The ENnies are coming! The ENnies are coming!

[reveal]

Hello!

As you well know, GenCon is right around the corner! And, of course, GenCon is where the ceremony for the ENnie Awards, the annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying gaming, is held. For more information about the ENnies, feel free to visit the official ENnies website.

This year, I have volunteered to work as the ENnies PR Representative to help answer questions people have about the ENnies as well as letting people know what's happening on the judges and coordinators side of things.

This year, we have five outstanding judges who have volunteered their time and efforts to make this 9th ENnie Awards a success. I cannot stress enough how time-consuming being a judge is and must commend each judge for donating his or her efforts to keep the RPG industry as fan-centered as it truly is.

Gertie Barden (Xath) – The ENnie Awards -- Gertie Barden
Gertie has been gaming since high school and never sees herself stopping. She has been working with the ENnies for three years now, and debuted as a judge in the 2008 season.

Kennon Bauman (The Universe) – The ENnie Awards -- Kennon Bauman
My love of games and gaming was born when I first saw an ad for D&D on the back of a comic book. It wasn't until years later, when introduced to WEGs d6 Star Wars, that I really learned to roll the dice.

Chris Gath (Crothian) – The ENnie Awards -- Chris Gath
I have been a Judge five times and a RPG reviewer for seven years. I promise to treat books equally and not be swayed by flashy colored books or perfect looking hard bounds. I look at each category and judge a book then solely on those merits.

Jody Kline (Rodrigo Istalindir) – The ENnie Awards -- Jody Kline
A gamer for over a quarter of a century and a self-confessed systems-junkie, I have yet to meet a game I wouldn't play once. Except for one that shall remain nameless, but you can guess what it is. My philosophy is "It's the players, not the game."

Jeramy Ware (Master of the Game) – The ENnie Awards -- Jeramy Ware
A gamer for 25 years, I served as a judge in 2007, receiving praise from publishers, fans, and other judges for my work and my blog documenting the process. I'll dedicate my group of experienced players to judge as much as we can through actual play.

The actual judging of products has not started but will very soon. How soon, you may ask? That would be as soon as tomorrow. That's right, the date for submissions ends today! If you have not submitted your product yet, you need to get it out the door and get the entry form to Hans Cummings, the Submissions Coordinator, as soon as possible. For more information, visit The ENnie Awards -- How To Enter.

Starting tomorrow, here is the order of events for what happens next:

• Once the judges have evaluated the plethora of playable products, they will each submit a list of nominations.
  • That will eventually be pared down to the final list of nominees upon which the fans will vote.
• Before they are announced, though, the fans will be asked to submit nominations for Best Publisher.
• Once those nominations are in, all of the nominees will be announced on the official ENnie Awards website.
• Two weeks later, the polls will be opened to the fans. One week later, they will close and the votes will be tallied.
• The winners will be announced at GenCon during the ceremony on the evening of Friday, August 14th.

That's it for now. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. You can either post in this thread or e-mail me directly at pr@ennieawards.com. Thanks for all your support and I look forward to answering any questions I receive.

Tony Law
ENnie PR Representative

 

[Mark]

Pace yoursleves and have fun going through all of the entries!

 

[Crothian]

Maybe this weekend I'll post pictures of the pile if people are interested.

 

[Mark]

Maybe this weekend I'll post pictures of the pile if people are interested.

Do you have a helicopter so you can fit them all in one shot?

 

[Crothian]

Do you have a helicopter so you can fit them all in one shot?

While I haven't counted or anything it feels like there are fewer physical entries this year then last. Electronic entries we have already a gig more then last year and I haven't copied everything over yet.

 

[Monkey King]

Maybe next year, the Electronic category could be split up a bit?

I can see a case for Best Electronic Adventure, Best Electronic Sourcebook, etc.

 

[Dyson Logos]

Maybe next year, the Electronic category could be split up a bit?

I can see a case for Best Electronic Adventure, Best Electronic Sourcebook, etc.

From what I've seen in previous years, doesn't this have more to do with the number of entries received than an advance decision?

So if there's a huge deluge of electronic products received, and there are ten or so worthy contenders for each of those proposed categories, without gutting the overall category also, then it would be divided as such by the judges and ENnies staff once the submissions are in.

Of course, I could be wrong.

 

[reveal]

Maybe next year, the Electronic category could be split up a bit?

I can see a case for Best Electronic Adventure, Best Electronic Sourcebook, etc.

That's a tough question to answer. The issue would be, do you separate "e-publishing only" publishers from "paper and e-publishing" publishers or do you just lump everyone together? And regardless of which path you choose, you run into, "is that fair to either publisher?" Also, is there enough material submitted to warrant the splitting of categories?

The suggestion is a sound one; if there is a sufficient amount of e-publishing material submitted, would it be worth creating separate categories for them? I think this is something that the ENnies staff will need to discuss and gather feedback on before deciding what to do next.

 

[Rel]

Is it true that all submissions for electronic products are required to be submitted on five and a quarter inch floppy disc?

 

[Aberzanzorax]

I agree with The Monkey King here.

Also, one thing I'd like to see is to have the ennies ENCOURAGE people to release their products as print on demand.

I think that could help the game some... in the sense that it provides an option for people who refuse to go solely pdf. (Such as myself...I just hate reading on the screen).


I am aware that there are some limitations to the electronic category in terms of how much print can happen, and that is a shame, as it seems to me that a print on demand book would get lost in the shuffle (qualifying as neither catergory possibly).

I'd love to see recognition for the PoD people!