Wanna be an ENnies judge this year? Do ya, do ya? Not much time left!

[Li Shenron]

I am Li Shenron.

I started roleplaying regularly only at the birth of D&D third edition, therefore my knowledge of previous editions and also of other RPGs is very limited; on the other hand I have read almost all D&D books published by Wizards of the Coast and several from other publishers: the bright side of this (or dark side, depending on how you feel) is that I generally tend to evaluate a d20 product just as it is, as no equivalent was ever done before, which makes a review of mine being very much more useful to beginners of the game, just as I still am. Someone should care for newbies sometimes...

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The Lawful part of myself is very keen on strategy and balance of the rules, and this has always been since the first knowledge of D&Dnmcame to me. I have a background in mathematics and physics, and I am an avid reader of science books and magazines, which easily let me foresee many of the consequences of even small changes to the rules, potentially opening a contrast or otherwise exploitable (and dangerous) ambiguities or combinations. In general, I however tend to always give a ruleset a try "as it is" before pronouncing a sentence of... house rules.

The Chaotic part of myself in very keen on harvesting new and unique characters (as a player) or unique setting ideas (as a DM) all the time. When this side of mine takes the lead, rules become a tool to tailor one's desires or necessities, and flavor becomes the most important thing and at the same time what creates the rules rather than submit to them. "The rules are made for men, and not men for rules" could be my motto, although it is taken from someone far but far more important than myself.

The Good part of me likes the beauty of a book, how nice it is to discover it and read just for the pleasure of it. I used to be a writer of short stories myself as a hobby, and I can understand how difficult could be to provide an interesting content, a beatiful form of the words and a clear explanation at the same time: these qualities together are very able to improve each other and the skillness of a writer is to be appreciated when achieves so. Finally, I believe that a book's artwork needs a special care, because although it is not as important as other aspects, it is how a book looks in your eyes that guides your feelings while you read it.

The Evil part of myself generates a very critical - often merciless - attitude, leaned towards evaluating how much a product is worth buying depending on really how much of it can be used successfully after all, how much can be used with no further purchasing, and how much instead can be used in conjuction with existing material. A book which looks pretty but is a waste of time and made of filler is not to be forgiven.

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As a rule of thumb, please consider the following points to be guaranteed in my reviews:

Law:
- how much the rules material fits with the 3.5 ruleset with no overlooks or errors by the author
- how much it is possible to use the book with previous 3.0 rules and with how much effort
- how much the material is modular (easy to choose in parts by the DM and integrate them with your game)
- how much the player's options (races, classes, feats, spells, equipment, etc.) are balanced with the ones from the core books, and with popular ones from other products
- how much the material is potentially able to generate new and interesting strategic/tattical challenges
- how much help is given to the player or the DM to use the content and how sensibly some practical issues are handled, such as calculating CR for monsters, EL for encounters, LA for playable creatures...

Chaos:
- how much the content is innovative and supplies new features to try out for your character or your campaign
- how much the content supplies new roleplay or story ideas without railroading
- how much the individual things in the book have a flavor beside their mechanics
- how much the material is synergic (easy to generate many possibilities of play with combining different parts of the same book)
- how much the material is flexible to tailor to homebrew settings with little effort

Good:
- how the book is organized in chapter, how much it is readable from start to end without having to cross-reading all the time, and how instead it is easy to quickly consult a topic without wasting time
- how the content is presented in a clear and understandable way when it cover the rules
- how the content is supported by good examples
- how the content is supported by well-places tables and similar aids
- how the feel is rendered by the language in the parts of the book which don't strictly cover rules
- how the feel is rendered by the artwork throughout the book

Evil:
- how the content of the book is faithful to the expectations raised by its presentation and advertising
- how percentage of the content is useful for the player, how much for the DM (as well as how much for both or none)
- how much of the book is effectively usable in the core ruleset as well as coupled with extended rulesets such as with psionics or epic level rules or some specific popular books
- how much of the book is effectively usable in published campaigns or settings
- how much of the book requires or suggests the use of other books of the same publisher, inducing to further expenses
- how the text is free of errors, free of filler or annoying repetition, free of blank spaces and other trickery
- how much credit is given by the publisher about having playtested the material

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A final note.

As I am currently imprisoned in Finland, as such I won't be attending GenCon, at least physically. But I may be there some other way...

 

[Quickbeam]

I would be honored to represent our fine community as an ENnies Judge, and here are a few reasons to consider me:

** I've gamed for the better part of the past 25 years, and have participated in campaigns located in most systems and universes therein. This gives me a solid and diverse core of inherent knowledge from which to base my judging efforts.

** Since finding my way to EN World a couple of years ago, I have attended Gamedays and other events staged in four different states. This has allowed me to broaden my personal gaming horizons, while putting me in the fortunate position of meeting many Board members in person. And while that is a benefit for me as an individual, it also makes me feel directly connected to many of you whom I would be representing as a judge.

** My gaming groups have been involved in playtesting in the past, and my reviews on several products are available for you to peruse through this site. It goes almost without saying then, that making time to properly identify those items which have provided the greatest benefit to RPG's in the past year would be a pleasure and a privilege.

** I've displayed the necessary mettle and knowledge in past Iron DM competitions to handle tight deadlines and a jaw-dropping array of information .

** While I've never been previously elected, I made a respectable showing at the polls last year, and hope my return candidacy further demonstrates an unwaivering desire to serve EN World in this capacity.

** I'm a true EN World loyalist. I support the site, its members, their products, and can't think of a better place to discuss our shared hobby. You won't find a more dedicated person to EN World's reputation or image, and I'd love the chance to carry our collective torch as an ENnies judge.

** I'm located in the USA, specifically suburban Detroit, Michigan.

Thanks

 

[Psion]

My fellow ENworlders...

I hadn't expected to write this speech as I was working on a product submission. Alas, baby and a new house came, deadlines slid, and well, here I am.

As longtime residents of ENWorld know, I am both a staff reviewer and have been an ENnies judge for the last two years. A few headaches made me wonder whether to do it again this year, but the challenge is intriguing, so I am throwing my hat in the ring.

Those of you who follow my reviews should have a fair idea how I critique products. I believe utility is the single most important aspect of a product. I am not afraid to knock a popular product if I perceive it has weaknesses, nor am I afraid to praise a new publisher or a publisher with a bad track record if they show they can do something that is worth sitting up and taking notice. I am not TOO picky on grammatical issues that those without English degrees wouldn't bat an eye at (i.e., most people), but will hold your feet to the fire if I think your product is written in a manner that will confuse readers.

Like Charles here, I have more than enough capability to poke holes in rules. But I also recognize that the value of rules are often subjective.

While I do not pretend I represent a totality of the values by which you all measure products, I do think I represent a significant part of it. Those who have held this post should know that no one judge gets their way on everything.

While I do not hold an English degree, I am a competent reader and writer. Technical writing is part of my day job.

Finally, I have done this before, and am aware of many of the issues we have had to grapple with in past years.

Alas, one issue you should be aware of, in interest of full disclosure. Last year, at least one d20 publisher declined to enter, with the implication that since I was one of the judges, they had no chance at the ENnies, because I had panned their products in reviews. If this concerns you, simply take a look at those I have panned in reviews and ask yourself: was I fair? If you think I was not fair, then by all means, don't vote for me.

Edit: In the US of A, as indicated at left (well, presuming you know MD is in the US...)

 

[Darkness]

Heh. Not sure if I've been online enough recently so people know me any more but I'll run again this year.

Location: Vienna, Austria.

 

[ascendance]

I'm ascendance, lurker on the boards, chatter in the chatrooms.

As a judge, I would bring an alternative viewpoint to the panel. While I did start playing D&D when I was very young with the Red Box set, I spent most of my high school and college years playing Earthdawn, Storyteller, and Amber. I barely participated in the AD&D 2nd edition experience. The games I play and the games I run stress story and character involvement over rules. My general approach to game balance is that the balance should be based around the idea that everyone in the game should be having just as much fun and involvement in the story.

Still, this isn't to say I don't have any experience with game balance. I've playtested a number of games, including the hack-heavy Rune, and the narrative-heavy Dying Earth. My attitude towards rules is that they should be streamlined and written in the simplest way possible to achieve the desired effect, and new, overly-complex subsystems are my bane.

I'm a teacher, so I'm used to reading and evaluating large amounts of material in a short period of time. My recent experiences include large-scale marking for a Province-wide (I'm Canadian) standardized test.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, I'm not going to win, but I want to improve on my vote total of last year (which I think was 6 votes).

Why should you vote for me? Well, I'd like to think I'm knowledgeable about the d20 system, and have helped this site. I've written just under 120 reviews for this site, which is more than any non-staff reviewer (and I think I'm still ahead of Crothian).

Though I really just write reviews because they're fun - I get to make a lot of bad jokes and make fun of the Baldwins (which can be a challenge tying them into the book I'm reviewing). Winning this would give me enough material to write reviews for a year - as it is now, I would write more reviews, but don't have anything to review (I buy 95% of the stuff I review myself, and most the time I'm broke).


N.B. I probably won't be able to attend Gen Con. I have dogs and a surprisingly large number of stray cats I have to feed, which makes vacations a bit tricky.

 

[LGodamus]

Hi I am interested in being a judge ..
I am located in NorthCarolina and I have been DMing d&d games for almost 15 years now....hmm makes me sound old.I have been part of this community since its first incarnation just before the birth of 3rd edition. I enjoy reading and since I only tend to work part time the " workload " would not be a problem for me as most people on the boards who know me can attest I also have a very good working knowledge of the D20 rules. I have never been to Gencon but I do hope to be able to make it, I definately will if my plans for financial stability go through as planned

anyway, vote for me

 

[tleilaxu]

hi i'm tleilaxu.

i have a cool nickname, signature and avatar. also, i can speak chinese. i have been coming to EN since jan or feb 2000. i have more than 1000 posts.

surely you are convinced i am qualified???

what?!

most of you don't know who i am. i am running as the candidate to vote for when you don't know who to vote for. i am running as the candidate to get your fifth vote when you have already voted for four other people.

i promise to take full advantage of all the free stuff i will get. i will even fulfill the duties of an ENnie judge. i am definitely one of the least qualified people here to be an ENnie judge. but that isn't important. there will be four other qualified people. i will be there to be the cool fifth member.

also, i have experience running and losing last year.

thank you

 

[Shadowdancer]

Hi, I'm Shadowdancer. I am campaigning again this year to be an ENnies judge. I have campaigned the past two years, but have not yet been selected to be a judge, although I have received double-digit vote totals both years. This year, I'm hoping to break 20.

I have been playing RPGs since 1980. I've been through all 3.5 versions of D&D, plus AD&D, as well as having played many other games, including Traveller (several versions), Cyberpunk (two versions), and Shadowrun.

I buy and/or check out a lot of different gaming material because the campaigns I run are a blend of homebrew and published material. So I am used to looking at gaming products with an eye toward what is good, and what isn't; what works, and what doesn't; what can I use in my game, and what won't fit.

I write, edit and critique for a living. I am a journalism major with a minor in English lit. I work as the entertainment editor for a small daily newspaper. I write stories on a daily basis; I edit those stories as well as the stories of others on a daily basis; I do layout for publication, also on a daily basis, which includes evaluation and inclusion of graphic elements. I know what it takes to make a good product, not just from the viewpoint of content, but also from the viewpoint of presentation. Is it an attractive package? Do the text and graphic materials work in harmony, or does one overpower the other? And most importantly, does the content live up to the promise of the attractive package?

Part of my job involves writing critiques of movies, books, theater productions, and music albums. I'm used to analysing things, thinking about things in a critical manner, and evaluating them. I've even done a couple of d20 product reviews on this website and on Amazon.com.

The ENnie evaluation and judging period also falls during the part of the year that my job is the least demanding. I have the time to read and evaluate the entries thoroughly.

I live in the U.S. I am planning to attend GenCon this year. I know I can do a good job as an ENnie judge. I just need for you to give me that chance. Thank you for your consideration.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Vote for Joe Glen Kushner

I'd like to throw my hat into the ring.

Why?

Well, I'm a long time player and GM. I've been playing since the first edition of Marvel Super Heroes came out by the then TSR and have a wide variety of experience with many game systems. Part of this is reflected in reviews I do for other sites like RPG.net, and back in the day, Pyramid.

As a staff reviewer, I've probably got a bit of a headstart on many of the books that will be in the stew. Almost caught up to good old Psion in the last few months but he's still ahead of me a bit.

I'm a frequent poster to the boards. Not as frequent as some, but I try to keep pace. I also try to avoid being a "Me too" type of poster who really adds nothing to the brew. Of course some may harbor great anger at my vacation time where I cast mass ressurection on old threads...

I'm from Chicago. You know what happens when the voting machine doesn't work in Chicago right? It's not pretty. Then I have to start digging up old dead animals like on the Simpsons, registering them, having them vote for me... It's just plain messy. Don't force me to go down that path this year. It's not something I'd look forward too.