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The ENnies Dream Dates have begun! First up, Paizo Publishing and Evil Hat Productions! Below are the links to both: Paizo Publishing Dream Date - http://www.ebay.com/itm/181164289878 Evil Hat Productions Dream Date - http://www.ebay.com/itm/181164291363
My players are currently 12th level and a little over halfway through "Ashes at Dawn". While we're having fun, we're all feeling a little burnt out with CC. We've been playing for almost a year in the same path and want to move on to something new but I don't want to just quit something a) we still enjoy playing and b) we've given almost a year of our lives to. So I'm planning on finishing up "Ashes at Dawn" and having the battle with the witches. But after that, I'm not sure I want to take the players all the way through "Shadows at Gallowspire". Does anyone have any suggestions on how to wrap it up fairly quickly after the end of "Ashes"?
Thank you to everyone who voted for your favorite products and judges! We're in the process of tallying the votes and will announce the winners during the ENnie Awards ceremony at Gen Con. If you didn't know already, the ceremony will take place on Friday, August 17, at the Grand Hall in Union Station. The cocktail reception begins at 6:30pm and the ceremony itself starts at 8pm. It's free to anyone who wants to attend, so come and root for your favorite blogger/podcaster/publisher/judge. This year, the ceremony will be hosted by the Dungeon Bastard himself, Tom Lommel. Special guest presenters include Monte Cook, Sean Fannon, Jen Page, and Mike Selinker. (Click here for a copy of the Program.) Unfortunately, we will not have a live stream this year but the results will be live-tweeted on our Twitter feed as they happen, so feel free to follow us. And if you're going to Gen Con but can't make the ceremony, we'll have the results available first thing on the morning of Saturday, the 18th, at our Gen Con booth #1458. And as if that weren't good enough, we will have a Judges' Panel at Gen Con on Saturday, the 18th, at 2pm in the Crowne Plaza Pennsylvania Stn C. You can come by and ask how the judges picked their nominees, what their criteria were, and anything else you can think of (within reason of course ;)). Thanks to everyone who supports the ENnies throughout the year and I look forward to seeing all of you in a few weeks at Gen Con!
This is it folks! The time you've all been waiting for! Starting at midnight Eastern time tonight, you will be able to vote for your favorite 2012 nominees and for your favorite 2013 ENnies judges. Good luck to all of the nominees! Product Voting Booth - http://www.ennie-awards.com/vote 2013 Judges Voting Booth - http://ennie-awards.com/vote/?judges=true These will each require passwords until they go live.
Hello once again from the ENnies! If you recall, a month ago I announced that the ENnies would begin to allow a publisher the choice of either submitting the hard/softcover or PDF version of a product if they so desired. In the same post, it was announced that our entry fees would be going up to cover the cost of doing business for the ENnies. Since then, we've been crunching the numbers and looking over everything related to the financing of the ENnies. And here's what we've come up with... Starting with the 2013 ENnie Awards, and for the foreseeable future, submission fees are no longer required if you are submitting products. If you are shipping physical products, you will still be responsible for shipping costs. Hopefully, this change in policy will help everyone who wants to submit their products to the ENnies. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, you can reach me at tony@ennie-awards.com. Tony Law
Thank you to everyone who submitted their products to the ENnies! And congratulations to every nominee! Without further ado, I present the nominees for the 2012 ENnie Awards: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2012-nominees
Calling all judges! Calling all judges! Now is the time to throw your hat into the ring and nominate yourself for a spot as a 2013 ENnie Awards judge. To nominate yourself, simply fill out the 2013 Judge Application. Once voting begins on products, the fans will also vote for next year's judges. You have until July 15 to nominate yourself. A running list of nominees will be keat here for the fans to peruse and get to know who they're possibly voting for: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2013-judge-nominees 2013 Judge Application: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2013-judge-application Good luck!
Greetings and well met from the ENnies! As we start the ramp-up for Gen Con 2012, here is some important information for people: 1) The 2012 Dream Dates auctions will begin on Thursday, July 5. For a complete schedule as well as links directly the eBay auctions once they begin, visit this page: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2012-dream-dates/ 2) Starting on July 6, anyone who wants to throw their hat in the ring to be a 2013 ENnies Judge will be able to do so. 3) The judges have finalized a list of nominees which will be announced on July 13. Thanks to everyone for their continued support of the ENnies!
One of the complaints that I have heard from some publishers in the last few years is that they still thought of the ENnies as more of a "d20-only Award." Thinking about it, I delved into the numbers and came up with some interesting statistics concerning the last few years' nominees and winners. I'm posting them here so that if you have the same reaction as these publishers or hear from anyone who thinks the same way, you'll have some information at your disposal. In 2009, there were 100 products nominated. Out of those, only 17 could be considered "d20" products. That's 17%. In 2009, out of the 38 winning products, only 14 could be considered "d20" products. That's 37%. In 2010, we added one new category and there were 105 products nominated. Out of those, only 22 could be considered "d20" products. That's 21%. In 2010, out of the 40 winning products, only 16 could be considered "d20" products. That's 40%. In 2011, we added one new category and there were 110 products nominated. Out of those, only 24 could be considered "d20" products. That's 22%. In 2011, out of the 42 winning products, there were only 14 that could be considered "d20" products. That's 33%. As you can see, there are many products represented by the ENnies, not just "d20" products. Hopefully, this will prove useful to you and assuage any fears you may have about the ENnies not trying to represent the entire RPG community. :)
This year, the ENnies Judges will be hosting a panel to answer any and all questions people, publisher or fan, have of them. Want to ask why the ENnies works the way it does? Stop on by! Wonder why the Judges nominated one product over the other? Come on down! The panel is free and open to anyone who wants to attend but space is limited. So when registration starts on May 20, make sure to look for event SEM1231674. The panel itself will take place in the Crowne Plaza in room Pennsylvania C on Saturday, August 18, at 2pm. See you there!
That's right, publishers/bloggers/podcasters. You now have less than two months to get your submissions to the ENnies. The drop-dead deadline date is May 8. So, please, don't wait until the last minute so that the judges have plenty of time to review your submission properly instead of trying to cram in as much as possible in a short period of time. If you don't know how to enter, check out the rules regarding submission here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/rules/how-to-enter/ Keep those submissions coming and good luck to everyone!
We need you! What for? We need volunteers for the ENnies booth at Gen Con this year. I know it’s really early to think about Gen Con, but we want to give people plenty of time to work out their schedule between now and event registration in May. How long will it take? Each shift is two hours and we like to have two people at the booth for each shift. When scheduling your time, please plan to show up 10 minutes before your shift starts. What do I have to do? You’ll answer questions from passers-by about the ENnies. Information about when the ceremony is, who the judges are, who the nominees are, how the winners are chosen, etc. will be sent out before Gen Con and will be available in a book at the booth. If publishers want to drop off materials for next year’s ENnies, you’ll have them fill out a form and give them a receipt. You also have to make sure nothing is taken from the booth, especially on Saturday and Sunday, after the ENnie winners are announced Friday night. What’s in it for me? If the good feeling you’ll get knowing you’ve helped fellow gamers isn’t enough, we’ve got swag bags for all volunteers. Where do I sign up? Right here! Just respond to this post to let us know which shift you’d like to work. You can also e-mail Sandie Law, the Volunteer Coordinator, at booth@ennie-awards.com. Where can I see the current list of volunteers and the schedule? Right here! Click this link to view the schedule and the current volunteers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtGCQhHRRCgqdHNKRWV6XzhLNDR4V1 NhT3RNel9EZkE
Our Technical Coordinator, Luke Withrow, explains our security process. We take the security of our votes seriously here at the ENnies, and use several methods to help reduce ballot-stuffing. You’ll note I say ‘reduce’, because there’s no way to absolutely prevent it short of drastic, draconian measures to identify all our voters. Our strategy is to make ballot-stuffing difficult and time-consuming. We also review the results carefully to identify suspicious voting patterns. The most basic thing we do is restrict you to one vote per IP address. While it’s certainly possible to circumvent this restriction, doing so takes time, effort, and a bit of expertise. Starting this year, we’re implementing code that will prevent most proxy servers from being able to access the voting pages. We also randomize the order of each ballot. This ensures no one company or product gets an unfair advantage for being at the top of a category. Additionally, it makes the creation of a script or macro a bit more challenging for the would-be hacker. Once the votes have been collected, we run some analytics against the data. I won’t go into too much detail about what we look for, but suffice it to say we check for patterns in the votes that are statistically unlikely. In addition to all the technical ways we protect the integrity of the process, we have one final strategy: We ask you to be honorable, and not cast more than one vote. While it’s not a security measure by any means, appealing to your sense of fairness and your loyalty to the gaming community at large certainly has an effect.
I am proud to announce that Tom Lommel aka the "Dungeon Bastard" aka "Doug Douglason" will be the host of the 2012 ENnie Awards! My thanks goes out to Tom for agreeing to be our host. More details regarding the ceremony will be forthcoming throughout the year so stay tuned! Tom Lommel's first RPG victory occurred in junior high when his 1st level barbarian killed a giant centipede in the Keep on the Borderlands. His first RPG disappointment occurred three minutes later when he found out a "giant" centipede is only eighteen inches long. Despite this, he's been a devoted fan of role-playing games ever since. In addition to juggling roles as player and DM, Tom has also served as a playtester and community moderator for Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press imprint. Tom attended GEN CON 18 in Milwaukee -- and hasn't missed a year since. For the past eight years he's rallied and dispatched teams for NASCRAG, the oldest continuous RPG tournament at the con. Tom lives and works in Los Angeles. Savvy gamers may recognize him as Doug Douglason from the viral hit Fear of Girls. Tom also writes and stars in his own web series The Dungeon Bastard where his alter ego Bill Cavalier preaches "better living through better gaming." You can view the Dungeon Bastard's videos on his website, dungeonbastard.com, and can view many great RPG/Fantasy/Sci-Fi series produced by Epic Level TV at epicleveltv.com.
*sorry if this if a double-post. my other post seems to been removed for some reason* Looking at the map and reading, it doesn't look like there is any way for Vorkstag or Grine to get into or out of their rooms safely. I'm assuming that since the ceiling is 20 feet above the stone platform through the doors from E1, the platform right outside of their rooms is 10 feet above the vats. If that's true, the only way to get to the platform from the vats safely. So how do they do it? How does Vorkstag get out the front door safely every night? Edit: Triple post I guess. Sorry. :(
One of the questions we receive frequently is why do we use the alternative voting system rather than just a straight “vote for your favorite” system. Our fantastic tech coordinator, Luke Withrow, has found a video that answers the questions wonderfully. Check it out: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/alternative-voting-how-does-it-work/
Hi everybody! Now that things have settled down from this year's awesome Gen Con, I thought it a great time to announce that the ENnies is changing it's logo. The extremely talented Claudio Pozas designed the awesome logo you see now but it's time for a change. Starting October 1st, 2011, participants will have until the end of the year, December 31st, 2011, to submit their logo design. The winner will be announced in January of 2012 after the ENnies Staff has combed through the entries and decided on their choice for the future. So what does the winner get? Not only will they be given credit in all material dealing with the logo but they will receive a code for a free, four-day badge for Gen Con 2012, which runs August 16-19th. For more information, including the contest rules, check out the Logo Contest Form. Good luck! Tony Law
One of my players started the campaign with a map of the Mwangi Expanse. In both the Inner Sea Guide and Heart of the Jungle there are maps but both, as far as I can tell, have locations that shouldn't be known to the average PC. For example, the map in the Inner Sea Guide marks both Tazion and Saventh-Yhi. So is there a player's map out there anywhere that I can give to my player that has marked the things that are common knowledge? They have the map from Racing to Ruin so they can mark their journey, but it's not enough. Thanks for any help!
Let the wild rumpus begin! The Voting Booth is now officially open! It will be open until the end of the day on July 24th so you have plenty of time to look over all of the products and judges before making an informed decision. Good luck to everyone!
Congratulations to all the nominees! Winners will be announced at the ceremony on Friday, August 5th, starting at 6:30 at the 500 Ballroom at Gen Con Indy with the cocktail reception beginning at 5:30. So with further adieu, the nominees: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=2156
Nominations are to be announced this Friday, July 8, and I'm absolutely pumped and ready to go! In the meantime, we're working on our new voting booth. Last year, too many people were shown web errors because of the huge wave of voters. We have some new code in place and are licking our chops to get it out there on Friday, July 15. However, we need to test it. And that's where you come in. We want to do a public beta test of the ballot to see how it stands up to the hammering we know it's going to take. If you want to participate, fill out the form at this link. Once we decide the actual timeframe of the beta test, you'll get an e-mail with that information. We would really appreciate it. :) Thanks for your continued support of the ENnies!
It's that time of the year again. The siren's call of the ENnies has been sounded and the question goes out; who will answer? Do you think you have what it takes to be an ENnies judge? Do you have the fortitude to stand up against the barrage of RPG products, the reflexes to navigate the plethora of text and toys, and the will to emerge with the finest goods produced during the year? If so, then this is a great opportunity for you! Starting on July 1, 2011, people will be able to throw their hats into the ring and nominate themselves. The last day for nominating will be July 10, so you'll have plenty of time to make your decision. Voting for the judges will take place alongside voting for products and the winners will be announced at the ENnie Awards ceremony on August 5, 2011. Keep any eye out for my next post with a link to the form. If you want more information about the current judges, please visit the judges page on the ENnie Awards site: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=12. Also, all current judges will be following this post, so feel free to ask questions of them. If you are thinking about running, here's a list of criteria you'll need to remember. All judges must: - be at least 18 years of age as of August 5th, 2011 and able to enter into a legal contract;
If you have a relationship with a publisher, even as a playtester, it is important that you notify the ENnies board of this so that we may determine whether you are eligible to seek a judge position. In cases of a rule violation, conflict of interest, misrepresentation, or other factor(s) detrimental to the awards, the Board of Directors retains the right to alter the composition of the judging panel at any time. Physical location is irrelevant - so long as you can accept packages year-round. When you apply, you will be expected to fill out a questionnaire to help people best gauge how well they think you'll work as a judge. Here are a few sample questions: - What styles and genres of RPGs do you enjoy most? Are there any styles or genres that you do not enjoy? Which games best exemplify what you like? Do you consider yourself a particular system’s, publisher’s or genre’s “fanboy/girl”?
If you want to run, here is what is expected of you. All judges shall: - access the ENnie Awards boards/e-mailing lists (for the purposes of corresponding with judges and interacting with directors and staff);
And, besides being able to say "I'm an ENnies Judge!" what else do you get? Judges: - upon completion of reviewing, retain for personal use or otherwise dispose of products reviewed;
Tony Law
Hello from the ENnie Awards! The time is quickly drawing near for the nominations and for the actual ceremony itself. As always, we will be auctioning off Dream Dates for the ceremony. This year however, we're doing things a little differently. After gathering feedback from multiple people, we've decided to stagger the auctions to give people the opportunity to bid on Dream Dates if they are outbid on a previous auction. This year, the auctions will begin on June 13 and will feature one or two auctions a week until the end of July. If you want to see who we have lined up so far, check out this page: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=2083 If you don't know what a Dream Date entails, the winning bidder will have the opportunity to meet and hobnob with important players in the RPG industry, sit with them during the actual ENnie Awards ceremony, and gain valuable prizes from said players, such as autographed items and/or RPG books. We have six confirmed Dates so far and are in the process of getting more, so keep an eye on that page to see who you can bid for. In the meantime, feel free to give us feedback as far as who should go first and who else we should try to get who's not already listed. :) Tony Law
This is just a quick, but important, announcement. We recently changed hosting providers and have updated the official ENnie e-mail addresses. Going forward, all e-mail addresses will end in @ennie-awards.com (note the dash in between "ennie" and "awards"). The old e-mail addresses will work for a while but will eventually go away. Tony Law
I'm very excited to announce the list of this year's Guest Presenters at the 2011 ENnie Awards ceremony. The ceremony will be held on Friday, August 5th, in the 500 Room in the newly remodeled Convention Center. The ceremony will run from 6:30pm to 9pm, with a cocktail reception starting at 5:30pm. I look forward to seeing you all there! Our Guest Presenters will be: Christopher West (Maps of Mastery)
Tony Law
Is it really April already?! Why yes; yes it is. And that means that this is the last month of eligibility for the 2011 ENnie Awards! For a product to be eligible, it must have a publishing date of no later than April 30, 2011. And then, if it's an e-submission, it must be submitted no later than May 8. If it's shipped, the postmark must be no later than May 8. So if you're a publisher and you haven't submitted your product yet, I don't mean to pressure you, but you only have 37 days to get it done! And if you're a fan who wants your favorite publisher to submit, check out the Submissions page. If you don't see what you want, tell your favorite publisher to submit their product. If it's not submitted, we can't judge it! Tony Law
Have you ever wanted to take a cruise but none of the on-board activities seemed interesting? Well look no further! The ENnie Awards, in association with Gamer Adventures, is raffling off two tickets for an Board Gaming and RPG Cruise! This 5 day trip aboard a Carnival cruise ship leaves from Galveston, TX, and will travel to both Progresso, Yucatan and Cozumel, Mexico. During the trip, you will have the opportunity to play RPGs and board games in a private gaming room with many like-minded individuals, including RPG VIPs Bruce Harlick and Mason Peatross. Combine that with $50 in shipboard credit as well as a free cocktail party and you have the makings of a seriously good time! For more information on the cruise, you can visit the website at http://www.gameradventures.com/larp_caribbean.htm. So how can you win this awesome vacation? By buying raffle tickets! Tickets are $5 apiece or 5 for $20. Click on the link below to purchase your tickets. Good luck! http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=1848 Details:
Tony Law
We need you! What for?
How long will it take?
What do I have to do?
If publishers want to drop off materials for next year’s ENnies, you’ll have them fill out a form and give them a receipt. You also have to make sure nothing is taken from the booth, especially on Saturday and Sunday, after the ENnie winners are announced Friday night. What’s in it for me?
Where do I sign up?
We have now have our second sponsor for the 2011 ENnie Awards. A big THANK YOU to DriveThruRPG for their continued support of the ENnies!
We have our first sponsor for the 2011 ENnie Awards. A big THANK YOU to Indie Press Revolution for their continued support of the ENnies! Tony Law
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great last few weeks and is looking forward to 2011. First, an important announcement: Sandie Law has joined the staff of the ENnie Awards as a Volunteer Coordinator. It seems that our current Volunteer Coordinator, Gertie Barden Nichols, will be unable to attend Gen Con this year. Sandie has graciously volunteered to step in and help with managing all the volunteer options associated with the ENnies. If you have any questions for her, you can e-mail her at booth@ennieawards.com. And now the question. It is a tradition for many people to make resolutions concerning the new year as it approaches. Here at the ENnies, we're no different. Our resolutions, of course, all involve RPGs. To read the Staff resolutions, and to post your own, please visit us at http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?p=1724. Tony Law
VSCA Publishing interview has been posted: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?p=1518
The description of Furious Focus states "[w]hen you are wielding a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon with two hands". My son's fighter is 5th level and has Power Attack. He wields a bastard sword but took the Exotic Weapon Proficiency so he could also carry a shield. So the question is, since a bastard sword is a "two-handed weapon" that can be used one-handed with specific training, does it count as wielding a two-handed weapon for this feat when used in just one hand?
The RPG Haven has posted its interview with current ENnies judge Jay Peters. It’s an excellent listen and answers a lot of questions that people have about the judging process. I recommend taking an hour out of your day and listening to it. http://www.therpghaven.com/podcast/?p=277 Tony Law
Cubicle 7 is participating as a Dream Date. Cubicle 7 - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180534005162
Add to the list: Greg Vaughn - Necromancer Games
After going through hundreds of entries, the judges have narrowed the field and selected the nominees for each of the 20 categories. On behalf of the judges and the Board of Directors, please allow me to congratulate each publisher for their nomination(s) for the Tenth Annual ENnie Awards. Voting for the ENnies will begin on July 16th. Until then, feel free to view the nominees and offer your own congratulations. Visit the official announcement page for links to all of the products listed below: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=784 The judges have chosen five products for each category below. The HM products (Honorable Mention) are products that the judges really liked, but fell short of an actual nomination. For more information, click on a product’s name. Winners will be announced on the evening of Friday, August 6th at Gen Con! If you are a nominee, click here for the ENnie Awards 2010 Nominee image badge to place on your product’s website/marketing material. Fans: Feel free to download a flyer for you to print out and take to your Friendly Local Gaming Store to spread the word about the ENnies: 2010 ENnies Nominee Flyer And don’t forget to look at who will be running for a spot as a judge for next year’s ENnies: 2010 Judge Nominees. Voting for the judges will take place at the same time as voting for the products on Friday, July 16th. Fan Award of Best Publisher For all the other ENnie Award categories, a panel of fan-elected judges selects their favorite products upon which the world at large votes. However, when it comes to Best Publisher, the ENnies go to fandom directly and asks their opinion. To nominate a publisher, visit the 2010 ENnies Fan Award for Best Publisher Nomination Form. You have until July 14th to nominate a publisher. Best Adventure * The Grinding Gear (Lamentations of the Flame Princess)
Best Aid or Accessory * Battlegraph Dry Erase Boards (Longtooth Studios)
Best Art, Cover * Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
Best Art, Interior * Escape from Tentacle City (Willow Palecek)
Best Blog * Critical Hits
Best Cartography * Aces and Eights: Judas Crossing (Kenzer & Company)
Best Electronic Book * The Great City Player’s Guide (0one Games)
Best Free Product * Advanced Players Guide Playtest (Paizo Publishing)
Best Game * Dragon Age: Set 1 (Green Ronin)
Best Miniature Product * Alkemy Minis (Kraken Editions)
Best Monster/Adversary * Aces and Eights: Rustlers & Townsfolk (Kenzer and Company)
Best Podcast * All Games Considered
Best Production Values * Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
Best Regalia * Battletech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction (Catalyst Game Labs)
Best Rules * Atomic Highway (Radioactive Ape Designs)
Best Setting * Day After Ragnarok (Atomic Overmind Press)
Best Supplement * Lucha Libre Hero (Hero Games)
Best Website * d20PFSRD.com
Best Writing * Eclipse Phase (Catalyst Game Labs & Posthuman Studios)
Product of the Year * Doctor Who (Cubicle 7)
Tony Law
It's that time of the year again. The siren's call of the ENnies has been sounded and the question goes out; who will answer? Do you think you have what it takes to be an ENnies judge? Do you have the fortitude to stand up against the barrage of RPG products, the reflexes to navigate the plethora of text and toys, and the will to emerge with the finest goods produced during the year? If so, then this is a great opportunity for you! Starting on July 1, 2010, people will be able to throw their hats in the ring and nominate themselves. The last day for nominating will be July 11, so you'll have plenty of time to make your decision. Voting for the judges will take place alongside voting for products and the winners will be announced at the ENnie Awards ceremony on August 6, 2010. Keep any eye out for my next post with a link to the form. If you want more information about the current judges, please visit the judges page on the ENnie Awards site: [url]http://www.ennie-awards.com/about/judges.asp[/url]. Also, all current judges will be following this post, so feel free to ask questions of them. If you are thinking about running, here's a list of criteria you'll need to remember. All judges must:
If you have a relationship with a publisher, even as a playtester, it is important that you notify the ENnies board of this so that they may determine whether you are eligible to seek a judge position. In cases of rule violation, conflict of interest, misrepresentation, or other factor(s) detrimental to the awards, the Board of Directors retains the right to alter the composition of the judging panel at any time. Physical location is irrelevant - so long as you can accept packages year-round. When you apply, you will be expected to fill out a questionnaire to help people best gauge how well they think you'll work as a judge. Here a couple of sample questions:
If you want to run, here is what is expected of you. All judges shall:
And, besides being able to say "I'm an ENnies Judge!" what else do you get? Judges:
Tony Law ENnies Assistant Business Manager tony@ennieawards.com
A player in my campaign took the wand as his wizard's bonded item. My question is does the wizard cast all of their spells out of the wand? Because, if so, a) all spells no longer require somatic components and b) casting spells would no longer require concentration and never provoke AoOs. This is because wands use the spell trigger activation method. I'm thinking that the wand needs to be wielded but the wizard still needs a free hand to cast spells.
As the ENnie Awards enters its 10th year, we've been evaluating priorities and taking care to look at feedback from past years. So today we're asking your opinion on a few issues. Your responses will be taken into consideration as we move forward. Please note that we cannot afford the time or money to create too many extra categories. Also in your response, please note if you are a publisher, fan, if you've submitted to the ENnies/plan on doing so, etc.: I. As the category structure is set out currently, anyone submitting product for the ENnies is relegated into two broad classifications - "Publisher" or "Fan". A Publisher is someone who produces role playing games or related products for sale. A Fan is someone who produces role playing games or related products for free. These classifications have been made in order to recognize those people who produce product in their free time and who generally have fewer resources to devote to their product. Also, since the Awards and many publishers started as fan web sites or productions, the ENnies wish to maintain their commitment to acknowledging the efforts of those in the trenches getting started. We have two options to consider: A. Keep 'em separated: Offer a Fan Product category (or more if quality and quantity of submissions so warrant). Categories would most likely be Best Web Site, Best Serial (webzine, podcast, blog), Best Product. B. Let 'em compete together: Eliminate the Fan categories altogether. Many Fan productions believe they have sufficient quality to stand on their own feet without needing any special category to give them a leg up. It has to be either/or so the rules can be applied to everybody. It would not be acceptable to have only some Fan products "opt in". II. The definition of the category allows for any submitted free product or webhancement from a publisher, whether it's a full product, quickstart rules, etc. This category was created to replace the Best Web Site category, since for publishers, a web site is essentially a marketing and public relations tool, just like handing out free product. It is a "thank you" and an acknowledgement of the investment required to create a product that is not in itself going to make money. Last year there was some discussion as to what should be permitted as a free product in the Free Product/Webhancement category. Should we change the definition of this category? And if so, how? III. Please feel free to expand upon other topics below, fill out our online survey, or email the Business Manager personally at denise@ennieawards.com with your questions or concerns. Tony Law
GenCon is getting closer and closer, folks, and so is the ENnie Awards Ceremony! The most important upcoming date, though, is May 8, 2010. This is the very last day that products will be accepted. This means that, if you're submitting an electronic product, you need to submit it no later than May 8. If you are mailing products, the postmark must be no later than May 8 or you will just be wasting your money. As for other dates, mark your calendar for the following: July 1st: Those who wish to take up the mantle of “ENnies Judge” start to officially campaign for the position July 9th: Nominees announced to the public July 9th: Open nominations for Fan’s Choice for Best Publisher July 11th: Last day to nominate yourself as a judge
July 16th – July 25th: Voting for products/publisher and 2011 Judges
Friday, August 6th, 2010: ENnie Awards Ceremony in Indianapolis Tony Law
GenCon is getting closer and closer, folks, and so is the ENnie Awards Ceremony! The most important upcoming date, though, is May 8, 2010. This is the very last day that products will be accepted. This means that, if you're submitting an electronic product, you need to submit it no later than May 8. If you are mailing products, the postmark must be no later than May 8 or you will just be wasting your money. Publishers: If you've been putting it off, now's the time to start packaging/submitting! Fans: I ask that you go to the Submissions page on the ENnies Blog and see if your favorite publisher has submitted their material. If they haven't, contact however you have to and let them know they need to get a move on! And while I have your attention, we still need volunteers at the ENnies booth. Click here for more details. :) Tony Law
A quick clarification: However, if a publisher has a product available in POD format and 1) the POD version has sold less the 50 copies and 2) the PDF and POD versions are exactly identical, then the publisher may submit the PDF version.
In order for people to feel a little more connected to the ENnies, we've decided to conducts interviews with each judge. Now, each judge already answered a list of questions when they were in the running to be a 2010 ENnies judge and you can read those answers here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/about/judges.asp For this interview, we will ask more focused questions. We'll come up with questions on our end but we also want to open the floor to questions from the fans. And that's what this post is for. Feel free to comment below during the next week and we will pick the best five to 10 questions for the judges. Thanks in advance to everyone who asks questions. Tony Law
We are looking for good people to volunteer their time at the ENnies booth at GenCon this year. We are starting the recruitment early to give people plenty of time to work out their GenCon schedule, especially since event sign-up doesn’t begin until April. We would like two people to work each shift and as many as want to help tear down the booth. When scheduling your time, please plan to show up 10 minutes before it starts. Each volunteer should be ready to answer questions from passers-by about EN World and the ENnies. There will be a book at the booth with information such as when the ENnies ceremony will be held, the names of each judge, who the nominees are, etc. Also, some publishers may drop off materials for next years ENnies, so the volunteers will be required to have the publisher fill out a form and give the publisher a receipt. You also have to make sure nothing is taken from the booth, especially on Saturday and Sunday, after the ENnie winners are announced Friday night. Oh, did I mention the swag bag given to each volunteer? ;) For the schedule, you can check out this link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AtGCQhHRRCgqdEswOWhMd2tYaFhIdTcyV05 JT2M5ZGc&hl=en Tony Law
Great news everyone! Starting today, publishers will now be able to use an online form for their submissions. Whether you’re planning on sending packages to the judges or submitting your products electronically, you can use the online form to let us know about your products. For more information, check out the “How to Enter” page on the ENnie Awards website: http://www.ennie-awards.com/publishers/how_to_enter.asp Tony Law
Greetings all and well met! It's that time of the year again. The time where the ENnies staff and judges begin the countdown to GenCon and start getting all of our dire ducks in a row. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to let y'all know where we're at and where we're headed. 1. This year's ceremony will be our 10th Annual affair and will be held on Friday, August 6th. The wheels are in motion to make this the best. ENnies. ever. More details to come! 2. One of the projects we're working on is to create a photo retrospective. If you have photos you would like to include in this retrospective, please e-mail them to photos@ennieawards.com. It will be a fun trip down memory lane for all. 3. Going forward, electronic submissions will work differently than they have in the past. For our new electronic entry guidelines, please visit http://www.ennie-awards.com/publishers/e-submissions.asp. For podcasts and blogs/online magazines, there are some additional guidelines: - You must send a link to your site and specify one "must-hear" episode or one "must-read" article/issue.
This will mean that each judge will listen to/read three episodes/articles/issues, one of which is chosen by the podcaster/publisher, in order to get a sense of the entire line. 4. If you haven't seen the ENnies blog, it's high-time you take a look at it by visiting http://www.ennie-awards.com/ennies/blog! 5. On the blog, we are keeping a running list of all submissions we have received. At the top of the blog is a link to a page labeled Submissions. This page will let you see exactly which publishers have submitted, what products said publishers have submitted, and a link for each product to give you a chance to get to know them better. If you're an RPG fan, I highly recommend you go and see who's submitted and prod your favorite publisher to submit the products you want to see win an ENnie. If you're an RPG publisher, this page will allow you to easily check what you have or have not submitted. 6. Speaking of publishers: This year, we are going to be more stringent with our deadlines. In the last few years, we have had publishers who have sent products that were postmarked after the submission deadline. Depending on circumstances, we have been lenient and allowed these items to still be judged. We have decided that it is in everyone's best interest to stick to the guidelines and only allow products to be judged that are postmarked before the deadline. This means that is in the best interest of the publisher to get a tracking number on their packages and keep an eye on it to verify delivery. It would be a shame if an excellent product was left out simply because it wasn't postmarked on time or because a publisher didn't check to make sure the product was delivered on time. This year, the postmark deadline is on, or before, May 8, 2010. This also applies to electronic submissions. With this in mind, publishers need to remember that one of our judges, Megan Robertson, lives in the United Kingdom. This means that, for items shipped from outside of the UK, the transit time will be longer than normal. Please make sure to ship your items as early as possible to make sure that they arrive in a timely fashion and give her, and other judges, ample time to review them. 7. With of a completely packed personal schedule, Gertie Barden has decided to step back from her role as Assistant Business Manager and focus on more important things like getting married and going back to college to complete a second Bachelor's degree (crazy, I know!). She will stay on as a staff member, but in a less taxing role. Because of this, I have been asked to step into the Assistant Business Manager role and I have accepted. I will now be pulling double-duty and stay on as the PR Coordinator. Denise Robinson, the current Business Manager, has previously announced her retirement from the position after this year, so I will move up into that role next year. I want to thank both Gertie and Denise for recommending me to step into the new position and I promise to keep the ENnies as fun, exciting, and important as they are currently. Well that's all for now. I will make sure to keep everyone updated on the latest happenings of the ENnies and, as I've stated before, I highly recommend you read the ENnies Blog to keep up on ENnies news and discussions by the judges. As always, you may respond to me here or e-mail me at pr@ennieawards.com if you have any questions. Tony Law
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