writer, and (p)reviewer for Wizards of the Coast's collectible miniatures game, Dreamblade, and as author of War of the Burning Sky #11.

Since then I have focused on grad school, engaging in a different kind of writing and publishing altogether. I hope the fans will give me this opportunity as a way to dip my toe back into the world of roleplaying (as something more than player and DM) and contribute the skills and knowledge I obtained in giving seven years of my life to pursuing one of my life's passions.

I believe the perspective of a lapsed professional is one piece of the puzzle that will nominate the best products in each category in a way relevant to our wacky population of gaming enthusiasts.

Thanks for reading.

Wil Upchurch

 

[reveal]

The deadline for nominating yourself as a judge has passed. Thank you to all the folks who are running. You can get a list of them here so you can get to know them better before voting begins on July 16: Judge Nominees | ENnie Awards Blog

 

[madwabbit]

I'm still a bit confused on the "Product of the Year" category -- is this category supposed to a "best of the best" to have come out in the past year? And if so, why are there several that weren't nominated in other best categories? I'm not trying to be deliberately obtuse here, but I'm just not getting the gist of this category.